Expert: Jeffrey Eldred - 9/22/2010

Question
Hello,

I am Zachary Carter, a student at Peachgrove Intermediate, New Zealand.

I am doing a school project on questioning Christianity, and a component of this is to interview an internationally-recognized expert. I would highly appreciate a Skype interview with you, as you are probably among the best experts to interview. My questions are:

1. How do you think the Universe may have been formed?
2. Why do you not believe in a deity?
3. Do you believe that our current climate is 'proof' of 'Judgement Day'?
4. Do you believe that similarities between objects found in the Universe is 'proof' of 'Intelligent Design'?
5. Why may Man be the only 'sentient' race on Earth?
6. Do you believe that 'Evolution' is a 'likely' theory considering the 'holes' in the 'fossil record'?

I need to have this project handed in in less than 48hrs, so please reply as I have attempted to get hold of eight other experts, and have been unsuccessful. I am able to do the interview at any time that is convenient for you.

If you are unable to do a Skype interview; please, email your answers.

Thank you in advance,
Zachary

Answer
I won't be able to Skype for a variety of reasons. I hope that my answer here is comprehensive and prompt enough for your assignment.


1. How do you think the Universe may have been formed?

I answered this question in two previous AllExperts posts, here[1] and here[2].

Essentially if you start with nothing but the rules of physics than particles and anti-particle form from the vacuum energy and the curvature of space-time forms around them. Through asymmetric particle physics processes, the matter (as opposed to anti-matter) particle dominate. The quarks come together to form hadrons and an electron join a proton (type of hadron) to form a hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen atoms collected under gravitational and electromagnetic pressure, forming stars which fuse together hydrogen into heavier elements.

Why these rules of physics are chosen is an interesting question, but typically the best answers seem to be is that we happened to get these rules of physics randomly from a large set of possible rules of physics or that there is something so fundamental about these rules of physics that it will make sense that it is all the universe needs to begin. I don't think introducing a deity is a helpful explanation, because the deity is even harder to explain.


2. Why do you not believe in a deity?

In a previous AllExperts post I gave my two best arguments against God[3]. The vast majority of my other AllExperts answers consist of me explaining why various attempted proofs of God do not work  and feel free to browse through those responses as well[4] (I think I have covered the vast majority of arguments for God at some point or another).

As a matter of formality, I would say it is possible for the right evidence for God could surface to make me believe. However I do not think it will because all the evidence so far seems to be neutral or against God (so more evidence would presumably of the same sort) and I probably would require a larger amount of quality evidence for God than others might (to counteract the existing evidence against).

One does not get to chose what one believes. If I offered to pay you 1 million dollars to believe the sun will turn blue when I snap my fingers, you could not do believe it even if you wanted. So to call myself an atheist is to make no other choice than honesty. I do manage to be a happy and ethical person so I am not dissatisfied with the answer I have arrived at.


3. Do you believe that our current climate is 'proof' of 'Judgement Day'?

Certainly not. It is far from a forgone conclusion that we are nearing the end of the days of civilization, let alone mankind, the world, or the universe. I also don't see any of the events of the world aligning with prophecies any more than they have in the past (and the world hasn't ended yet). I wrote a previous AllExperts post on how things can seem to fit prophecy, but don't, if you are interested in how I arrived at that conclusion[5].


4. Do you believe that similarities between objects found in the Universe is 'proof' of 'Intelligent Design'?

I am not sure what this question means. I think you mean something like “the bacterial flagellum is like a rotory motor, therefore the bacterial flagellum must have been constructed”. I don't think that tells us whether or not something is designed and I think that is a very superficial way of looking at things. Take ferromagnetic fluids which look biological and designed but are neither[6], silly string which looks biological and undesigned but is neither[7], and sea shells which look abiological and designed but are neither[8]. Humans are a poor judge of agency, and are biased to see themselves in the world[9].


