Claim CI130:
Design is indicated by functional integration, which is multiple parts
working together to produce a particular function or end.
Source:
Lumsden, R., quoted by B. J. Alters, 1995. A content analysis of the
Institute for Creation Research's Institute on Scientific Creationism.
Creation/Evolution 15(2): 1-15.
Response:
- Functional integration can be produced naturally. Parts come together
all the time and, with the addition of energy, act on each other. It
is inevitable that sometimes such workings will create an end that
someone or something considers functional. An example of such
functional integration occurring naturally is climate (which has even
been proposed as evidence of intelligent design; Morton 2001).
Climate is produced by the interactions of terrain, trade winds, bodies
of water, and latitude. These can occur arbitrarily, but they are
bound to produce some kind of functional climate.
- Functional integration is what we would expect from evolution.
Evolution requires units that reproduce. "Units" implies at least some
amount of integration, and reproduction is a function. (And natural
selection will favor innumerable other functions that help with
survival and reproduction.)
- Biological systems often include imperfections and jury-rigging that
argue against intelligent planning of their integration. For example:
- DNA sometimes includes a "wrong" sequence that, if not edited after
the DNA is transcribed, would be fatal. For example, a gene
involved in mouse neurons contains a codon specifying glutamine. In
normal mice, an enzyme edits the RNA that is transcribed from the
DNA, so the codon will specify arginine. Mice die if this editing
enzyme is disabled. But mice that are genetically engineered with
DNA for arginine in the first place are healthy even without the
editing enzyme (Keegan et al. 2000).
- In men, the urethra passes through the prostate gland. When the
prostate gets infected and swells, as it is prone to do, it causes
problems not only with reproduction but also with the excretory
system (Colby et al. 1993).
- Although baleen whales are toothless as adults, their fetuses grow
teeth that are resorbed as they mature (Colby et al. 1993).
Additional example are plentiful (Behrman et al. 2004; Colby et
al. 1993).
- Functional integration is not a necessary part of design. It does not
exist in simple designs without multiple parts, for example. Since
evolution always produces functional integration but design does not,
functional integration is evidence more for evolution than for design.
Links:
Colby, Chris et al., 1993. Evidence for jury-rigged design in nature.
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/jury-rigged.html
References:
- Behrman et al., 2004. (see below)
- Colby et al., 1993. (see above)
- Keegan, L. P., A. Gallo and M. A. O'Connell, 2000. Survival is
impossible without an editor. Science 290: 1707-1709.
- Morton, Glenn R., 2001. Nineteenth century design arguments. Reports of
the National Center for Science Education
21(3-4): 21-22,27. http://home.entouch.net/dmd/design.htm
Further Reading:
Behrman, Edward J., George A. Marzluf and Ronald Bentley, 2004.
Evidence from biochemical pathways in favor of unfinished evolution
rather than intelligent design. Journal of Chemical Education 81(7):
1051-1052.
created 2003-6-23, modified 2004-7-9