The Making of the Fittest by Sean Carrol - Must Read!

[Richard Amiel McGough]

79The Making of the Fittest is one of the best introductions to evolutionary science, especially for those who have any doubts about its validity. It is lucid, easy to read, and packed with amazing and convincing facts. The subtitle says it all: 'DNA and the Forensic Record of Evolution.' The same kind of evidence that is now universally accepted in all courts as proof of guilt or innocence also provides evidence 'beyond all reasonable doubt' about the evolutionary history of all living beings. Here’s is how Carroll explains his motivation:
More accurate and rigorous than fiber or fingerprint analysis, and far more reliable than eyewitness testimony, DNA analysis can provide conclusive proof about who was or was not at the scene of a crime. The authority of DNA evidence … led to a revolution in the criminal justice system and a vast increase in the use of DNA testing to both convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent. …
The power of DNA testing extends far beyond criminal justice. The determination of paternity is now definitive, and testing for carriers of genetic diseases is now routing, thanks to DNA science. but there is one arena where that power is not yet widely appreciated: in what one might call the philosophical realm.

Just as the sequence of each individual’s DNA is unique, the sequence of each species’ DNA is unique. Every evolutionary change between species, from physical form to digestive metabolism, is due to – and recorded in - changes in DNA. So, too, is the 'paternity' of species. DNA contains, therefore, the ultimate forensic record of evolution.



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[RC Christian]

79The Making of the Fittest is one of the best introductions to evolutionary science, especially for those who have any doubts about its validity. It is lucid, easy to read, and packed with amazing and convincing facts. The subtitle says it all: 'DNA and the Forensic Record of Evolution.' The same kind of evidence that is now universally accepted in all courts as proof of guilt or innocence also provides evidence 'beyond all reasonable doubt' about the evolutionary history of all living beings. Here’s is how Carroll explains his motivation:
More accurate and rigorous than fiber or fingerprint analysis, and far more reliable than eyewitness testimony, DNA analysis can provide conclusive proof about who was or was not at the scene of a crime. The authority of DNA evidence … led to a revolution in the criminal justice system and a vast increase in the use of DNA testing to both convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent. …
The power of DNA testing extends far beyond criminal justice. The determination of paternity is now definitive, and testing for carriers of genetic diseases is now routing, thanks to DNA science. but there is one arena where that power is not yet widely appreciated: in what one might call the philosophical realm.

Just as the sequence of each individual’s DNA is unique, the sequence of each species’ DNA is unique. Every evolutionary change between species, from physical form to digestive metabolism, is due to – and recorded in - changes in DNA. So, too, is the 'paternity' of species. DNA contains, therefore, the ultimate forensic record of evolution.



http://www.biblewheel.com/images/buy-from-tan.gif (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393330516?ie=UTF8&tag=thebibwhe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0393330516)

Just for the record, right after I posted you about the lucid dreaming question I had while showering, and then I read your post about lucid dreaming, and then I posted back about having the thought about asking you about lucid dreaming...your second sentence here tells me this book is "lucid"...you posted this before I told you what I was thinking in the shower!!!!

OK...I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10...

[RC Christian]

What's your take on the lack of intermediates stages of change within the fossil record. I'm not questioning evolution, and I've never really studied it that much, but Chopra explains it as a quantum leap taking place...like some type of spark in consciousness and bam...one species transformed into another...or something like that. Again, I'm weak on evolution, so this question may not even make sense.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

What's your take on the lack of intermediates stages of change within the fossil record. I'm not questioning evolution, and I've never really studied it that much, but Chopra explains it as a quantum leap taking place...like some type of spark in consciousness and bam...one species transformed into another...or something like that. Again, I'm weak on evolution, so this question may not even make sense.
Well, I'm no expert ... I've only started seriously educating myself on this topic in the last couple years. That's why I read that book, and a few others.

The first thing to know about the "fossil record" is that there are lots of false statements put out by anti-science creationists. So you have to sort through that.

Second, there are TONS of transitional forms, so to really get a proper answer, I would need a proper question about some modern animal that you have been told does not fit properly (with enough fossil evidence) in the phylogenetic tree of life. Then I would have a specific question to answer.

Third, Deepak Choprah is no evolutionary scientist, so I probably wouldn't take his word on any issues relating to it. He does have a "spritual axe" to grind on this issue.

Fourth, I'm not so sure that the matter/spirit duality is real anyway. I lean more towards a monism in which matter and spirit are two aspects of a single reality. So there may be no such thing as "materialism" vs. "spiritualism" and the whole argument may based on faulty premises.

Fifth, species do not "transform into other species" like a cat into a dog or anything like that. That's a common misunderstanding amongst creationists. They ask "If people evolved form monkeys, why are there still monkeys?" But that's not what happened. Humans and monkeys had a common ancestor about five million years ago, and some of those ancestors evolved into humans and others into monkeys.

Sixth - the phylogenetic tree of life has at least two independent witnesses to its validity. First, it was defined by morphology and other biological factors, and then it was confirmed by DNA studies. So there really is no question that all living beings are related to each other.

Seventh - wow! I reached seven! I'll take that as a sign I'm done now.

Great chatting!

Richard

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Just for the record, right after I posted you about the lucid dreaming question I had while showering, and then I read your post about lucid dreaming, and then I posted back about having the thought about asking you about lucid dreaming...your second sentence here tells me this book is "lucid"...you posted this before I told you what I was thinking in the shower!!!!

There's no end to it!



OK...I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10...
Inclusive or exclusive?

[RC Christian]

There's no end to it!


Inclusive or exclusive?

...of course, inclusive! By the way, I forgot to attach the link to the PDF on the 1820 Code so here it is:

http://www.1820.co.il/.upload/%201820%20-%20%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%92%D7%93%D7%9C.pdf


Thanks for the info on evolution. I guess my question was about the fossil records of the various stages of intermediaries when man was transitioning from the common ancestor. But again, I'm not arguing the point...and your previous answer will suffice.