Thank you for your thoughtful post. Let me ask a short question about your
suggestion that a research program is in the offing. Why is the
recognition of functional integrity, self-organization, emergent
properties, etc. any different from the recognition of order and lawful
behavior that is at the foundation of the practice of science? I don't see
why these ideas require any special design theory. They are based on the
same metaphysical/religious claims that the normal practice of science is
based on.
I agree with your assessment that Goodwin, Kauffman, and company think that
much of neo-Darwinian theory is irrelevant to some of the key questions in
evolution. I tend to agree with their criticisms and proposed solutions.
I find it curious that the very problems often cited by YEC and ID folks
are exactly those cited by the complexity crowd--given the promise of this
research program, I see no reason to declare the process impossible by
"natural" means and thus the domain of a direct act of God.
TG
_____________________________________________________________
Terry M. Gray, Ph.D. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Calvin College 3201 Burton SE Grand Rapids, MI 40546
Office: (616) 957-7187 FAX: (616) 957-6501
Email: grayt@calvin.edu http://www.calvin.edu/~grayt
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