My own assessment is that the key problems in evolutionary theory:
origin of life, macroevolution, Cambrian explosion, irreducible
complexity, stasis/punctuation plus key problems in developmental
biology are going to be/have been solved by this group.
Interestingly, they attack evolutionary theory in many of the same
areas that YEC's and PC's do, but they provide an alternative to a
special creationistic intervention. So those who argue that such
problems in evolution are evidence for special creation will have
their apologetic pulled out from under them if these approaches hold
up under scrutiny.
Of course, as is often the case, some of these folks are blatantly
anti-theistic and use their "insight" to deny a role for God. But,
as is often also the case, the discerning Christian reader can
accept much of what they have discovered as part of the order that
God has made and continues to uphold.
Terry G.
_________________
Burgy wrote:
>Brian Harper wrote:
>
>"If you want to find some individuals who do question the central
>role of NS you should try Michael Ho, Peter Saunders, Brian
>Goodwin, Stuart Kauffman and other self-organizationalists.
>They say rather forcefully that NS plays only a minor role
>in macroevolution, especially the origin of novelty. "
>
JB:=====
>I don't recognize these names -- have they published?
>Where are their views expounded, and how well have they
>been received?
All of these individuals have published extensively. Kauffman
is probably best known and also the most prolific.
Kauffman has two books that I know of:
<The Origins of Order>, Oxford University Press, 1993.
<At Home in the Universe>, Oxford University Press, 1995.
I'm not sure where I got Michael from :), it should have been
Mae-Wan Ho. Ho and Saunders are co-editors of a book
<Beyond Neo-Darwinism>, Academic Press, 1984.
Here's a quote from an article by the two editors:
Constraints to form thus arise as natural necessity
rather than from natural selection. The major
evolutionary consequence is that it is dynamic
expediency and not selective advantage which
may largely determine evolutionary pathways and
hence phylogeny. [page 9]
Goodwin and Saunders are co-editors of:
<Theoretical Biology>, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989.
Brian Goodwin also has a recent popular level book:
<How the Leopard Changed its Spots>, Charles Scribner's
Sons, 1994.
Now, as to your last question: "how well have they been received?"
This depends on who you talk to. I'm sure they're very well
received at the Santa Fe Institute :).
Seriously, their ideas are obviously very controversial. A review
of Kauffman's book <Origins of Order> which appeared in
<Nature 365:704, 1993> begins with a quote from David Bowie's
_Major Tom_:
Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me Major Tom
:)
Although the group has been criticized, there are quite a few
highly respected scientists in the complexity/self-organization
camp. It's really tough to predict how successful they will
be.
========================
Brian Harper |
Associate Professor | "It is not certain that all is uncertain,
Applied Mechanics | to the glory of skepticism" -- Pascal
Ohio State University |
========================
_____________________________________________________________
Terry M. Gray, Ph.D. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Calvin College 3201 Burton SE Grand Rapids, MI 40546
Office: (616) 957-7187 FAX: (616) 957-6501
Email: grayt@calvin.edu http://www.calvin.edu/~grayt