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Author Topic:   A thought on Intelligence behind Design
NosyNed
Member
Posts: 8996
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 256 of 261 (49674)
08-09-2003 8:37 PM
Reply to: Message 255 by MrHambre
08-08-2003 12:40 PM


MrH, like others have said, I haven't seen anything from an ID'er that denies evolution. They seem to agree with almost every single thing on the scientific side except they want to have a few places where and intelligence 'must' have intervened.
But it appears that those places vary all over the map. Only abiogenesis for some. The rise of humans for others. And only some specific biochemical details for others.
I haven't read all that much of their stuff so I could easily be wrong. Can anyone correct this?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 255 by MrHambre, posted 08-08-2003 12:40 PM MrHambre has not replied

  
fredsr
Inactive Member


Message 257 of 261 (53229)
09-01-2003 1:18 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Peter
05-14-2003 6:21 AM


Peter's Postulates
Peter - Thanks for staring this thread. I take exception to two of your statements in your first post.
1. "If we take design to be the production of a system which is
suited to a particular purpose (note: not designed for that
purpose, but the result is suited to it) then we do not
require any intelligence behind the design."
In the world of software or systems engineering we frequently borrow a concept "...which is suited to a particular purpose..." and adapt it for another purpose. However, the fact that we use it in its original or a modified form does not justify your statement that "... then we do not require any intelligence behind the design."
Indeed, whenever an artifact is used for a purpose other than that of it's original designer, we still benefit from the intelligence of that designer. It saves us time trying to design something that will work as well.
Since I used the term 'artifact' above, this would only include human designed things. And even when you glue popsickle sticks together to make something, you gain from the intelligence of the designer of the versitle popsickle stick. But, as a beliver in ID, I further say that when you use aluminum or any chemical compound to make something, you are benefiting from the intelligent design that went into creating aluminum, etc.
2. You say "An algorithm that produces electrical circuits or landscape drawings is performing design, but has no intelligence behind it."
Any algorithm that does "design" has merely been designed by it's creator with some part of the knowledge base (intelligence) of the designer embedded in the algorithm.
Your conclusions in the posting are based on, what IMHO are erroneous assumptions. Frankly, I surprized that no one challanged them previously.
Sincerely,
Fred

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Peter, posted 05-14-2003 6:21 AM Peter has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 258 by MrHambre, posted 09-03-2003 5:44 PM fredsr has not replied
 Message 259 by Peter, posted 12-02-2003 6:27 AM fredsr has not replied
 Message 260 by Rei, posted 12-02-2003 1:01 PM fredsr has not replied
 Message 261 by Peter, posted 12-12-2003 4:50 AM fredsr has not replied

  
MrHambre
Member (Idle past 1392 days)
Posts: 1495
From: Framingham, MA, USA
Joined: 06-23-2003


Message 258 of 261 (53739)
09-03-2003 5:44 PM
Reply to: Message 257 by fredsr
09-01-2003 1:18 PM


Algorithm and Design
quote:
But, as a beliver in ID, I further say that when you use aluminum or any chemical compound to make something, you are benefiting from the intelligent design that went into creating aluminum, etc.
First off, you're telling us that even chemical compounds are the result of intelligent design? I would argue that material processes are more than adequate to explain the formation of elementary chemicals.
quote:
Any algorithm that does "design" has merely been designed by it's creator with some part of the knowledge base (intelligence) of the designer embedded in the algorithm.
Perhaps you should check out Conway's Game of Life and tell me how this dumb three-rule algorithm has been front-loaded with instructions to create its often dazzling designs. In fact, the 'gliders' and other amusing characters in the game are the unpredictable products of three dumb rules, not any purposeful intelligence.
Believers under the influence of Intelligent Design Creationism have a hard time telling the difference between human artifacts and natural design. Looking at a natural artifact, we often think we see the hand of an intelligent creator. What we're really seeing is the winner of a million lotteries, the unpredictable output of a series of algorithms. Usually the result is every bit as amazing and unlikely as we'd expect from a purposeless, mindless process such as evolution.
------------------
I would not let the chickens cross the antidote road because I was already hospitlized for trying to say this!-Brad McFall

