Craig Venter (The limitations of science)

by dhw, Sunday, October 06, 2013, 19:37 (4064 days ago)

David generously supplied me with scientific backing for the concept of the "intelligent cell" through the work of the cell biologist Guenter Albrecht-Buehler. Allow me to reciprocate via an article in today's Sunday Times: the atheist Craig Venter believes humans will soon be able to design and "print" synthetic cells. I quote: "At the heart of Venter's thinking is the idea that cells are simply machines and DNA is no more than a kind of software that tells cells what to do. It means life is just a complex of chemical reactions." -Whether humans will one day be able to design and "print" cells that self-replicate, adapt and innovate, you and I will probably never know. However, if your God can create a biochemical programme that does all these things, why shouldn't man eventually do the same? Of course that won't make any difference to the God theory (since the cells will have been designed), but here is something strange. You the theist argue vehemently in favour of the atheist Venter's materialistic theory (N.B. it's referred to as an idea, not a scientific fact), whereas I the agnostic am not convinced by it. Since we are all composed of cells, which both of you believe to be nothing but machines, how do you respond to the statement that "life is just a complex of chemical reactions"? I'll be very interested to hear how far you are prepared to defend your theory in the light of Venter's claims.