How Far Can Small Steps Take Us?
We cannot yet obtain automatic design in any field. Go to a software store and browse around. The packages offer computer-aided design. Software suppliers know that if their package offers automatic design, people will sue them for false advertising. Automatic design can’t be done—at least not yet.
What is the barrier? That is not a mere multi-million-dollar question. We’re talking about thousands of millions of dollars. The motivation for producing and using automatic design programs exists.
What is the barrier? That is not a mere multi-million-dollar question. We’re talking about thousands of millions of dollars. The motivation for producing and using automatic design programs exists.
Most Journeys Require Big Steps
If mutations can produce new variations in a species, why can’t they produce new species in a genus, new genera in a family, new families in an order, new orders in a class, new classes in a phylum, new phyla in a kingdom, and new kingdoms of living organisms? What is the barrier to unlimited variation? The barrier is not a hard-and-fast limit, beyond which no automatic design or Darwinist process is possible. It is a soft barrier, but it is there. The barrier consists of two elements working together. One is a restriction on the step size. The other is the requirement of feasibility (in engineering projects) or viability (the ability of organisms to stay alive) at every step. Let’s use the word functionality to cover engineering feasibility and biological viability. Functionality is a strong requirement and a very limiting restriction.
Notice that the requirement of functionality at every step determines which paths are possible between lower and higher species. We are not here talking about any supposed advantage for survival. Advantages make it probable that the Darwinist process will follow one path among all possible paths, but functionality at every step determines which paths are possible.
Life can only exist where conditions are right for it. But, even if conditions are right, will life arise? Some people claim that “natural selection is such a powerful principle that life will arise wherever conditions are right.” There is an obvious fallacy in that extravagant conjecture. Natural selection only begins to operate after self-reproducing life arises. Having shown very easily what’s wrong with the claim, we will now go on to examine carefully and scientifically whether natural selection is a “powerful principle.” A powerful principle should explain well a broad range of phenomena. We will compare Darwinism’s power to explain the adaptations many organisms have for survival with creative design’s power to make ingenious engineering adaptations.
Notice that the requirement of functionality at every step determines which paths are possible between lower and higher species. We are not here talking about any supposed advantage for survival. Advantages make it probable that the Darwinist process will follow one path among all possible paths, but functionality at every step determines which paths are possible.
Life can only exist where conditions are right for it. But, even if conditions are right, will life arise? Some people claim that “natural selection is such a powerful principle that life will arise wherever conditions are right.” There is an obvious fallacy in that extravagant conjecture. Natural selection only begins to operate after self-reproducing life arises. Having shown very easily what’s wrong with the claim, we will now go on to examine carefully and scientifically whether natural selection is a “powerful principle.” A powerful principle should explain well a broad range of phenomena. We will compare Darwinism’s power to explain the adaptations many organisms have for survival with creative design’s power to make ingenious engineering adaptations.