A bit late, but eh ...
Maybe you are missing my point.
There is nothing to refute, as far as it being a "possibility". Anything is possible.
Evolutional theory, only exsists in the abstract of possibilities.
It is not establishable, or by practically any standard of factual evidence even a probability. Being in and of that category, it is already refuted as a serious contenter.
I think we may have touched on an essential problem here. SCJ, you need to investigate the idea of abstraction. To crib from the infamous Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means."
Justice is an abstraction. Happiness is an abstraction. Love is an abstraction. Creationism, by the way, is
also an abstraction.
Let's address your claim about probability. Evolution is not
just probable. If life begins simply, proliferates digitally (genetics), and is influenced by constantly changing outside forces, it is a causal inevitability.
Observable facts: Species breed. Some examples of every species exhibit mutations. Geographic and other environmental factors do not remain constant on Earth.
Causally neccessary conclusions: Favorably mutated examples of a species thrive and reproduce more thoroughly than unmutated or unfavorably mutated examples. Species do not remain in singular environments and as such the stimuli that 'judge the merit' of a particular mutation do not remain constant. Isolated groups of a species will, over time, become different species. This is not improbable, it is not just a hypothesis, it is inevitable. Unless you grant (as you seem to) the existence of an unknowable, omnipotent, omniscient, capriciously meddling God, events could proceed no other way. Even granting such a God, these events would
still take place without his intervention because they are a
logical progression.
As far as posiitive evidence, to the contrary as I've pointed out repeatedly, the factual evidence does support the statement that all life forms "reproduce after their own kind".
This statement clearly indicates reproductive boundaries and is part of the Creationism account found in the "old book" as it has been referred to. I didn't write it and likewise have no influence over it's compatability potential with the factual evidence. Therefore it is independent of what I believe or don't believe. However as part of considering "what to believe", I must conclude it is supported by the factual evidence and consequently more relevant than Evolutional theory.
And we've pointed out repeatedly that you're wrong - we've shown you multiple cases of species breeding - sometimes successfully - outside their kind. So no, the 'factual evidence' does NOT support your claim and if you expect to be taken seriously you must quit insisting that it does.
As for the scientific credibility of the bible, you're facing an uphill battle here. You must demonstrate how modern scientific methodology is credibly inferior to a book written by men whose ideas of science were already outdated when alchemy was the cutting edge. So far, try as you might, you've flatly failed to do so.
Evolutional theory on the other hand, clearly claims that there are, no reproductive boundaries, not to mention primordial soups, common ancestor, and other unsupported speculations, which are in direct opposition to the factual evidence. The only way this 'theory" can even begin to skirt the relevant mountain of factual evidence and be asserted as possible is in the abstractness of unmeasurable and unobservable time periods of millions (pick a number as long as its beyond relevance) or billions of years.
If Evolution claimed that there are no reproductive boundaries, we'd all, as its 'adherents', have to accept the claim that elephants breed with penguins and produce gerbils. Don't be absurd. Critique Evolution for what it claims, not what you wish it claimed. As for the primordial soup (supported by vast geological data) and common ancestry (supported by a bounty of fossil evidence and genetic legacy), do your due dilligence. Because you haven't, you're the one making unsupported speculations. If you can't prove to us why we can't rely on fossil evidence or the rock-solid (literally, ha ha) geological strata, you've said nothing of any use.
As for time, get real! These "unmeasurable abstractions" of time are measurable precisely because we have units with which to measure them! This is why you were able to call them "millions or billions of years". Further, how are long stretches of time irrelevant? What timespan, for you, IS relevant? If this timespan must be "observable" by what seems to be your measure of the term, then you limit every field of scientific inquiry to the span of a single human life -
your own - because it's the only life you have from which to observe.
Its not the only thing I consider evidence, however as already stated to prevent confusion and sporadic jumping all over the place, I am trying to stay on one thing at a time. Currently the scrutiny of evolutionary claims.
We don't buy it. Try another tack. Give us some data, some studies ... SOMETHING salient to the language of the discussion! And we won't countenance any whining about the "evil closed-minded scientific community" refusing to "allow" such studies. There are plenty of creationists with wads of money who could finance any study they cared to, and I'm sure they would, if, in their heart of hearts, they believed they'd uncover a single shred of data to support their claims. Instead, they shoehorn Ben Stein into some AC/DC knickers and make a vague, unintelligible movie.
And trust me, we can handle multiple topics at once. That's the beauty of higher-order brain function. Quit dissembling.
It "appears true" because in keeping with factual evidence it is true.
If in the establishable time frame A is the consistent result. Then in the extended time frame the probabilty is still A, not B. To claim B is to totally ignore the factual evidence of the establishable.
You've completely misunderstood what TM tried to explain to you. Evolution does not claim that there was some bizarre 'kablam' moment where species A begat B, or where paradigm A became B. That's the territory of Creationism, where 'A' is 'God' and 'B' is 'Everything Else'. Evolution DOES claim, oversimplified, that in certain instances A becomes A.1, A.2, A.3, A.4, etc., which over time become B, C, D, and E. Your likely counter is that it's still more probable for A to remain A, which shows us that you also misunderstand probability. To return to your original example, even if A is the more probable result, that's far from a guarantee that it is the
only result. B will still occur at times.
The changes are limited and within the diversificational "like kind boundaries" on the establishable time frame. Again that is A. In comparison, predictability of probability on the extended time frame is still A. not B.
The only bearing your claim has on diversification whatsoever is to make it impossible. Things that bear repeating: How have you established this time frame? How do you conclude that since A is more likely, that ONLY A will occur from now until the end of time? Now who's operating outside the 'establishable timeframe'?
"Non-human ancestry" is only possible if you assume past the facts of evidence, which is similarity and commonality of make up. It likewise only breaksdown under the same assumption. Here as you have said, this is in scientific terms the most robust explanation. To use your term, it is in fact "lame". You just pointed out why. Because It is more inconsistent with, than supportive of, the establishable. In that case, since universally the further back you try to go, the more incompleteness the evidence is subject to, and the more difficult the analysis and correctness of any conclusions are likely to be, the establishable has to be considered the weightier of the two.
Okay, this is getting old. Now the "facts of evidence" are "similarity and commonality of makeup"? What do you even mean? And weren't the facts of evidence something else a couple of paragraphs ago? And something entirely different a few posts ago? We need some specificity, accuracy, and consistency in how you frame your points here, or we're left to assume that you're making this up on the fly.
Assumption cannot substitute for the absense of substantive collaborating evidence.
I wholehartedly agree. This is why Evolution, which relies on mountains of evidence from the fields of biology, geology, and paleontology, is a testable and accepted theory. This is also why assuming the existence of a God-creator without any manner of evidence whatsoever is
not science, and is
no answer at all.
At best it is a possibility in the abstract.
By what you claim to be the "observable" and "establishable", so are George Washington, Saturn, Carthage, and yes, Jesus.