Aaron writes:
I'm going to post a snip from a different topic and a snip from a book and offer a few counter thoughts.
Granny Magda said:
"Why don't we see eagle-like eyes in humans? Or a dog-like sense of smell? These are both good designs, so why are they kept strictly to separate lineages? Why do only birds of prey have those eyes? Why no other species? Why not give chimps the same smell capabilities as dogs? They sure could use it."
In his book
Why Evolution is True, Jerry Coyne makes a similar point:
"Female sea turtles dig their nests on the beach with their flippers - a painful, slow, and clumsy process that exposes their eggs to predators... A conscientious designer might have given the turtles an extra pair of limbs, with retractable shovel-like appendages..."
This line of thinking seems to me like a very narrow idea of what constitutes good design.
First, its amusing how evolutionists like Coyne and Dawkins look at organisms and marvel at how well adapted they are - and how they appear to be designed. Oh, but before getting too carried away in awe - they bring in some aspect that seems to them like bad design.
It's like sitting in a car and saying it wasn't made by a designer because the seats aren't heated, the mirrors have blind spots, and the brake pads are prone to wearing out early.
You might retort "But cars are designed by humans. God's designs should be perfect in every way."
What does it mean to be perfect? Let's push Jerry Coyne's suppositions further. Why didn't God create sea turtles with another set of limbs with sharp claws to fend off predators. Wings would have been nice too just in case it needs a quick getaway.
Why can't mice run 60 mph to escape the swooping owl? Why aren't all plant species poisonous to fend off hungry herbivores?
Ahh yes, that's more like it - a world where every species has the maximum level of offensive and defensive capabilities.
But wait - how long do you think a world like that would last? If every plant and animals is perfectly equipped to fend off every potential snack seeker - nothing would get eaten, nutrients wouldn't be exchanged, the complex circle of life would come to a grinding halt.
When it comes to creating a complex interdependent ecosystem, vulnerability is necessary to keep the whole thing going.
Perfect does not mean everyone survives, perfect in the natural selection sense, is the balance of survival, it is not the success of the individual species, but the success of the ecosystem as a whole, working for and against each other, finding the best possible path for survival for life as a whole.
All life on Earth is ALREADY at its maximum offensive and defensive capabilities. Another word for maximum is adapted. Nothing is here by mistake, there are no errors in change, change is life's greatest strength.
This points to an interesting idea that humans NATURALLY developed the ability to apply artificial selection to natural selection for the benefit of life. To think humans are above life because we can control it is delusional, we are and everything we do is a direct product and effect of natural selection at work for the greater good of all life on Earth.
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