This question often made by creationists to disprove evolution. I have come across the comment on two posts, Fighting For The Truth and TarzanInChrist.
The obvious problem with this statement is that it is a slothful induction. This argument is equally effective against creationists and the argument makes all human acts of logical deduction meaningless. A crime committed is still a crime, even if there were no witnesses there to observe its occurence.
Events in the past leave traces that last into the present, and we can and do look at that evidence today. A more useful and more general question is, "How do you know?" If the person making a claim can not answer that question, you may consider the claim baseless. If you can not understand the answer, you probably have some studying to do. If you get a good answer, you know to take the claim seriously.
More is on Talk Origins and EvoWiki.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hello Corey,
I just wanted to make it clear that I was using the "were you there" statement for both sides. You said, "I challenge you to make a reference to any scientific claim that Kent Hovind had made that proves that creationism happened." In my response I stated that, "Unfortunately there is no possible way that Dr. Hovind or I can "prove" anything, because we weren't there when it all happened." Just as you can not PROVE evolution happened since you were not there. You bring up the crime scene scenario...just because you have evidence that a crime took place does not mean that you know who committed the crime as there are thousands upon thousands of unsolved crimes today. Same with Creationism and Evolution...a beginning happened but unless you were there you don't know for SURE who or what got us here. That is also why I wrote in my response, "Creationism and evolution are both faith based due to a lack of concrete proof on both sides. One has to choose, based on the information that is available, what they are going to believe. Creationists have faith in God, evolutionist have faith in dirt (In the beginning God created....or, in the beginning, there was dirt...)". Then you said, "...your statement that evolution says we came from dirt, yet does the Bible not say that we were created from dirt?" Yes we were! Genesis 2:7 says, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." But that does not mean that I have faith in dirt...I was just made from dirt (and a rib if you want to get real technichal :o) but, I have faith in God my Creator! I am still working on a response to your last comment, I have been doing some research on some of your arguments...GOOD STUFF, thanks! We should be finished with it tomorrow afternoon..so check it out then.
Post a Comment