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Peter
Member (Idle past 1479 days)
Posts: 2161
From: Cambridgeshire, UK.
Joined: 02-05-2002


Message 259 of 261 (70529)
12-02-2003 6:27 AM
Reply to: Message 257 by fredsr
09-01-2003 1:18 PM


Re: Peter's Postulates
quote:
In the world of software or systems engineering we frequently borrow a concept "...which is suited to a particular purpose..." and adapt it for another purpose. However, the fact that we use it in its original or a modified form does not justify your statement that "... then we do not require any intelligence behind the design."
Indeed, whenever an artifact is used for a purpose other than that of it's original designer, we still benefit from the intelligence of that designer. It saves us time trying to design something that will work as well.
The 'system' in either of these cases is an intelligent design
since the 'new/modified' artifact had a design intent.
What I am talking about is the emergence of a system that
just happens to do something useful -- anything useful in fact.
And in software/systems engineering the concepts are not
'suited to a purpose' they are 'designed for a purpose'.
I am pointing out that intelligence is not a pre-requisite
of design, and so design cannot be used to infer an intelligence
behind the design.
If one wishes to show intelligence then one needs to look
for something else.
quote:
Any algorithm that does "design" has merely been designed by it's creator with some part of the knowledge base (intelligence) of the designer embedded in the algorithm.
Not necessarily.
Evolutionary design algorithms emulate the supposed natural
process of evolution i.e. random change + selection wrt environmental
factors.
There is no knowlegde base, there is a process and an environment.
The results are patentable circuit designs.
In one experiment to create an oscillator, a radio receiver was
generated instead ... because the environment included (accidently)
a radio source emitting at the right frequency.
The design fit the environment, but the circuit was completely
unaticipated by the people who created the design program.
Intelligent Design postulates 'intent', but uses 'design' to
infer it.
This is incorrect.
It assumes that what something does, is what it was intended
to do -- but there is no support for that assumption available.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 257 by fredsr, posted 09-01-2003 1:18 PM fredsr has not replied

  
Rei
Member (Idle past 7012 days)
Posts: 1546
From: Iowa City, IA
Joined: 09-03-2003


Message 260 of 261 (70580)
12-02-2003 1:01 PM
Reply to: Message 257 by fredsr
09-01-2003 1:18 PM


Re: Peter's Postulates
Fred,
When Conway created the "Game of Life", was he trying to get gliders and puffers? When Mandelbrot created an iterative sequence on the complex plane, was he expecting to find not only a complex picture, but a complex picture that contains all sorts of variations and alterations of the original image deep inside itself? When Robert May graphed the solutions of the population formula over varying k, was he expecting to find something that falls to complete chaos and then suddenly reorganizes itself? No. Chaos and order happen when you have iterative orderly rules, virtually every time.
It's just part of reality. Simple rules create simple results. But *iterative* simple rules create complex results.
(ed: corrected a typo)
------------------
"Illuminant light,
illuminate me."
[This message has been edited by Rei, 12-12-2003]

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Peter
Member (Idle past 1479 days)
Posts: 2161
From: Cambridgeshire, UK.
Joined: 02-05-2002


Message 261 of 261 (72473)
12-12-2003 4:50 AM
Reply to: Message 257 by fredsr
09-01-2003 1:18 PM


Re: Peter's Postulates
quote:
Indeed, whenever an artifact is used for a purpose other than that of it's original designer, we still benefit from the intelligence of that designer. It saves us time trying to design something that will work as well.
Here you pre-suppose a designer.
In biological systems we cannot pre-suppose an intelligent designer
if it is an intelligent designer that is being sought.
I have seen many lines of reasoning that basically say 'if
it is designed it has an intelligence behind it'.
What I am saying is that change+selection can produce entities
that appear as though they were designed. So that something
'looks designed' does not mean it had an intelligence
behind it.
Design does not have intelligence as a pre-requisite.
What else indicates the 'intelligence'?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 257 by fredsr, posted 09-01-2003 1:18 PM fredsr has not replied

  
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