ARRIVAL OF THE FITTEST (Evolution)

by dhw, Monday, November 03, 2014, 22:43 (3453 days ago)

DAVID (under DILEMMAS): An evolutionary scientist writes about his faith:-http://www.amazon.com/Arrival-Fittest-Solving-Evolutions-Greatest/dp/1591846463/ref=sr_...-A review with comments:-http://www.amazon.com/review/R1S25CAAGSQ5TQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=159184646...-Dhw: ...The book apparently talks of: “a set of laws that allow nature to discover new molecules and mechanisms in a fraction of the time that random mutations would take.” I would point out that nature and sets of laws can hardly make discoveries on their own. The discoveries have to be made by organisms. And I would suggest that the “laws” which enable organisms to make those discoveries are none other than what you call the “information” which constitutes an inventive mechanism within their own genome.-DAVID: From what I have read about Wagner, he is an atheist scientist. The laws are patterns of activity in the universe and in life. Humans discovered them by observation and the issue is where did they come from. They require planning and information as you note. Again, information cannot come from a Big Bang or a origin of life from inorganic matter, or by chance. What else can you think of?-Once again we seem to have been reading totally different articles. Initially, you said he was writing about his faith. But now it appears he is an atheist (which perhaps has turned you off a little). The book is entitled Arrival of the Fittest - SOLVING EVOLUTION'S GREATEST PUZZLE, and the puzzle is innovations. His point is that organisms can make new discoveries “in a fraction of the time random mutations would take” - not that there are patterns in the universe and life that humans have discovered by observation and the issue is where they came from. In other words, Wagner thinks there is a mechanism that displaces random mutations as the driving force of innovation. Judging by the summary and reviews, please tell me how you think his evolutionary theory (which some consider to be a revolutionary explanation of the force that drives evolution) might differ from mine.