An institute trying to pretend
creationism is scientifically legitimate
and have it taught in American
schools.
First of all
• I’m a wannabe
• …and not a scientist
• …not yet a philosopher
either
• …I also smell like
elderberries when the
weather is moist
• …and if you can’t
understand my accent,
then fluergee-guergygurr
What is evolution?
• Dembski doesn’t know:
•“According to Darwinism, undirected natural
causes are solely responsible for the origin and
development of life.”
•“Darwinism is hopelessly entangled with
naturalism.”
•“Darwinism rules out the possibility of God or
any guiding intelligence playing a role in life's
origin and development.”
Bad, Dembski! Bad!
What I think evolution is
• Darwinian evolution by
natural selection
• Those organisms or
genes least likely to die in
a given environment will
therefore be the ones
most likely to reproduce
and eventually become
quantitatively dominant.
Irreducible Complexity
• “A single system which is
composed of several
interacting parts that
contribute to the basic
function, and where the
removal of any one of the
parts causes the system to
effectively cease
functioning.”
The man behind the
Colgate smile is
Michael Behe
An Important Concept
Mammals that can’t produce vitamin C
Guinea pigs
and us!
What d’ye mean, rum
don’t cure scurvy?
‘course it does.
3 ways evolution can produce
“Irreducible Complexity”
• An arch bridge is Irreducibly complex
• But, of course, it’s not made all at once
3 ways evolution can produce
“Irreducible Complexity”
1. Scaffolding
2. Improbable but possible happenstance
3. ?
• Suppose an adaptive ability requires two (or
more) mutations in order to function and
either mutation alone is useless. As long as
mutation A confers no disadvantage it could
still be acquired through neutral drift without
mutation B, priming the organism for
advantage if B should turn up later.
• Already proven by Richard Lenski when some
of his e-coli mutated to thrive on citrate.
3 ways evolution can produce
“Irreducible Complexity”
1. Scaffolding
2. Improbable but possible happenstance
3. Cooption or exaptation
To the left: Type III secretory system used for
pooping.
To the right: flagellar motor used for pretending to
be a speedboat.
Complex Specified Information
•
•
•
•
What is it?
Nobody knows. No, really
Well, Dembski does
…maybe.
Argument From Ignorance
Inference to Best Explanation?
• One white swan, two white
swans, three white swans…
• Therefore all swans are white.
• Only works if you count all the
swans
• Evolution fails; therefore all
natural explanations fail;
therefore supernatural
explanation; therefore God
• Only works if evolution and
God are the only possible
explanations.
• “Explanation”?
Is it an explanation?
Well, is it informative?
• The house is smoking because there is a
smoke-producing event going on inside
• The flagellum was produced by a flagellumproducing intelligence
Is there a generalised connection?
• Fire generally causes smoke.
• Intelligence generally causes flagella?
Intelligent Design
Vs.
Platonic Assembly
Dunn-dunn-duuuunn!
www.SketchSepahi.com
Questions?