DireStraits

I's time for the creationists to start moving goalposts again.

If biologists do succeed in creating a living cell, then creationists will simply say that it required intelligent intervention. In other words, they will agree that Man is capable of doing something that they previously reserved for God. This means of course that there is no achievement at all of this type that could possibly impress creationists.

But then there is no evidence of any kind at all that will impress creationists that evolution is correct...

thefugitivesaint

I have no problem with the science involved in this project per se but i do, very strongly, have some deep reservations with what we think we can do with the knowledge we, as a society, will gain from these results.

I am firmly in the camp that beleives that humanity thinks it has a good deal of control over what it does and creates but i deeply believe this sentiment to be an illusion. We don't know what will happen to the environment, in the long run, globally, when we, as a species, released genetically modified organisms into the worlds ecosystem. We could not possible begin to fathom the ramifications of wht would happen if one of the many viruses, chemical warfare agents, etc. that currently exist could do the the worlds natural processes. I am fascinated by the science, by the ability to create life from chemical combinations, to begin to possibly understand our development in a way never possible before this age but i am very afraid of what some interests will do with this information.

Yes, i sound conservative, reactionary and scared but i spend a good deal of time writing dystopian, cyberpunk stories which involve a great deal of human wrought plagues, famines, and environmental devestation so i can't help but think of the negative effects of some of our technological innovations and advances. I'm no Luddite but i am skeptical of people in power especially when that power is about utilizing science to make money.

Not that any of this has any direct bearing on the posted articles. It is merely my initial emotional response to a scientific achievement. I don't trust us, as a species, because i know how we are being a member of it. The future is going to be very, very interesting but this only brings me to that old Chinese curse of "May you live in interesting times."

Like Tabula_rasa stated, "Has an ethical discussion taken place yet?" I am all for this side of the event because this is where most of my concerns reside. Yes, the whole "evolution vs. creationism" is important to me in an academic manner but the real world importance of this event is something none of us could possible overlook. How many people are going to be able to accept the fact that we did evolve and that proof of life arising from strictly natural materials is basically now established. Think? How many people fully even understand evolution itself, as a theory? Out of those who are knowledgable of evolution, how many accept the fact that we came about through its process? How many will accept the scientific removal of Divine origins? I know my Mother and my Fundamentalist brother will never accept this fact. They deny evolution is the cause of our development and my Mother is an RN, soon to go back to school to work towards M.D. status. Scary huh?

So many philosophical/social issues have been born from this. Where it will lead is beyond me to guess. I can wait though as the general public rarely keeps itself abreast of current science, in any given field. (Who really can given the myriad number of disciplines today?)

Ah, i should stop my rambling post now. My brain is suffering from the intellectual equivalent of an out of control wild fire, idea igniting idea igniting idea...yep.

This event should help eviscerate many of the arguments coming from the creationist corner. Good riddance to crap i say.

I'll shut up now.
-theSaint

excreationist

Creationists had been saying all along that it is incredibly unlikely for life to come from non-life by chance. They're saying that life is intelligently designed. Super-intelligent people creating life would just show that intelligence is involved... it doesn't show that life can form by itself.
What is needed would be experiments that simulate the early earth or gas clouds in outer space where life just forms by itself - without any unnatural intervention. That would show that life can form *without* intelligence.

Then creationists would eventually agree that life can emerge through chance but they'd say that it still hasn't been proved that humans can form out of a chemical soup.

Bill

The BBC has also posted <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2124000/2124354.stm" target="_blank">a Question & Answer page</a> on this whole business. The last question and answer bears quoting here: == Bill

Mageth

What is needed would be experiments that simulate the early earth or gas clouds in outer space where life just forms by itself - without any unnatural intervention. That would show that life can form *without* intelligence.

But, um, you know, um, it took intelligence to set up the simulated environment, you know? You don't think that could happen by random chance, do you?

And the gaps they keep agettin' smaller.