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From: dubois@uwmacc.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Proofs of creation
Message-ID: <166@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Jul-84 18:04:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.166
Posted: Fri Jul 20 18:04:15 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Jul-84 05:57:34 EDT
References: <116@uwmacc.UUCP>
Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center
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This article deals rather generally with the acceptability
of the *ideas* of creation and evolution.  The thesis is that
a created universe is more logical.  This of course does not
rule out the possibility of theistic evolution, a subject to
be addressed in later articles, perhaps.

The laws of thermodynamics (I assume no one will question the
applicability of these to a discussion of this nature):

(i)	Conservation of energy.  Energy may be transformed
in a variety of ways, but can neither be created nor destroyed.
So where did energy come from in the first place? Answer:
it was created.
(ii)	Entropy.  Every transformation of energy from one form to
another involves loss of some of that energy as non-recoverable
head energy.  This leads ultimately to the so-called "heat death"
of the universe.

The second law rules out the possibility that the universe
is now as it always has been.  It also implies a finite age
for the universe.  Suppose the universe is of infinite age.
Then since there is a finite amount of energy in the universe
(assuming the universe is a closed system - which must be
assumed it was not created), it would all have been converted
entropically to non-usable heat and we are therefore living
during the heat death:  contradiction.  Conclusion:  the age
of the universe is finite.  Hence at one time it did not
exist.  How is it that the universe is?  It was created.

An implication of this is that since no energy is being
created, and since order decreases continually, the universe
is, inexorably, winding down.  It must at some point have
been wound up.  How did it get wound up?  Answer:  it was
created that way.

A common objection to the use of the second law as support
for a created universe and as evidence against evolution is
that it only applies to a closed system, i.e., increases
in order or complexity of localized open systems are
perfectly possible, by a process of energy transfer into
the open system (e.g., the earth as an open system receives
energy from the sun).  This would be perhaps a valid idea if
it were maintained that evolution occurs only on the earth, or
in some finite number of open systems within the universe.
The difficulty with this is of course the question of why
evolution should restrict itself to localized areas, and of
course this restriction has not been accepted by proponents
of evolution, as exemplefied by the quotes below.

"The concept of evolution was soon extended into other than biological
fields.  In organic subjects such as the life-histories of stars and
the formation of the chemical elements on the one hand, and on the
other hand subjects like linguistics, social anthropology, and
comparative law and religion, began to be studied from an
evolutionary angle, until today we are enabled to see evolution
as a universal and all-pervading process."

Julian Huxley.  Evolution and Genetics. Ch. 8 in "What is
Science?" (J R Newman, ed), New York, Simon and Schuster,
1955, p. 272.

"Furthermore, with the adoption of the evolutionary approach in
non-biological fields, from cosmology to human affairs, we are
beginning to realize that biological evolution is only one aspect
of evolution in general.  Evolution in the extended sense can be
defined as a directional and essentially irreversible process
occurring in time, which in its course gives rise to an increase
of variety and an increasingly high level of organization in its
products.  Our present knowledge indeed forces us to the view that
the whole of reality *is* evolution - a single process of
self-transformation."

ibid, p. 278.

"Most enlightened persons now accept as a fact that everything in the
cosmos - from heavenly bodies to human beings - developed and
continues to devolop through evolutionary processes.  The great
religions of the West have come to accept a historical view of
creation.  Evolutionary concepts are applied also to social
instututions and to the arts.  Indeed,  most political parties,
as well as schools of theology, sociology, history, or arts,
teach these concepts and make them the basis of their doctrine.
Thus, theoretical biology now pervades all of Western culture
indirectly through the concept of progressive historical change."

Rene Dubos. "Humanistic Biology," American Scientist, v. 53, March
1965, p. 6.

P.S.  After writing the above, I have just read an article which
makes a couple of references to miscrepresentation of the 2nd
law by creationists.  If I am guilty of that error, I trust that
someone will point out why.
-- 

Paul DuBois		{allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!dubois

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist...
						Colossians 1:17