How can you not believe in evolution? Also ideas on Genesis

Two common logical fallacies are the Fallacy of Composition (arguing that what is true of the parts must be true of the whole - such as "pennies are light, so a million pennies are light") and the Fallacy of Division (arguing that what is true of the whole must be true of the parts - such as "computers are changing the world, therefore my computer is changing the world").

In thermodynamics we divide properties up into how they behave with respect to scale or division. Intrinsic properties are ones which are the same for the whole system and for any part of it. For example, temperature is an intrinsic property. If you pour half a cup of water into a second cup, both half cups of water have the same temperature which is the temperature they had when they were together in one cup.

Extrinsic properties are proportional to the size of the system. Weight is one example. The two half cups may be at the same temperature as the initial full cup, but they are each only half the weight.

Entropy and energy are extrinsic properties. We can find the energy of the earth by adding up all the energies of everything in it. Similarly, we can find the entropy of the earth by adding up all the entropies of everything in it. We can also find entropy changes by subdivision, so that we can look at what is happening on an individual basis (plant by plant, leaf by leaf, cell by cell, molecule by molecule) regarding absorption of sunlight and the resulting chemical changes.

As an aid for conceptualizing entropy, it is often described as a measurement of disorder. This is not intended as a definition of either entropy or disorder. Entropy is determined by the number of ways you could achieve a state, disorder is defined by the amount of violation of an ordering rule. The assignment "entropy is disorder" is intended to describe situations such as "the more space a gas takes up, the higher its entropy is, and the less you know about where all the molecules are (which in a casual sense means more disorder)". This conceptual link between entropy and disorder should not be interpreted as saying that increased disorder is increased entropy.

An example of how entropy isn't disorder is that if you take a piece of glass, which is an amorphous material (one whose atoms are disordered), and place it in a fridge to cool it down, you will not change the atom locations. The glass remains just as disordered, but its entropy decreases as its temperature drops. In fact, in a very good fridge, the closer you brought it to absolute zero (-273.15 C or -459.67 F) to closer its entropy would become to zero. This would all happen without changing its structural disorder.

To argue that evolution is inconsistent with the second law of thermodynamics it is usually stated that evolution is a continual process of achieving higher order and design, which is against the second law. This is an argument based on casual definition of terms, rather than on quantification of order, design, and entropy.

You know, I've argued this point with many evolutionists (and BTW I'm with you on this one, I believe the 2nd Law DOES apply) and the mantra that I quoted is what I hear from evolutionists on a regular basis.

They tell me it doesn't apply. I disagree with them.

real life wrote:

You know, I've argued this point with many evolutionists (and BTW I'm with you on this one, I believe the 2nd Law DOES apply) and the mantra that I quoted is what I hear from evolutionists on a regular basis.

They tell me it doesn't apply. I disagree with them.

What you may have heard from "evolutionists" is that the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics does not refute biological evolution. You may wish to read "Entropy, God, and Evolution" by Doug Craigen which I excerpted in an earlier post.

For those who may not be aware of creationist propaganda, creationists misuse scientific terminology to make non-experts believe that evolution is impossible because of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.

real life wrote:

You know, I've argued this point with many evolutionists (and BTW I'm with you on this one, I believe the 2nd Law DOES apply) and the mantra that I quoted is what I hear from evolutionists on a regular basis.

They tell me it doesn't apply. I disagree with them.

What you may have heard from "evolutionists" is that the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics does not refute biological evolution. You may wish to read "Entropy, God, and Evolution" by Doug Craigen which I excerpted in an earlier post.

For those who may not be aware of creationist propaganda, creationists misuse scientific terminology to make non-experts believe that evolution is impossible because of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.

real life, please state the 2nd law as you understand it.

(Eorl, you lose.)

Entropy and the 2nd law refer to disorder on an atomic level, not to the ordering of information in DNA

real life,
Why are you using a subtopic of one scientific discipline to criticize a subtopic in a different scientific discipline?