Design without a designer?

I posted this on christiansunite.com a while ago, and I thought I'd toss it in here just for comparison...Computer programs have shown that it is possible for apparently designed objects to appear that were not explicitly designed by the programmer. This is seen very clearly in the "Langton's Ant" program.Here's the link: http://fvdp.homestead.com/files/ant_index.htmlThe universe in which the ant operates, and the movement of the ant itself, follow incredibly simple rules. These rules are set by the programmer (-> intelligently designed?). After many thousands of steps, however, the movement of the ant begins to construct a highway that was NOT set or included in any way by the programmer; it is a result of the ant randomly discovering a successfully self-replicating pattern.In my opinion, we can consider our universe to be a very large program with very complex rules that has organised itself in a similar manner to Langton's Ant because it has been running for so many billion years. Perhaps God is just another programmer? In any case, I also think that this is good proof that abiogenesis can occur, and that evolution is not quite so unbelievable as some people imagine it to be. It's possible that it's all a result of the universe becoming more and more organised.Before anyone decides to start flaming me, remember I said it's just my opinion ok? And I'd like to know what everyone else thinks.The Rock Hound{A note from Adminnemooseus - Also available is the topic Design With No Designer. It was started by MrHambre, currently has 47 messages, and was last posted to on 9/24/03}[This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 09-30-2003]

Sorry I didn't get back sooner... Warren, your assertation is meaningless here. The ant hasn't been 'tuned' to seek anything. All it has is a simple set of rules for movement on a simple plane. My point here is that we see an ordered structure - the highway - arising from apparent disorder in a simple system, that was NOT, repeat NOT, designed by the programmer. I would assert that this is resonable proof that abiogenesis and evolution are possible, if we consider the universe to be a very complex program running with very complex rules.Leave out the 'mutation' crap here. It's not relevent.The Rock Hound

Just wanted to bump this topic - I really want to discuss how many programming errors God made...The Rock Hound

That's a bit off topic - I'm simply proposing that the similarity between the Langton's Ant program and the universe may be evidence for abiogenesis and evolution. I've read your thread on the Living Earth and I have to say that most of it is completely beyond my area of expertise (I'm a geologist).Feel free to stick around here and post your opinion.The Rock Hound

Well, I think maybe I phrased that wrong. No, it's not evidence for abiogenesis and evolution - rather that it is my opinion that it makes a strong case for the possibility of such things happening (which is exactly what you said ).I wonder why no creationists want in on this? I would have thought that a few would be here by now, telling me that I'm mad and chattering about irreducible complexity or something...The Rock Hound