5. Why may Man be the only 'sentient' race on Earth?

I don't think it is surprising that we are the only civilization on Earth. Consider the timeline of human evolution[10] in rough numbers (we know the number better than this): it takes about 200 million years to go from mammals to primates; 50 million more years to go from primates to homo sapien (and regular stone tool use); 2.5 million more years to copper tools and writing; and 15 thousand more years to the space shuttle. It wouldn't be surprising that no non-human animal figured out stone and copper tools (which took us millions of years) in our history (measured in thousands of years). Clearly we are the first and not enough time has passed for there to be a second.

Our intelligence has been so useful that it has enabled us to occupy the top of the food chain everywhere in the world. Already we have many endangered animals, especially amongst land-dwelling predators. The closest sub-species to splitting off with the human line was Neanderthals and it is clear that they were both assimilated[11] and killed off[12] by competition with humans.

There are also plenty of animals that are smart, but they can only use their intelligence in a very narrow way so it doesn't no leave to civilization or evolution towards further intelligence. Take for example: dolphins[13][14], octupi[15][16], and birds[17].


6. Do you believe that 'Evolution' is a 'likely' theory considering the 'holes' in the 'fossil record'?

The fossil record represents a chain (a tree to be more precise) of points which are supposed to be connected. If there are enough points to understand what most likely happened in between any two points, or multiple ways that the two points could be connected, than I would say that the points are well-connected and the “hole” between the two is not a problem for evolution. I know of no such example, when researched closely, in which there is a hole that prevents the points from being connected. It is certainly the consensus of all published papers on the subject and all biologists but a number of exceptions counted in tens.

The fossil record is not the best evidence for evolution, however, genetics is. Each genes should appear  be shared amongst ancestors and descendants of a species. When two specimens share a rare gene that few other organisms do, then we know they are closely related (their most recent common ancestor was comparatively recent). There are also plenty of genes which span the whole length of the evolutionary tree[18]. In this way the whole tree can be constructed and it matches the tree that would be constructed from the fossil record, comparative morphology, and ontogeny. It would be odd to discover the same gene in two groups of organisms when there is no group of organisms connecting the two, but we don't see that. There is a lot I can say about the evidence for Evolution, but suffice it to say that the theory stands on the evidence even if no fossil were never found. Writings by Darwin indicated he was concerned about the fossil record, but he could not anticipate gene-sequencing, let along genetics.

One can find a primer on evolution[19] and common misconceptions about evolution[20] in the form of snappy YouTube videos.


Links:
[1] http://en.allexperts.com/q/Atheism-2724/2009/9/x-17.htm
[2] http://en.allexperts.com/q/Atheism-2724/2010/8/Kalam-argument-1.htm
[3] http://en.allexperts.com/q/Atheism-2724/2009/12/Best-best-1.htm
[4] http://en.allexperts.com/q/Atheism-2724/indexExp_111189.htm
[5] http://en.allexperts.com/q/Atheism-2724/2009/7/intuition-predictions.htm
[6]  http://lh6.ggpht.com/kalenzo.blog/SIBdPj0LbeI/AAAAAAAAABQ/FdlyNBtwMS4/image22%5B...
[7] http://www.4tnz.com/files/Picture%201_82.png
[8] http://naplesseashellcompany.com/fiber_conch_sea_shells.JPG
[9] http://www.skepdic.com/pareidol.html
[10] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_human_evolution#Mammals
[11] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/7685610/Humans-share-Neanderthal-genes-from-i...
[12] http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/may/17/neanderthals-cannibalism-anthropol...
[13] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091214-octopus-carries-coconuts-...
[14] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5439491.ece
[15] http://www.physorg.com/news181981904.html
[16] http://discovermagazine.com/2003/oct/feateye
[17] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1204770/Rook-gets-worm-using-pebb...
[18] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100513-science-evolution-darwin-...
[19] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nYTJf62sE&p=DB23537556D7AADB&index=4
[20] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS5vid4GkEY&feature=PlayList&p=AC3481305829426D&i...