Evolution: intelligent agent can produce gaps by design (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, May 01, 2022, 16:05 (935 days ago) @ dhw
edited by David Turell, Sunday, May 01, 2022, 16:12

ID explains:

https://evolutionnews.org/2022/04/the-positive-case-for-intelligent-design-in-paleontol...

"Intelligent design provides a sufficient causal explanation for the origin of large amounts of information, since we have considerable experience of intelligent agents generating informational configurations of matter…We know from experience that intelligent agents often conceive of plans prior to the material instantiation of the systems that conform to the plans — that is, the intelligent design of a blueprint often precedes the assembly of parts in accord with a blueprint or preconceived design plan.

“'Intelligent agents sometimes produce material entities through a series of gradual modifications (as when a sculptor shapes a sculpture over time). Nevertheless, intelligent agents also have the capacity to introduce complex technological systems into the world fully formed. Often such systems bear no resemblance to earlier technological systems — their invention occurs without a material connection to earlier, more rudimentary technologies. When the radio was first invented, it was unlike anything that had come before, even other forms of communication technology. For this reason, although intelligent agents need not generate novel structures abruptly, they can do so.

"Hypothesis (prediction): Novel biological forms requiring large amounts of new genetic information will appear abruptly in the fossil record, “fully formed,” and without similar precursors.

"Experiment (data): Biological novelty commonly appears in the fossil record suddenly, fully formed and without similar precursors or evolutionary intermediates.3 As one zoology textbook states:

"Many species remain virtually unchanged for millions of years, then suddenly disappear to be replaced by a quite different, but related, form. Moreover, most major groups of animals appear abruptly in the fossil record, fully formed, and with no fossils yet discovered that form a transition from their parent group.

"The dominant pattern in the fossil record is explosions of new biological forms. The Cambrian explosion is a prime example where most of the major animal phyla appear “fully formed” in a geologically abrupt manner, but there are many other examples in the fossil record, including a bird explosion, an angiosperm explosion, and a mammal explosion. Even our genus Homo appears abruptly."

Comment: A few days ago, I mentioned the design gap with the appearance of the radio following the telegraph. dhw commented his usual illogical thinking about a designer in action. The whole point is above. God, as an intelligent agent can make any gap He wishes. dhw's dismay about the Cambrian gap is logic down a rabbit hole. God's design of evolution is a God design, never related to Darwin's thinking. Therefore. obviously, can be different forms of the meaning of common descent. God can wish to evolve humans in His own way over time.