From Chris paull Tue Apr 15 13:09:22 2003
Subject: FYI - creationsim/evoltuion discussion
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 10:08:19 -0700

Tom--

A comment I wrote to Timothy Wallace
regerding your disucssion with him.

--Chris


---------------------- Forwarded by Chris Paull/USW/Teradyne on 04/15/2003
10:07 AM ---------------------------


Chris Paull
04/15/2003 09:54 AM

To:    feedback@trueorigin.org
cc:
Subject:

Timothy--

I was reading your exchange with Tom Schneider,
and I had a comment.  In your final response to him,
you wrote the following regarding the 2nd Law of
Thermodynamics:

"I have already stated unequivocally that my understanding
 is that the entropy of an unisolated system can decrease,
at the expense of it surroundings. That this phenomenon
routinely takes place as an integral part of observable
 biological processes is also quite apparent. (What I have
 resisted from the beginning has been playing into your
 pretense that this fact somehow supports your belief in
evolution.)"

Actually, you never did make this entire statement unequivocally
at any time earlier in your exchange.

You did state the first sentence earlier, but this is the first time
the second sentence has appeared.   In fact, it seemed that
you had avoided making this particular statement until now.

Further, the last sentence, that you parenthesized, shows that
you incorrectly surmised where Mr.  Schneider was going with
this argument.  He was NOT using it to support evolutionary theory.
Rather he was using it to show that you have incorrectly claimed
that the 2nd Law prevents evolutionary processes.

You both agree that the 2nd Law allows, "...that the entropy of an
unisolated system can decrease, at the expense of it surroundings."
Therefore the 2nd Law does NOT prevent evolutionary processes
from happening.

I understand your agrument that the 2nd Law also does not
guarantee that such process will happen in just the right way to allow for
evolutionary processes.  But this is much different that making the claim
that the 2nd Law prevents evolutionary processes.   It clearly does not,
and it would be appropriate for creationists to drop this argument.

--Chris