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From: tan@ihlpg.UUCP (Bill Tanenbaum)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Lemme axe yew a question (Evolutioners)
Message-ID: <1098@ihlpg.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 17-Aug-85 19:41:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlpg.1098
Posted: Sat Aug 17 19:41:48 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Aug-85 21:37:34 EDT
References: <2517@vax4.fluke.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 26

> Hyere it is:  Sposin evolution's true.  Ah hear tell that we hewmens an da 
> GOrillas (da apes) come fum da same ancestry.  Now let's call dis dude, the
> po' boy fum which Chita an us come, let's call him A-0.  Lets call us, A-N.  Nowif'n Ah got da picture right, they's a bunch a characters in between ol A-0 an
> us A-N types.  How many of these in-betweeners (call 'em "n") is they, Ah don't
> know.  Ah also hear tell that they's two camps--the gradualists (Ah'll call um
> Grads) an da Punctuated Equilibrium types (Ah'll call um Puncs).
> 
> Well, whether da Grads or da Puncs is right only means how many "n's" they is, 
> right?  Now Ah also heared that, as Stanley Friesen once said (April 9th),
> "Evolution *only* talks about increased *adaptation* and *not* improvement".  Soif'n that means that each "n" between A-0 an A-N was more adapted, now hyere's
> mah question:  How come there ain't any of these dudes ALIVE today?  We got apes an we got hewmens still alive an well today.  How come they (apparently) ain't
> nothin in between LIVING?
---------------------
Suppose such an in-between creature were living today.  Lets call it an xxx.
Would that convince you? No!  You would ask "How come there is no creature
alive intermediate between a man and an xxx?"  Suppose there were an even
closer creature, a yyy, between man and an xxx.  Would that convince you?
No. You would ask "How come there is no creature alive intermediate between
man and a yyy?"  Get the point?????   Apes are closer to man than monkeys.
Monkeys are closer to man than more primitive primates, such as tarsiers
and lemurs.   Primates are closer to man than other mammals, etc. etc. etc.
As long as there are a finite number of living species, some other species
must be closest to man, with none in between.   Got the point now?  I hope
so.  Creationists are such slow learners!
-- 
Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL  ihnp4!ihlpg!tan