Re: Dawkins and increase in information

David Campbell (bivalve@mailserv0.isis.unc.edu)
Thu, 1 Oct 1998 10:02:18 -0400

>Is the question asked Dawkins analogous to the following: Energy is
>conserved. There is a Big Bang--a beginning to the universe. Therefore,
>physicists can be asked to provide an answer to the question of the origin
>of the existing energy. I am sure cosmologists have already thought of an
>answer to such questions one of which would be "I do not know."

As far as my knowledge of physics goes, I do not think so. Like much of
the "evolution-creation debate", there is a problem with definitions. What
is information, and for what system are you looking for an increase?

Using a conventional scientific definition, there are easy answers to the
question of biologic information increase, whereas my impression is that
ideas on what physics happened before the Big Bang is very speculative.

The amount of information in an organism increases any time there is a
genetic duplication. Extra information can be bad for you! Changes in the
arrangement and use of this information are more important than the amount
of information.

Information also gets confused with order. As Glenn has pointed out,
informative sequences have relatively little order. ACG GGT AAC GGG GAA
TCA GTG TTC GAT TCC GGA GA shows no particular pattern that I spot, yet it
is very important if not vital to many animals. TAG CTA GCT AGC TAG CTA
GCT AGC is highly ordered but probably useless.