Episode 29: William Lane Craig's Quest for the Historical Adam Part 2 (feat. Dr. Marcus Ross

[@DobbotheGreat]

"Literary whiplash" is a great phrase.

[@adamschaafsma5839]

Excellent, we are on the same page in regards to this book and the arguments within. Thanks for the thorough examination.

[@Ty-tv9em]

Disclaimer, I am a layperson so I do not claim any authority in my arguments, especially as they relate to biology but here goes anyway... I think an important consideration to keep in mind when thinking about how homo floresiensis might challenge Dr. Craig's general assertions about cranial capacity and 'humanness' is the size of homo floresiensis' brain in relation to the rest of its body. Brain size in relation to body size is the important thing. I don't know what the ratio is for homo floresiensis, but if it is similar to H. heidelbergensis, then I doubt you'd have a problem, because, as you noted, miniaturization within a species has precedent when presented with unusual surroundings, like an Island. I think, perhaps, his point is that a specific degree of intelligence and self-awareness coupled with the basic body plan of a 'human' would be the recipe for 'humanness', as the important factor that allows for a personal relationship with God is sufficient intelligence. Following this line of thought, and generally speaking, God chose an organism with a human body plan (irrespective of the overall size of the body) to impart the necessary degree of intelligence to be able to have a full relationship with God in a way that no prior organism has had the cognitive capacity to do. The type of organism is really not the important thing, God could have chosen to create a reptile with a cognitive capacity sufficient to have a personal relationship with God, it just so happens that God chose a hominid to impart this special cognitive capacity.

[@jjboycejr1]

I asked Greg Koukl once about the "B" word and the implications of humans mating with non-humans. He didn't want to answer...