A
Lesson in Science By
Gary
Ray Branscome
Careful observation consistently
supports the thesis that design exists only as the product of intelligence. In
other words, for every design there must be a designer. Furthermore, because
design plays a key role in the function of any system, one scientist [John
MacKay] has expressed the evidence of its
presence mathematically by the formula, P+I>P.
What this formula says is that the evidence something has been designed is
manifest in the fact that the parts (P) plus the intelligence (I) apparent in
the arrangement of the parts, is greater than the parts alone.
For example, suppose that we had all
of the parts necessary to make a car. If those parts were just piled in the
middle of the floor, their arrangement would not produce anything greater than
the parts alone. On the other hand, if those parts were assembled into a car,
then the parts plus the intelligence apparent in the arrangement of those parts
would enable the assembled whole to function in a way that the parts alone
never could. The same holds true for the parts of a microwave, vacuum cleaner,
or any other system including biological systems.
However, for a principle such as, P+I>P, to be truly scientific, it must be possible to
test it experimentally. If the principle is true, then on the basis of that
principle it should be possible to accurately predict the outcome of an
experiment. It should also be possible to predict what the outcome of the
experiment will be if the principle is false. Therefore, in order to test this
principle let me propose the following experiment.
I propose that we take a single
biological cell and separate its component parts, placing all of those parts
together in a container. If there is no design in the arrangement of the parts
of a cell, then it should be possible for the component parts of a cell to
reassemble on their own, without any intelligent effort being directed to bring
it about. However, if design is required in order to arrange the parts of a
cell into a functioning system, then we can predict that those parts will never
reassemble themselves into a cell no matter how long we wait.
Since an egg is the largest single
cell — the largest of these being the Ostrich egg — let me further propose that
we use an egg cell for this experiment (a common hen's egg will be convenient).
We can separate this egg cell into its component parts by placing it into a
blender and turning the blender on high speed. Once the egg cell has been
broken down into its component parts we will have all of the parts necessary to
form a cell. We will then place these parts into a container and wait for the
egg to reassemble. If there is no design in the arrangement of the parts of a
cell, then it should be possible for the parts of our egg cell to reassemble on
their own. However, if the parts of an egg have been arranged by design, and
the system that produces the egg has been designed to bring about that
arrangement, then the parts will never reassemble on their own. Therefore, we
must ask: How long will it take the egg to reassemble? Ten minutes? An hour? A year? A million years?
What if we help the process along by shaking the container? Will that speed it
up? How long will it take?
If the arrangement of the parts of an
egg is the product of design, then I predict that instead of assembling themselves
together the parts of our egg cell will go in the opposite direction breaking
down, decaying and separating even further. Furthermore, if it is not possible
for an egg to reassemble without some intelligence to design and guide the
arrangement of its parts, then we have no reason to believe that any cell could
come into existence without intelligence designing and arranging its parts.
CONCLUSION
The law of intelligent design can be
seen all around us. The parts of an alarm clock, microwave, camcorder, or
television will never come together on their own. On the contrary, intelligence
must design and guide the arrangement of the parts. Likewise the parts of a
digestive system, a circulatory system, or a reproductive system could never
arrange themselves into a functional form without intelligence (or a system
designed by intelligence) to design and guide the arrangement of the parts.
Perhaps that is why the Bible says, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).