[MD] Distinguishing Levels (Individual level)

[Platt Holden]

> [Case]
> Ok you are claiming that evolution "strives" for "betterness". You gave
> the example of the big rock killing the dinosaurs and our rise to take
> their place. 
> 
> Now forget about AL Gore's chart showing that the CO2 content of the
> atmosphere today is twice as high as it has ever been in the past
> 600,000 years. He could be just saying that because he likes giving the
> same slide show over and over. But let's say another big rock falls out
> of the sky. There are lots of them out there. If one, say a mile across,
> landed in the Pacific Ocean it would splash all the water out. It would
> leave a big hole and lots of people would have a really bad day.
> Evolution would have to start over. That is what "punctuated
> equilibrium" means.
> 
> Now what makes you think that if that happened, evolution would get to
> work making something "better" than we have now? Better for whom? Now
> cockroaches and shellfish have already been through this a couple of
> times already and they don't seem to mind but is that your idea of
> "better"?

Evolution has already made something better, the human brain, so that 1) the
big rock can be diverted from hitting earth, or 2) a number of humans can
escape from the big rock prior to it being hit and continue human life 
elsewhere in the cosmos. As for "punctuated equilibrium" it came from 
the fertile imagination of Stephen Jay Gould and has nothing whatsoever 
to do with big rocks hitting the earth or mass extinctions. (Gould is 
yet another example of a unique individual coming up with a new idea to 
advance human knowledge and contribute to the evolution of life.) 
 
> [Case]
> > Could you explain your understanding of the word "theory"? 
> 
> [Platt]
> An explanation of quality intellectual realities.
> 
> [Case]
> It is not just an explanation. It is a TESTABLE explanation. In fact the
> Theory of Evolution and the Theory of Relativity are Theories with a
> capital T because they have been tested and tested and retested. They
> have been mulled over, dissected, modify and tested again. They earned
> the capital T. They have with stood the Test of Time.

You are talking about scientific theory as opposed to, say, art theory. 
And even "testable" is not the current popular criteria for a valid 
scientific theory. The criteria now is Popper's "falsifiability." 
Finally, any scientist will tell you that the Test of Time is 
irrelevant because all scientific theories are "provisional."

> [Case]
> You called my guy a charlatan. I called yours a sock puppet. I would be
> really interested in why you would call Gore a charlatan. 
> 
> I am happy to tell you why I think Bush is the second or third most evil
> man to hold the oval office:

> He caused us to invade a sovereign nation  on the basis of out right 
lies.

That statement is an outright lie.

> He and his father used nuclear weapons on the battlefield.

When and where?

> He is forcing medieval peoples to accept a way of  life that is
> abhorrent to them.

Millions of them freely elected their new government.

> He is refusing to seriously address ecological problems that
> threaten the lives of our children and  grandchildren.

Controversial scare scenario.

> He is borrowing money that will burden the future of our
> progeny. (Although given the reason before that I guess this one makes
> sense.)

Congress authorizes government expenditures and raises the debt limit.

> His has appointed people to our supreme court who have already
> begun making rulings that will seriously damage this republic for years
> to come.

Like giving our rights as citizens to terrorists who want to kill us?

> While prosecuting a seemingly personal war against Iraq he has
> ignored genocides in other parts of the world.

Ignored? What do you want him to do, send in troops?

> He has done nothing to
> address the threat nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union falling
> into the hands of God knows who.

Done nothing? What do you want him to do, invade Russia?

>He promoted fear to erode the civil liberties of our people.

> Now why is Gore a charlatan?

I'll take the first and last accusations you made about Bush. Gore  
promotes fear to erode the liberties of our people and out right lies.