17 Jun 2009 |
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Dr. Muideen O. Bakare Abstract This article postulated that creation of man as documented by the biblical account of creation concurred with the findings in evolutionary biology on speciation of homo-sapiens. It based the postulate on theory of relativity, concept of space-time, the idea of time travel and the theory of punctuated equilibrium to bridge the gaps of divergent views in the schools of thoughts of creationists and evolutionists. It concluded that the seemingly existing gaps between biblical account of creation of man and speciation of homo-sapiens based on theory of evolution would be bridged in future through further research in evolutionary biology and physics. Introduction Charles Darwin’s paper of 1859, “On the origin of species by means of natural selection or preservation of favored races in the struggle for life” [Darwin, 1859], generated great controversies between the two school of thoughts of creationists and evolutionists. One of the major areas of controversy was and still is in the area of time period in the events leading to speciation of homo-sapiens according to the evolution theory and creation of man according to creationist school of thought. The term, ‘the ascent of man’ would be employed to represent creation or evolution of man from this point. While creationist school of thought feels the ascent of man was achieved in six days from the beginning, the evolutionist school of thought feels this process took billions of years. However, following St. Augustine’s philosophical writing about time [Nandy] and lately the theory of relativity as put forward by Albert Einstein [Einstein, 1961, Taylor & Wheeler, 1992,], both the artistic and scientific school of thoughts have re-examined the concept of time both in the three dimensional and four dimensional levels of existence. This paper proposed the theory that there is unison in the timing of events leading to speciation of man according to evolution theory [Jenkins, 1999] and creation of man according to biblical account of creation [Holy Bible (a)] based on the following propositions;
Discussion Synchrony in epigenetic steps account of creation and that of evolution of man The biblical account of creation showed the sequence that green plants were created before the animals were created and that with creation of green plants was availability of sun light to provide means of energy for the green plants through photosynthesis. These events happened on the third and fourth days of creation according to biblical account [Holy Bible (b)]. It is known that the process of photosynthesis enabled the green plants to utilize the atmospheric carbon-dioxide to produce energy and oxygen, which is essential to the survival of animal species. Not until after the green plants and the sunlight that life started in water. Fish, amphibians and subsequently the birds were created and these events happened on the fifth day of creation according to biblical account [Holy Bible (c)]. It was after the events of creating animals in water and birds that God created land animals, small animals, livestock and wild life and were given the responsibility of multiplying by reproducing and these events happened on the sixth day of creation [Holy Bible (d)]. It was on the same sixth day that God said, “let us make man in our own image” and man was created [Holy Bible (d)]. Then, the book of Genesis documented, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (cognition, reasoning and abstraction ability in homo-sapiens’ brain development); and man became a living soul” [Holy Bible (e)]. Later on the book of Genesis documented again, “And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air; ………” [Holy Bible (f)]. Both the animals and man (the homo-sapiens) had one common source of origin which is the ground (the earth crust) according to the biblical account just as evolutionary biology proposed. This is a major meeting point between creation accounts and theory of evolution. The sequence of events according to the evidence accruing from evolutionary science [Jenkins, 1999] also subscribed to the sequence that green plants existed before animals and that life in water preceded that on the ground and that birds are more closely related to fish and amphibians of which the book of Genesis documented that they were created on the same day [Holy Bible (c)]. In evolutionary biology, man (homo-sapiens) was the most evolved in the chain and the last of the ascent chain, an observation that corroborated and in synchrony with the biblical account of steps in creation of man. Einstein’s theory of relativity, space-time theory and future possibilities in science Einstein’s theory of relativity had led to the concept of space-time