Convergence or divergence? (Introduction)

by dhw, Friday, September 06, 2013, 18:58 (4096 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: More evidence of convergence in the genome of various animals. Convergence is highly suggestive of design. Simon Conway Morris is well known. Why are people so surprised at his favorite theory?-http://www.nature.com/news/convergent-evolution-seen-in-hundreds-of-genes-1.13679-The fact that different organisms come up with similar solutions to the same problems is not in the least surprising once you accept that there is a form of intelligence at work in every case. We see a similar phenomenon in many of our human activities, as different minds working separately on the same issues come up with similar ideas. But I don't see why it's convergence that is "highly suggestive of design". Two intelligences thinking alike are no more suggestive of design than one intelligence doing its thinking. Whether intelligence per se is the product of inexplicable design, inexplicable chance, or inexplicable "panpsychist" evolution is of course the question we never stop asking.