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|    talk.origins    |    Evolution versus creationism (sometimes    |    142,579 messages    |
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|    Message 141,392 of 142,579    |
|    RonO to sticks    |
|    Re: Recalling Karl Crawford (1/2)    |
|    03 Sep 25 16:11:08    |
      From: rokimoto557@gmail.com              On 9/3/2025 12:46 PM, sticks wrote:       > On 9/3/2025 5:01 AM, Ernest Major wrote:       >> On 02/09/2025 19:46, sticks wrote:       >>> On 9/2/2025 11:08 AM, Mark Isaak wrote:       >>>> On 8/30/25 1:54 PM, sticks wrote:       >>>>> On 8/27/2025 9:05 PM, RonO wrote:       >>>>>> https://scienceandculture.com/2025/08/woodpecker-is-a-stunning-       >>>>>> example- of-irreducible-complexity/       >>>>>>       >>>>>> Someone just mentioned Karl Crawford recently, and the ID perps       >>>>>> are resurrecting that old creationist argument. They are calling       >>>>>> it an example of irreducible complexity, but that is a lie so they       >>>>>> put it in their new Culture category instead of their Science       >>>>>> category, and it is a talk given at their Science and Faith       >>>>>> conference, so it was just something to fool the religious       >>>>>> creationist rubes with.       >>>>>       >>>>> That's a hell of a way to begin a post.       >>>>>       >>>>> ---snip---       >>>>> [...]       >>>>> He attacks the ID people for not producing some science that shows       >>>>> the example is irreducibly complex. I'm sure someone would have an       >>>>> experiment they could do to try and accomplish that . . .       >>>>       >>>> Another problem, though, is that irreducible complexity is evidence       >>>> *for* evolution and *against* ID. There are multiple common       >>>> mechanisms by which irreducible complexity can evolve, but such       >>>> complexity violates engineering principles of keeping things as       >>>> simple as possible and of having backup systems.       >>>       >>> Just learning how things work here in T.O.       >>> So things really are not irreducibly complex, but if they are it is       >>> evidence for evolution.       >>> Got it. Thanks       >>>       >>> ---snip       >>>       >>       >> Behe may have thought that he had an objective means of identifying       >> systems that could not have evolved, but he was wrong; using the       >> original definition of an irreducibly complex system as one which       >> requires all of its parts to function, there are at least three broad       >> classes of paths by which irreducibly complex systems can evolve.       >>       >> An additional issue is finding objective definitions of system, part       >> and function. Divide a system into few parts, and it's more likely to       >> be irreducibly complex; divide a system into many parts, and it's less       >> likely to be irreducibly complex. Consider an eukaryote cell as       >> composed of the nucleus, the cytoplasm and the cell membrane; looking       >> at it in that way it seems irreducibly complex (until you notice that       >> mammalian erythrocytes and thrombocytes lack nuclei). But consider it       >> as an assemblage of nucleic acids, proteins and lipid membranes; then       >> many parts can be removed, and it continues to function, i.e. is not       >> irreducibly complex.       >>       >> A third issue is that suitably defined a system may be irreducibly       >> complex in one species but may not have the same set of parts as the       >> same system in another species. The clotting cascade is an example of       >> this; it puzzles me why Behe thought that was a good poster system for       >> his argument.       >>       >> As for the more general argument from complexity - the "it's oh so       >> complex, it must be designed" - that an argument from incredulity. I       >> look at the Heath-Robinson Rube Goldberg nature of life, and my       >> reaction is "there's no way that's designed". (Why should you       >> incredulity be more dispositive that mine?)       >>       >> (I think Dawkins is wrong when he writes that "life has the appearance       >> of design".)       >>       >> You can get over the evolutionary argument from complexity by       >> postulating an unconstrained designer. The problem with that,       >> epistemologically, is that you're no longer explaining the       >> observations; instead you're explaining them away.       >       > Yes, but you're still left with explaining where the information to       > build anything originated. Evolutionists don't have to worry about       > being accused of arguing from incredulity because they insist they will       > continue looking. The fact they cannot consider ID is a big asset that       > ID folks don't have. For example my two biggest difficulties are the       > initial conditions before the Big Bang and where everything came from,       > and this information origination problem within OoL. Now both places I       > come up with my conclusion using logic, philosophical/metaphysical, and       > scientific law. Yet, both scenarios I would be accused of simple       > incredulity and dismissed. It doesn't matter to me that happens, and       > I'd be open to be shown how I am wrong in my conclusions, but using       > deductive reasoning and the methods above is not incredulity. It is an       > unfair characterization.       >       > I'm not denying things suggested as or considered IC can be show not to       > be. I just found the blanket statement that "irreducible complexity is       > evidence *for* evolution and *against* ID" is a little absurd, or funny.       >       >              The origin of the "information" isn't the issue that you think that it       is. Gap denial is just gap denial and the Big Bang is a gap that we may              [continued in next message]              --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05        * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)    |
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