All physical forces can be explained and predicted using particle physics. Any chemical reactions, genetic conjugations, and simple human decisions are possible to predict with perfect precision by a powerful computer with a working knowledge of every physical force in the universe. There is no such thing as "random"... all of our decisions are governed by electrical pulses and all environmental factors are governed by photons of determinable wavelength and by interatoic interactions with calculable forces and momenta.
Scientists in every field use the concept of "randomness" to avoid calculating all of these factors (which, of course, is practically impossible) when the factors can be simply replaced by statistics. When such statistics are accepted, results will traditionally vary from expected results due to "randomness" or the "standard deviation."
So, if randomness is not truly random and can be explained by physical forces, then is everything in the world predestined?
Most people will be inclinded to say "no." But why not? You like to think that you are in control of your life? Me too.
But everything in my life can be explained by a physical force. Everything can be predicted by a very advanced science whose surface has yet to be skimmed. So yes, I am in control of my life, but electrons and photons are in control of me.
Then who am I?
Am I a creation of God or a product of evolution? Or both?
If I am not a creation of God, then the world is controlled by physical principles and not by independent thinking. If you are not a creation of God, then you are merely an amalgamation of subatomic particles which work together to do things... not only are you not in control, but "you" do not even exist. Your mind is just a collection of neurons that is only different from other minds becuse of slight differences in the neurons. You are nothing more than particles that do not differentiate you from anybody else. And these particles will interact in the same way with their surroundings no matter what you decide - because they control your "decisions."
If I am a creation of God, then He provided me with a soul that cannot be explained by physical means. I can make decisions because He gave me free will and I can control my fate.
Why? I don't know. I don't really care. All that matters is that if I am a creation of God, then I am in control of my life. If I am a creation of God, then I can make decisions. I can control my neural impulses because I exist as more than just a product of these impulses.
So is the concept of randomness truly nonexistent? Does everything in the world occur with a precise plan?
Or do we have some control?
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Friday, February 03, 2006
11. Evolution: Mathematically Possible
Many people argue that evolution, notwithstanding all evidence found by science, simply doesn't make sense. How can a bacteria, they say, simply become a human, even if it has a billion years to do it? How did homo habilis suddenly decide to "get taller" one day and "evolve" into modern man?
I will not devote a great deal of time here to natural selection; it is clear that, if a mutation in an individual organism is a favorable one, that organism will live on and reproduce. The organisms I will use in this pseud0-proof are two HIV strains that I work with on a daily basis, HXB2 and 93TH253; more specifically, I will talk about a gene known as the "RT gene" (if you are some form of biologist, I apologize for the oversimplification). I chose these two strains solely because I know a lot about them and I can probably answer any questions; these strains are no more adequate in proving my point than any other two strains.
HXB2 comprises a major branch on the HIV "family tree" (a.k.a. the phylogenetic tree, for those of you who know a little bit about genomics). It was first found in France in 1983, and a great deal of humans is now infected with one of the many mutated variations of HXB2.
One of these mutated variations, 93TH253, was found in 1993 in Thailand. The RT gene of this strain has well over 90 mutations, which comprises over 10% of the gene. Therefore, let's be safe and say that IT IS POSSIBLE for 10% of a gene in a simple organism to mutate within ten years.
Now let's assume that in only 20% of cases (1 out of 5) will this 10% change in a gene result in a 5% increase in gene size (this is, again, a very safe estimate) while the other 80% of cases will either result in insignificant size changes or a decrease in size.
Therefore, in ten years, a gene has a 20% chance of increasing in size by 5%.
Take 20% of 5% (equals 1%).
So, in ten years, a gene may very plausibly increase in size by 1%.
So, in ten years, a gene's size may plausibly increase to 101% (1.01 times) its original size.
If this is true, in a mere thirty thousand years, a gene's size can increase to 9 trillion (9,000,000,000,000) times its original size. After thirty thousand more years, it will be 9 trillion times that amount (81,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000).
The human genome is about 3 trillion bases long and took over a billion years to create.
The human genome is one-third the size and took over thirty thousand times as long to create as this theoretical genome.
30,000 / (1/3) = 90,000.
Therefore, by this interpretation, there is a 1/90,000 chance that these calculations are incorrect and that evolution is, as a matter of fact, impossible.
Remember that all of these calculations are approximations and are not 100% correct... the actual probability may be 1/60,000 and it may be 1/120,000.
I will not devote a great deal of time here to natural selection; it is clear that, if a mutation in an individual organism is a favorable one, that organism will live on and reproduce. The organisms I will use in this pseud0-proof are two HIV strains that I work with on a daily basis, HXB2 and 93TH253; more specifically, I will talk about a gene known as the "RT gene" (if you are some form of biologist, I apologize for the oversimplification). I chose these two strains solely because I know a lot about them and I can probably answer any questions; these strains are no more adequate in proving my point than any other two strains.
HXB2 comprises a major branch on the HIV "family tree" (a.k.a. the phylogenetic tree, for those of you who know a little bit about genomics). It was first found in France in 1983, and a great deal of humans is now infected with one of the many mutated variations of HXB2.
One of these mutated variations, 93TH253, was found in 1993 in Thailand. The RT gene of this strain has well over 90 mutations, which comprises over 10% of the gene. Therefore, let's be safe and say that IT IS POSSIBLE for 10% of a gene in a simple organism to mutate within ten years.
Now let's assume that in only 20% of cases (1 out of 5) will this 10% change in a gene result in a 5% increase in gene size (this is, again, a very safe estimate) while the other 80% of cases will either result in insignificant size changes or a decrease in size.
Therefore, in ten years, a gene has a 20% chance of increasing in size by 5%.
Take 20% of 5% (equals 1%).
So, in ten years, a gene may very plausibly increase in size by 1%.
So, in ten years, a gene's size may plausibly increase to 101% (1.01 times) its original size.
If this is true, in a mere thirty thousand years, a gene's size can increase to 9 trillion (9,000,000,000,000) times its original size. After thirty thousand more years, it will be 9 trillion times that amount (81,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000).
The human genome is about 3 trillion bases long and took over a billion years to create.
The human genome is one-third the size and took over thirty thousand times as long to create as this theoretical genome.
30,000 / (1/3) = 90,000.
Therefore, by this interpretation, there is a 1/90,000 chance that these calculations are incorrect and that evolution is, as a matter of fact, impossible.
Remember that all of these calculations are approximations and are not 100% correct... the actual probability may be 1/60,000 and it may be 1/120,000.
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