Why Aren’t All Darwinists Rich?
Some people think that we ourselves are the most advanced product (so far) of a long process of automatic design called Darwinist evolution. The idea is that random changes in the genetic structure of living organisms constitute a kind of search engine that explores design variations automatically. Let’s compare the Darwinist search engine with what we now know about other search engines and automatic design programs.
Early Attempts to Automate Design
In commercial industry there is a tremendous incentive to produce new and better product designs. The entrepreneur’s dream is to design a new product so superior to previous designs that it is equivalent to a new species. Any programmer who can make a computer accomplish this design feat may well become rich very quickly. The products so designed should have a competitive advantage. Darwin knew nothing about computers, but programmers have tried to model his process. Many have thought that Darwin’s process can originate new and superior commercial products. Since Darwinists are the ones that know about this, why don’t they give a few tips to the programmers? In computer jargon, new inventions of this sort are called “killer applications,” because they destroy the competition. The manufacturing company that had such a product would instantly be the market leader. Charging big consulting fees would make the Darwinists rich.
Let me share a comparison I made years ago between Darwinism and “automatic” lens design. I presented it to my Research Department colleagues in a colloquium. It answers the basic question “Why aren’t all Darwinists rich?”
Let me share a comparison I made years ago between Darwinism and “automatic” lens design. I presented it to my Research Department colleagues in a colloquium. It answers the basic question “Why aren’t all Darwinists rich?”