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Evolution or Creation? Dr. Stephen C. Y. Liu |
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In 1802,
William Paley published his book entitled "Natural Theology",
Evolution theory has, in 140 years,
evolved from organismal to biochemical, and then
molecular. In his book, Prof. Dawkins deals with evolution mainly at
the organismal level, with mechanisms such as: (1) natural selection
through cumulative process, (2) mutation with gradual variability, (3)
adaptation with small modifications, (4) multiple convergence, and (5)
gene expression. He also expounds hypotheses such as: (1) punctuated or
graduated equilibrium, and (2) one tree of life.
The empirical mechanisms are valid mechanisms, being
demonstratable under highly restricted conditions in the labs or in
greenhouses. However, translating them into the field, they are
altogether different and deviated. For example, spontaneous mutation
frequency with Escherichia coli, for one single
gene, is one in one million in vitro. Two genes in cumulative
fashion would be tenfold less, and so on. To isolate the mutant is a
formidable task. To ensure the survival of these deficient mutants in
the wild population would be another challengeable work. Microbiologists
with their ingenuity meticulously have managed all the way to have them
identified, isolated and characterized.
Above all, mutation
in general is detrimental (
F. Ayala, 1997). In other mechanism, e.g. gene expression with errors
and their repair, there are many experimental questions to be answered,
let alone in an open field with natural physical forces.
The fundamental and debatable question is whether or not these
mechanisms, having no purpose in view, would eventually cause organisms,
even in the lower hierarchical categories, to evolve upwards. There are minute
changes, not necessarily for the better. They could be for the
worse. Without intervention by scientists with their manipulations,
degeneration to extinction is a well-known ecological principle.
After all, these mechanisms are at best processes, contributing
not directly to the internal complexity, functional intricacies and
beauty of living organisms, as Paley had advocated for design.
Resemblance in structure and being comparable in function only suggest
that these living things are related in kinds, not necessarily being
evolved phylogenetically.
The origin of life (i. e. biochemical to molecular evolution) is
covered briefly and comprehensively in Dawkins’ book (Chapter 6).
Currently and historically, biogenesis (creation, from living to living)
and abiogenesis (evolution, from non-living to living) are two
epistemologico-scientifical theories. With Schwann’s bottle, Louis
Pasteur in 19th century demonstrated that abiogenesis was not
probable in his time. It is true that Stanley Miller and his experiment
in 1953 revived the biochemical evolution theory. Lately, RNA World
Hypothesis was proposed to replace it. Those who are active in this
field of research agree that RNA itself is too complex and fragile to
have formed entirely from abiotic process. They are searching for an
even simpler replicator. Prof.
James D. Watson, Nobel Laureate, with his collaborators, said
in his textbook Molecular Biology of the Gene, 4th ed.
(1997), “ Questions of
molecular evolution become even more daunting when to try to speculate
about the very earliest life forms. We have seen that even in the best
fossil preserve only the durable parts of an organism; the
macromolecules are lost…. It is impossible to design model experiment
with primitive earth condition mimicked in obtaining direct proof for
any particular theory of origin of life. The sobering truth is
that even if every expert in the field of molecular evolution were to
agree on how life originated, the theory would still be a best guess
rather a fact (pp. 1160-1161). The valid option is biogenesis: living thing reproduces living thing, each after its own kind. Creation is historical, miraculous and doctrinal, not non-scientific. This is how humanity exists today. This is why we practice God’s mandate (Gen. 1:28) for our next generations. Creation is a Christian worldview, a subjective and religious doctrine; i.e. God creates humanity in his own image, with no specific claim of being empirical or scientific.
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演化論抑或創造論 劉傑垣博士 |
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一、鐘錶匠的觀念 1、 Paley 上帝的設計 2、 道金斯：盲目的過程 二、演化的機制 1、 演化論的演化 理論層面：生命體、生化、分子 2、 機制：自然選擇、突變、適應、多重的趨同、基因表現 3、 假設：間斷平衡、一個生命樹 4、 實驗室與田野研究的差距 三、突變的性質 1、 一般的突變：有害 2、 無規的突變與物種進化 3、 突變與滅種 4、 相似與演化 四、生命的起源 1、 無生源論 2、 Pasteur 的實驗 3、 Miller 的實驗 4、 RNA 世界的假設 5、 Watson 的見解 6、 各從其類的創造 7、 創造的世界觀
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