Dear David,
Given the interparticle forces, physicists do not yet know why a crystal is
the lowest energy state for given temperature and pressure. Of course, the
design lies in the laws themselves. Who designed the laws? Also, who
sustains the laws? Do they sustain by themselves????
>Likewise, in the case of complicated molecular systems in the cell, there
>are constraining laws (e.g., if it does not work, it dies; chemical
>properties of amino acids; the need to transmit information) and extremely
>flexible raw materials. Molecular phylogenies and occasional examples of
>primitive partial versions of complex systems appear to point to stages in
>the assembly of complex systems from simpler ones, again suggesting a
>prominent role for evolution in the development of complex systems.
>
>"Irreducibly complex" is another term that needs better defined so that we
>know we're talking about the same thing.
>
>David C.
I agree that "irreducible complexity" is defined in a somewhat circularly
fashion.
Take care,
Moorad