Hartog’s Den

by Nalin Ratnayake

In Donald Eiken’s letter of Nov. 23^rd to the East Valley Tribune, he reels off four so-called “facts” about evolution that he claims go unchallenged by the scientific community. I would like to rebut:

1. There are intermediary gaps in the fossil record. Well ok Mr Eiken, let’s say I have two fossils, Fossil A and Fossil C. There is a measurable difference between the two, a “gap” as you call it. Now say I find Fossil B which provides a link between the two, so that we see a progression from A to B to C. Your point seems to be that there are now TWO gaps, one between A and B, and one between B and C! A fine system you have set up for yourself there, wherein the more evidence there is, the more gaps you find! Physical reality is not continuous Mr Eiken, it is discrete, and there is plenty of discrete evidence for evolution. Your argument here is nothing more than a logical fallacy.

2. Evolution violates the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics. A statement often smugly stated by anti-evolutionists, it is just plain wrong. Mr. Eiken, if you knew anything about thermodynamics, you would know that the 2^nd Law applies only to a closed system – that is, a system completely cut off from its surrounding environment. Net entropy (relative disorder) can decrease all it wants in a particular system, provided that the overall entropy of the surroundings (e.g. the entire universe) increases. I assume that you eat, drink, breathe, and absorb sunlight Mr. Eiken, and therefore you are most certainly not isolated from your environment, and your evolved complexity does not in any way violate thermodynamics. Complex systems naturally arise when mass and energy are allowed to flow through them, and they decay only when these are cut off.

3. The origin of life cannot be explained. Maybe not – but that doesn’t mean it cannot be known, nor does it mean that you need to make up a deity to tie together the things that you do not know. As for your comment that life cannot be created in a lab, it has definitely been proven that amino acids, the building blocks of life, do indeed self-form under conditions similar to that of early earth when given a jolt of energy (in real life, say a lightning bolt?). Modeling the subsequent 4.5 billion years in a laboratory is beyond our technology at the moment, granted; but that in no way shows that the theory is wrong or even flawed. It just means we don’t know for sure – YET.

4. The complex design of certain animals cannot have arisen by mere chance. Consider the sheer astounding variety of different environments on earth – the crushing, sunless depths of the ocean; extreme conditions of temperature; nearly complete lack of oxygen… we continue to discover new types of ecosystems even today. Life is naturally inventive and incredibly adaptive specifically due to its evolutionary nature. People tend to think that because evolution results from random variations, the result must be random as well; this is a false perception. Random variations that do not conform to their changing environments will die out or be eliminated by more competitive forms of life; thus random variation in a game where the fittest survive is a game that will progress steadily towards creatures that are specifically tuned to their mode of existence in a highly specialized way. And with a few billion years to explore the possibilities, the variation in life can be astounding, as is evident around us today.

Any comments? Did I just invite a comment-riot over my head?

Stephanie Johnson and Andrew Anderson, after many a jam session and years of musical interest, have finally released their first album: “Something We Both Share.” Their debut album lays the questioning lyrics of youth over a mellowed-out, rhythmic, acoustic sound, and scores a 7.4/10.0 on the Nalin Scale of Musical Goodness.

Johnson and Anderson present a thought-provoking array of lyrical messages and questions, as is expected from young musicians on the edge of adulthood in a rapidly changing world. “I Have My Doubts” is their most direct expression of this quality, questioning the big three lyrical nemises of modern rock: The System, God, and Love. “Curse” explores the hyprocrisy of adult condescension towards young people, especially in the moral sense:

hey preacher man
you know what
you ain’t got nothing on me
that god ain’t got on you
so go ahead and judge away cause on judgement day
your time is coming too

Some of the lyrics would actually come off as rather hard-edged if it wasn’t for the relaxing acoustic tone of the whole album. With the exception of some bongos here and there, Johnson and Anderson have a sound that blends percussion unnoticably into the background and relies heavily on voice and acoustic string instruments such as guitar, mandolin, and harp. I’m going to guess that they would probably not be good in concert, as the mood is not very “active,” so to speak; rather, the sound is more geared towards, say, sipping coffee on a quiet evening and blogging.

The excellent depth and solid sound of Johnson’s voice contrast with the limited range we hear from her, and I am hoping she will choose to explore more of what her voice can do in subsequent albums. I was *not* a fan of Anderson breathy, almost emo-esque voice, though I must admit it blended well with the feel of both “Curse” and “Thine Ownself”; however, combined with a weird doubling effect, Anderson’s vocal style directly held “Make Me Fall” back from being one of the better songs on the album. Anderson has a good feel for his music and its obvious he puts genuine feeling into what he sings, but my advice to Johnson is to find a better complement to her own voice for her next project.

Overall, Johnson and Anderson have put out a worthy first effort in professional music. Both have quite a ways to develop before reaching full potential, and I’m looking forward to hearing more music by them. Something We Both Share is available from Swansea Music, or you can check out the artists’ website.