[aclug-L] Re: Linux and Creationism...

["Burt Humburg" <bhumburg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>Kelvin was also famous for one of the first serious scientific efforts to
estimate the age of the earth. Only off by a factor of 45 (maybe a bit more
if Jonathan's theories gain currency).


Kelvin is a great example of a triumph of evolution. (Sorry J-dog.) Back
then, they didn't know about fusion power. Measurements of radiation that
was striking the Earth were used to calculate the amount of energy that the
sun was emitting. The resulting amount required a massive amount of chemical
energy being consumed. It fit in nicely with a several-thousand year old
earth as opposed to the several-million year old earth that Darwin needed.

To put the point in slightly different fashion, evolution contradicted the
science of the day.

In the fullness of time, at least this far, Darwin's theory has been
validated time and time again: this is but one example. Thanks to this and
other examples, don't let anyone ever tell you that evolution is a
philosophy or a religion that has been exempted from the tests of science.
It had its unsure days but its survival to this day is not a measure of
pro-evolutionary bias; rather, it is a measure of the strength of the
theory.

We seem to be drifting far afield of Linux, so I'll just briefly mention
that penguins probably evolved as well.

BCH


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