AtheistS, did we really come from a slimey pond???

Question

With lots of icky goo and other nasty sh*t?

Answer 1

Statistical analysis says not.

The odds, apparently, are in the region of 10 to the minus 60th power (that's 0.(59 zeros)1 %) chance that life could have evolved.

Note that statisticians assert that any event with a probability of less than 10 to the minus 16th power is so improbable that we can safely say that there is no chance that it could happen.

But, as with all other evidence that points to people being wrong, I'm sure that atheists will either attempt to explain this away or just ignore it; so much for them holding the intellectual high ground huh?

Edit: Reevesy - No. Hoyle, Carl Sagan and Julian Huxley, to name but three. Go figure.

The Truth - I'll email you the relevant sources mate.

Answer 2

Yes.

Pete, I'll happily refute your argument - just post a question with your references. Particularly interested in the statisticians who make such a claim.

I assume you're refering to Borel's Law which basically states: Phenomena with very small probabilities do not occur. It doesn't state a cut off point, exactly but does suggest 10 to the minus 50 (not 16!).

This argument has two flaws in that:
1) estimates that ignore the non-random elements predetermined by physics and chemistry are meaningless

2) The mathematics are clearly nonsense as well.
Here's a simple example to showcase my meaning. A bridge player is dealt 13 cards. If they calculated the odds of getting that exact hand by chance, they'd find it was one in 635 billion (actually 1 in 635,013,559,600 to be specific). It sounds impossible, so should they automatically assume it couldn't have happened?

Obviously not, because it did...

Let's push the boat out a little. We know the hand that was dealt. What is the probability of getting that hand dealt in that order - it's approximately 1 in 3,954,240,000,000,000,000,000! So surely that was impossible! But, again we know it happened.

Now, let's say a bridge player plays three hands. The three sets of cards they are dealt have a probability that's lower than your 10 to the minus 60th (It's 10 to the minus 65th) to be dealt in that order. They were clearly dealt like that, so it's clear that it happens.

Basically, I'm not arguing with this statistical rule. I'm just showing how it can be used incorrectly (as in Pete's example).

Answer 3

The eividence shows yes but we have developed a whole lot since then...


think oh smart one if your god was so specail why only place live on an insidnificant drain of space dust as pathetic as a grain of sand if you take into account how many stars and planets there are in the galaxy, just this one alone then add in the infinite number of galaxies over such a huge space.

Answer 4

Yes. I surprised that you have trouble believing you come from goo and nasty places.

Answer 5

some of us evolved sweetie.

pete what satistical analyis was this then research funded by the vatican?

Answer 6

looks like you never got out.