Re: Meteorites and Specified Complexity

From: Howard J. Van Till (hvantill@novagate.com)
Date: Wed Feb 28 2001 - 11:35:58 EST

  • Next message: george murphy: "Re: Ramm, Rimmer, etc"

    Tom,

    You asked:

    > One
    > researcher, E. Imre Friedmann, a biologist at the Ames Research Center in
    > Moffett Field, CA, notes that close electron microscope examination of the
    > meteorite discloses magnetite crystals formed in chains; and further, these
    > are "chains that could only have been formed biologically."

    > In light of this, I have a question for the group here. Is Dr.
    > Friedmann's observation regarding these crystal chains an example of
    > "specified complexity," according to the criteria for that term as
    > established by William Dembski and other proponents of Intelligent Design?

    I doubt it, because the ID version of specified complexity is asserted to be
    such that it "could not have been formed naturally." If it can be formed
    biologically, it counts for nothing in the ID agenda. If there is "specified
    complexity" in meteoritic material, then, by ID criteria, it must have been
    assembled by the form-conferring action of some unnamed extra-natural agent.

    It would, however, be interesting to see if Dembski himself would be willing
    to comment on this.

    Howard Van Till



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