Re: Intell. Design

Glenn Morton (Glenn.Morton@oryx-usa.com)
Mon, 01 Jun 1998 11:53:53 -0500

Jeffrey Lee wrote:

>>>While I am a believer in evolution, there are parts of the puzzle that seem
to me to be irreducibly complex, despite your contrary view. The one that
puzzles me the most is the lense of an eye. I can imagine the evolutionary
process that would give rise to vision: first a few epithelial cells that
are light sensitive. This sensitivity confers an evolutionary advantage
that favors increasing the number of light sensitive cells. These cells
might even become configured in such a way that the eye formed a "pin-hole"
camera view of the world. But where does the lense come in? Unless it was
initially formed in a completely functional state (could be the lense like
that in a human or one of those segmented lenses that bees have), I can't
see how it would not make vision poorer rather than better. If it was just
a prototype (as the initial light sensitive cells are prototypical eyes),
then it would convey no advantage, so why would it evolve?<<<

I would suggest you take a look at Dawkin's _Climbing Mount Improbable_. He has a very fascinating discussion that addresses your question concering the eye. I am at work now so I don't have the page number handy. He presents a very useful and plausible scenario that goes all the way from light-sensitive cells to fully evolved eye.

glenn