RE: [asa] ID/Miracles/Design

In a game of chess, all possible outcomes of all possible moves are determined but may not be known a priori. Suppose Gasparov finds a new winning opening or a new end game. One can give it his name for discovering the play, but that is certainly not new information, or is it. If one tinkers with a given DNA via interactions that are purely physical, can new configurational information emerge from such processes that, were not already there?
Moorad
________________________________
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On Behalf Of Randy Isaac [randyisaac@comcast.net]
Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 1:40 PM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] ID/Miracles/Design

David Clounch wrote:
"...Behe's point is that traditional evolutionary theory says that the amount and quantity of I increases from A to B. Behe says this is not true, if anything it usually decreases. The argument has always been about information flow. To me it is purely a matter of statistics. If the source of information isn't in the universe then it may come from intelligence (a pre-loaded intelligence), or may even come from outside the universe (again, from an intelligence?). But that doesn't have to mean the source has to be transcendental."

I keep beating this drum over and over but it is important to note that this quote employs a key misunderstanding of the nature of the information in living cells. Information theorists recognize it as configurational information and not intelligence-generated information. There are no mysteries about the source of any increase in information. A process such as gene duplication, for example, increases the amount of information in an organism without any external source. The pattern of information in a living cell is not indicative of any intelligence-initiated information. This misunderstanding is widespread among many ID advocates and it is one of the reasons why ID is not accepted in scientific communities.

Randy

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Received on Sat Apr 25 12:24:04 2009