It depends

1. Status - final draft
   
   
2. Index
   
   
   
   1. Master index of this blog
      
   2. Introduction to this blog
      
   3. Revision history
      
   4. Introduction
      
   5. Body
      
   6. Conclusion
      
   
   
   
3. Revision history
   
   
   
   • Date - activity
     
   • 10/30/06 - started
     
   
   
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4. Introduction
   Constructing a logical argument seems to be among the challenges of life. When we really want something to be true we can trick ourselves into thinking we have a proof when we do not. There are many types of bad logic but circular logic ranks near the top in frequency of use.
   
   For example, suppose I find a apparently shuffled deck of 10,000 numbered cards and an invitation that asks me to explain the origin of the numbers on the cards. I sort the list and immediately see patterns in the sorted numbers and begin searching for a formula which will generate those patterns. If I am able to create such a formula then I will be pleased with my accomplishment. Unfortunately, I can never know for sure if I have the formula that the numbers were generated by (there could be many formulas that would yield the number set) or if the numbers were simply generated randomly. Keep in mind that using a computer to generate random numbers requires a formula.
   
   Such is the case with the thousands of living things. As with finding the shuffled deck we have found the plant and animal kingdom. And the invitation is there to explain how such a complex set of things came to be.
   
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5. Body
   The subject of this page is patterns and specifically internal patterns and external patterns in living things.
   
   Let me tell you a tale? My great-great-granddaughter Megan recently graduated from college with a PhD in biochemistry. In her day, computers are a million times faster than today. In her day, so much is known about DNA that reconstructing the complete DNA for any animal using computers modern to her day is simple. Her job assignment this week is to reconstruct three now (in her day) extinct animals: a whale, a dolphin, and a sea anemone. A person is required to be licensed to do this. With that license comes a license number. To track the many reconstructions that are being performed the persons license number is inserted into the so-called junk DNA. When she has completed her assignment, that species of whale, that species of dolphin, and that species of sea anemone will have some common junk DNA.
   
   Now to external patterns or homology. Homology is everywhere. From our youngest age we sort things by common traits. Colors have in common that they are produced in the eye. Sounds have in common that they are produced in the ear. Babies love to look at colors and love to hear plesant sounds. As toddlers, we learn to slip the star shaped block into the star shaped hole in a box. As first graders we can learn about words that end the same thus enabling collections of common sentences into poetry. To say that orange evolved from red would be to use circular logic. To say that Dad's voice evolved from Mom's would be to use circular logic. To say that the star shaped block evolved from the box would be to use circular logic. To say that "how I wonder where you are" evolved from "Twinkle, twinkle little star" would be to use circular logic.
   
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6. Conclusion
   Just as the patterns in the numbers are a corollary to the sorting process, the commonality of internal and external features of the plants and animals is a corollary to the sorting process. To attempt to use a corollary to prove what the corollary is based on is to use circular logic. In the case of Megan above, common junk DNA proves that Megan reconstructed the animals. What common junk DNA or patterns in charactersitics of living things means depends on what happened. Further, if evolution did not happen then the visible patterns are only a product of the sorting process therefor the patterns can not be used to prove that evolution happened.
   
   Plants and animals may have evolved but the patterns can not be used to prove anything.
   
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