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12001-2004200242003420031128:30~9:009:00~9:059:05~10:3010:30~10:5010:50~11:2011:20~11:5011:50~12:1512:15~13:4513:45~15:1515:15~15:4015:40~16:1016:10~17:0017:00~17:053EvolutionorCreation?Dr.StephenC.Y.LiuIn1802,WilliamPaleypublishedhisbookentitledNaturalTheology,introducingtheideaofaWatchmaker.Onthepremisesofcomplexity,regularityandelegantefficiencyoflivingthingsandtheuniverse,heargued,byinference,fortheprincipleofdesign,andpositiveevidencefortheexistenceofoneDesigner.In1986RichardDawkinswroteTheBlindWatchmakerasarepudiationofPaley’sconviction.Atthesametime,hetriedtoshowthattheWatchmakerinnatureconsistsofblindforces,asCharlesDarwinhadpostulated,andthenproposedinhisEvolutiontheoryin1859.Evolutiontheoryhas,in140years,evolvedfromorganismaltobiochemical,andthenmolecular.Inhisbook,Prof.Dawkinsdealswithevolutionmainlyattheorganismallevel,withmechanismssuchas:(1)naturalselectionthroughcumulativeprocess,(2)mutationwithgradualvariability,(3)adaptationwithsmallmodifications,(4)multipleconvergence,and(5)geneexpression.Healsoexpoundshypothesessuchas:(1)punctuatedorgraduatedequilibrium,and(2)onetreeoflife.Theempiricalmechanismsarevalidmechanisms,beingdemonstratableunderhighlyrestrictedconditionsinthelabsoringreenhouses.However,translatingthemintothefield,theyarealtogetherdifferentanddeviated.Forexample,spontaneousmutationfrequencywithEscherichiacoli,foronesinglegene,isoneinonemillioninvitro.Twogenesincumulativefashionwouldbetenfoldless,andsoon.Toisolatethemutantisaformidabletask.Toensurethesurvivalofthesedeficientmutantsinthewildpopulationwouldbeanotherchallengeablework.Microbiologistswiththeiringenuitymeticulouslyhavemanagedallthewaytohavethemidentified,isolatedandcharacterized.Aboveall,mutationingeneralisdetrimental(F.Ayala,1997).Inothermechanism,e.g.geneexpressionwitherrorsandtheirrepair,therearemanyexperimentalquestionstobeanswered,letaloneinanopenfieldwithnaturalphysicalforces.Thefundamentalanddebatablequestioniswhetherornotthesemechanisms,havingnopurposeinview,wouldeventuallycauseorganisms,eveninthelowerhierarchicalcategories,toevolveupwards.Thereareminutechanges,notnecessarilyforthebetter.Theycouldbefortheworse.Withoutinterventionbyscientistswiththeirmanipulations,degenerationtoextinctionisawell-knownecologicalprinciple.Afterall,thesemechanismsareatbestprocesses,contributingnotdirectlytotheinternalcomplexity,functionalintricaciesandbeautyoflivingorganisms,asPaleyhadadvocatedfordesign.Resemblanceinstructureandbeingcomparableinfunctiononlysuggestthattheselivingthingsarerelatedinkinds,notnecessarilybeingevolvedphylogenetically.Theoriginoflife(i.e.biochemicaltomolecularevolution)iscoveredbrieflyandcomprehensivelyinDawkins’book(Chapter6).Currentlyandhistorically,biogenesis(creation,fromlivingtoliving)andabiogenesis(evolution,fromnon-livingtoliving)aretwoepistemologico-scientificaltheories.WithSchwann’sbottle,LouisPasteurin19thcenturydemonstratedthatabiogenesiswasnotprobableinhistime.ItistruethatStanleyMillerandhisexperimentin1953revivedthebiochemicalevolutiontheory.Lately,RNAWorldHypothesiswasproposedtoreplaceit.ThosewhoareactiveinthisfieldofresearchagreethatRNAitselfistoocomplexandfragiletohaveformedentirelyfromabioticprocess.Theyaresearchingforanevensimplerreplicator.Prof.JamesD.Watson,NobelLaureate,withhiscollaborators,saidinhistextbookMolecularBiology4oftheGene,4thed.(1997),“Questionsofmolecularevolutionbecomeevenmoredauntingwhentotrytospeculateabouttheveryearliestlifeforms.Wehaveseenthateveninthebestfossilpreserveonlythedurablepartsofanorganism;themacromoleculesarelost….Itisimpossibletodesignmodelexperimentwithprimitiveearthconditionmimickedinobtainingdirectproofforanyparticulartheoryoforiginoflife.Thesoberingtruthisthatevenifeveryexpertinthefieldofmolecularevolutionweretoagreeonhowlifeoriginated,thetheorywouldstillbeabestguessratherafact(pp.1160-1161).Thevalidoptionisbiogenesis:livingthingreproduceslivingthing,eachafteritsownkind.Creationishistorical,miraculousanddoctrinal,notnon-scientific.Thisishowhumanityexiststoday.ThisiswhywepracticeGod’smandate(Gen.1:28)forournextgenerations.CreationisaChristianworldview,asubjectiveandreligiousdoctrine;i.e.Godcreateshumanityinhisownimage,withnospecificclaimofbeingempiricalorscientific.51Paley21234123412Pasteur3Miller4RNA5Watson676(Buffon,1707-88)(adaptation)(diversity)78(204322)(28)paradigm/()29:29()215194-()91:20BrownKennethMiller2000(theisticscience)()()()(24)(PhillipJohnson,J.P.Moreland,WilliamDembski,MichaelBeheetc.)10Hearn,199719962003敍“”“”3235-36196819701982WaterR.Hearn(1997)BeingaChristianinScience.(1996)(1982)11IntegrationofScienceandChristianFaithDr.StephenC.Y.LiuInwesterntradition,universitiesandinstitutesoflearningwerepatternedafterGreekacademies.Theology,philosophyandhumanityweretaughtassubjects.Clergymenweresagesandclericalstaffswereeducatedpeopleinthecommunity.Churcheswereplacesofworshipaswellascentersofsociallife.TheculturalmilieuwasChristianmonotheistic.TheBiblewasacceptedwholeheartedlyastheinfallibleWordofGod,andtheguideforpracticaldailyliving.Modernscience