and four dimensional level of existence [Einstein, 1961; Lorentz et al, 1952], rather than the three dimensional plane of existence that define physical matters. Space-time effect on idea of time in our universe had been further expatiated by theories such as time travel and twin paradox. The possibilities and constraints of time travel that could take an individual into the future or the past had been widely discussed and are generating great scientific interest in theoretical physics [Deutsch, 1991; Deutsch & Lockwood, 1994; Kutach, 2003]. What is clear with today’s knowledge of science is that time travel is theoretically possible and has some bearing or relationship with paranormal experiences in the domain of parapsychology [Science Mysteries; Nostradamus, Time Travel and Prophecies]. It is postulated here that there exist a close relationship between parapsychology, quantum physics and theory of relativity. Future scientific research might be able to explain the phenomenon of paranormal experiences using theory of quantum physics and that of relativity. Inter-relationship between parapsychology and space-time travel There had been documented and undocumented paranormal experiences by man [Science Mysteries], many of which are difficult to prove or explain by the present level of knowledge in science. These experiences range from dreams, pre-cognition, extrasensory perception, telepathy among others [Science Mysteries]. Many of these experiences reveal events happening in a remote location from the observer, predict the future or revealed events that had happened in the past in three dimensional level of existence. It is postulated here that the author of the book of Genesis had one of these paranormal experiences similar to traveling back in time and space, possibly at the speed of light and was able to ‘see’ the events leading to ascent of man as if they had happened at the speed of light. Nevertheless, still was afforded the opportunity of awareness of period of time break or punctuation in between the events, which possibly informed the daily account of the events leading to creation of man according to biblical documentation [Holy Bible (a)]. Perception of the events leading to ascent of man at four dimensional level by the accounts of Genesis obliterate the causal-effect phenomenon, compared to the obvious causal-effect phenomenon that characterize the events that happened at less than the speed of light at the three dimensional plane of existence, a perspective that is only available to evolutionary biology at present level of knowledge in science. St. Augustine, Albert Einstein and concept of time It is interesting to note that Albert Einstein subscribed to St. Augustine’s concept of time [Nandy] as reflected in his letter to the family of his friend, Besso, after his death suggesting that even though Besso had preceded him in death, it is of no consequence. Einstein wrote; “…………… for us physicists believe the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.” [Einstein, 1989]. The ascent of man according to the book of Genesis: In light-like interval According to space-time theory [Taylor & Wheeler, 1992], for events that happened in light-like interval, the spatial distance in between the events is exactly balanced by the time in between the various events. The events therefore define a squared space-time interval of zero (s2 = 0). From the equation; s2 = c2 Δ t2 – Δ r2 (space-time interval). The events of ‘each day’ of the six days of creation according to the book of Genesis were perceived to have happened in light-like interval where; c2 Δ t2 = Δ r2 and therefore s2 = 0 where; s = space-time interval of events of each of the six days of creation c = speed of light Δ t = time coordinates of the events of each of the six days of creation Δ r = space coordinates of the events of each of the six days of creation The ascent of man according to evolution theory: In time-like interval According to space-time theory [Taylor & Wheeler, 1992], events separated by time-like interval had enough time passes in between them for there to be a cause-effect relationship in between the events. For events that are perceived to have happened at less than the speed of light, they must be separated by time-like interval. Therefore, events with time-like separation defined a positive squared space-time interval (s2 > 0) and may be said to occur in each other’s future or past. Therefore; c2 Δ t2 > Δ r2 and s2 > 0. The measure of a time-like space-time interval is described by a proper time (Δ τ); Δ τ = √ Δ t2 - Δ r2 / c2 Where; Δ τ = proper time separating the events of each of the six days of creation Δ t = time coordinates of the events of each of the six days of creation Δ r = space coordinates of the events of each of the