Re: Randomness and complex organization via evolution

From: Richard Wein (rwein@lineone.net)
Date: Tue Jul 11 2000 - 05:43:38 EDT

  • Next message: Bertvan@aol.com: "Randomness and complex organization via evolution"

    From: Chris Cogan <ccogan@telepath.com>

    >The following little essay was written for another list, but it is relevant
    >to the topic of this list, so I reproduce it here. It was originally
    >written in response to the old creationist canard that complex organization
    >cannot be obtained from random processes. The idea is that this would be
    >like the parts of a BMW miraculously assembling themselves. Of course,
    >though the evolutionary process involves a kind of randomness, it is not
    >even *remotely* like such a miraculous occurrence, as should be clear from
    >this essay, if not from ten seconds thought.

    [...]

    Thanks, Chris, for another enlightening essay. It will, of course, be
    useless for convincing creationists of their error. Those who are incapable
    of appreciating the standard arguments regarding the origin of complexity
    via random variation and natural selection will not appreciate your more
    subtle argument either.

    >... But randomness *is*
    >complexity, though not all complexity is what we would call randomness.

    This is also (part of) Dembski's position, so IDers should be willing to
    accept it. However, they can be quite selective, accepting an argument when
    it suits their purpose and rejecting the same argument when it doesn't.

    Richard Wein (Tich)
    "The truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it; ignorance may deride
    it; malice may distort it; but there it is." -- Winston Churchill



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