six days of creation c = speed of light The pertinent question is why do we have a daily interval of description of events leading to creation of man according to the biblical account? Why were the events leading to ascent of man not perceived as a single continuum that happened on a particular day, rather than a six day description according to biblical account? Biblical daily account of creation: an akin of punctuated equilibrium theory in evolutionary biology The book of Genesis documented a daily account of creation, a process that created room for inference that sharp and punctuated periods separated the events that led to the ascent of man. The sharp and punctuated time separation of events represented by biblical daily account of creation is postulated to be similar to periods of punctuated equilibrium in evolutionary biology that led to the ascent of man. Theory of punctuated equilibrium in evolutionary biology was proposed by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould [Eldredge & Gould, 1972; Gould & Eldredge, 1993]. It attempted to explain the sharp differentiation and stasis that dominated the history of most fossil species in speciation process in evolutionary biology. Conclusions Based on the above discussion and propositions, it is postulated that the biblical account of creation as documented in the book of Genesis do not contradict the principle and findings of evolutionary biology that led to the ascent of man and that the gaps that had been created by the dispersed schools of thoughts of creationists and evolutionists are being bridged by Einstein’s theory of relativity, quantum physics and the future possibilities in science offered by these theories. Also, that the daily account of creation documented in the book of Genesis is an akin of sharp differentiation and stasis in speciation process as proposed by punctuated equilibrium theory [Eldredge & Gould, 1972; Gould & Eldredge, 1993]. Future research works in physics and evolutionary biology would in time offer the meeting point for biblical account of creation of man and ascent of man through the theory of evolution. Galilei Galileo had earlier said; “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect (breathed into our nostril the breath of life) has intended us to forgo their use.” On this premise, it is logical to conclude that from the point of speciation of homo-sapiens to the present day and into the future, we had been, still is and would be in the seventh day of creation when the Lord God is resting, granting Man the go ahead to work with science, to create and to discover more about himself and the vast universe around him. Competing interests Author had declared no competing interest. References:
Darwin, C (1859): On the Origin of Species by means of natural selection or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life; London; John Murray, 1st Edition.
Deutsch, D (1991): Quantum mechanics near closed time-like curves; Physical Review D 44, 3197 – 3217.
Deutsch, D, and Lockwood, M (1994): The quantum physics of time travel; Scientific American, March 1994; 68 – 74.
Einstein, A (1961): Relativity; The Special and the General Theory; Crown Trade Paperbacks (1961).
Einstein, A (1989): Letter to Michele Besso’s Family; In Bernstein, J; A critic at large: Besso. The New Yorker, 1989.
Eldredge, N, Gould, S.J (1972): Punctuated equilibria: an alternative to phylectic gradualism; In “Models in Paleobiology” edited by Schopf, T.J.M. San Francisco: Freeman Cooper pp. 82 – 115. Reprinted in Eldredge, N; Time Frames; Princeton: Princeton University Press 1985.
Gould, S.J, Eldredge, N (1993): Punctuated equilibrium comes of age; Nature 366 (6452): 223 – 227.
Holy Bible (a): The book of Genesis; Chapter 1.
Holy Bible (b): The book of Genesis; Chapter 1, verses 11 – 19.
Holy Bible (c): The book of Genesis; Chapter 1, verses 20 -23.
Holy Bible (d): The book of Genesis; Chapter 1, verses 24 – 31.
Holy Bible (e): The book of Genesis; Chapter 2, verse 7.
Holy Bible (f): The book of Genesis; Chapter 2, verse 19.
Jenkins, M (1999): Teach yourself evolution; Hodder Headline Plc, London.
Kutach, D (2003): Time travel and consistency constraint; Philosophy of Science 70; 1098 – 1113.
Lorentz, H.A, Einstein, A, Minkowski, H, Wey, H (1952): The Principle of Relativity: A collection of Original Memoirs. Dover, 1952.
Nandy, R: St. Augustine’s Concept of Time: Part I; www.poemhunter.com/poem/st-
Nostradamus, Time Travel and Prophecies; http://nostradamus.time-loops.
Science Mysteries: Parapsychology; www.world-mysteries.com/sci_4.
Taylor, E.F and Wheeler, J.A (1992): Space-time Physics: Introduction to Special Relativity; W.H. Freeman. ISBN 0-7167-2327-1.
Dr. Muideen Owolabi Bakare, M.B.B.S, FMCPsych
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