Intelligent Design: the Biochemical Challenge to Darwinian Evolution?

Christian Spirituality and Science Issues in the Contemporary World Volume 2 Issue 1 The Design Argument Article 2 2001 Intelligent Design: The Biochemical Challenge to Darwinian Evolution? Ewan Ward Avondale College Marty Hancock Avondale College Follow this and additional works at: https://research.avondale.edu.au/css Recommended Citation Ward, E., & Hancock, M. (2001). Intelligent design: The biochemical challenge to Darwinian evolution? Christian Spirituality and Science, 2(1), 7-23. Retrieved from https://research.avondale.edu.au/css/vol2/ iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Avondale Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Science at ResearchOnline@Avondale. It has been accepted for inclusion in Christian Spirituality and Science by an authorized editor of ResearchOnline@Avondale. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ward and Hancock: Intelligent Design Intelligent Design: The Biochemical Challenge to Darwinian Evolution? Ewan Ward and Marty Hancock Faculty of Science and Mathematics Avondale College “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20 (NIV) ABSTRACT The idea that nature shows evidence of intelligent design has been argued by theologians and scientists for centuries. The most famous of the design arguments is Paley’s watchmaker illustration from his writings of the early 19th century. Interest in the concept of design in nature has recently had a resurgence and is often termed the Intelligent Design movement. Significant is the work of Michael Behe on biochemical systems. In his book, Darwin’s Black Box, Behe develops the idea that many biochemical systems are irreducibly complex in the sense that each component of these systems is essential for their functioning and cannot be removed or altered without compromising the system of which they are a part. Thus traditional Darwinian evolutionary theory has difficulty in explaining their development. When applied to the question of life’s origin on this planet, design arguments raise serious questions about traditional views of chemical evolution. To be considered a scientific alternative to Darwinian evolution, intelligent design needs to be empirically detectable. The development of a three-stage explanatory filter by William Dembski is arguably a fully scientific method that can, on the basis of observational data, reliably distinguish intelligent design in biological systems from undirected natural causes. However, at this stage, detection of intelligent design does not necessitate speculation on the nature of the designer, but does infer an intelligence behind the design. INTRODUCTION organisms deep within the crevices The question of the origin of life on of a meteor? Or is life the product of this planet is a fascinating one. Did an intelligence, hidden somewhere life begin on the surface of a cooling within the universe, orchestrating planet amidst the havoc of a rest- life by design and careful planning? less environment racked by violent Is there evidence of that design in na- lightning flashes andvolcanic activity? ture and can such evidence be used Did life flourish on earth after being to infer the existence of a Creator, as transported here as bacteria-like Romans 1:20 might indicate? 7 Published by ResearchOnline@Avondale, 2001 1 Christian Spirituality and Science, Vol. 2 [2001], Iss. 1, Art. 2 Design in Nature turns out that the bombardier beetle The idea that nature shows evidence is using chemistry. Prior to battle, of intelligent design is not at all new. specialised secretory lobes make a Theologians and scientists have very concentrated mixture of two argued for centuries that certain chemicals, hydrogen peroxide and natural features of our world are hydroquinone. The mixture is sent difficult to explain purely in natural- into a storage chamber that is con- istic terms. The most famous of the nected to an explosion chamber. At- design arguments is Paley’s watch- tached to the explosion chamber are maker illustration from his writings glands that secrete catalysts into the of the early 19th century. If you were explosion chamber. When a preda- to find a watch while crossing a field, tor threatens, the beetle squeezes what would you suppose about the muscles surrounding the storage origins of that watch? Would you chamber which forces the solution think that the parts had all come of hydrogen peroxide and hydro- together by chance, or would you quinone into the explosion chamber suspect that the watch was the where it mixes with the catalysts. product of a watchmaker and that The hydrogen peroxide rapidly de- someone had dropped the watch composes into ordinary water and as they passed by that way? Paley oxygen. Subsequently, oxygen reacts argues that because of its obviously with the hydroquinone to yield more intricate design and function there water, plus a highly irritating chemi- must have been a designer, “… cal called quinone. These reactions who formed it for a purpose which release a large quantity of heat. The we find it actually to answer, who temperature of the solution rises comprehended its construction and to boiling point and vaporises into designed its use”.1 steam. The beetle then points its tail at the enemy and directs the steam- A classic example of the watchmaker- ing, toxic solution into the face of the type argument is the bombardier would-be predator. 2 beetle. When threatened, the bombardier beetle has an amazing way Design theorists would argue that of defending itself. It squirts a boil- the defence system of this beetle is ing hot solution of chemicals at the far too complicated to have evolved enemy from an aperture in its hind in a step by step, naturalistic fashion section. Hardly a polite gesture, and requires a designer. For many but then its aim is to escape, not Christians, seeing design in nature to win friends! The heated liquid is equivalent to seeing God, and for scalds its target, which then beats them the picture of God as Designer a hasty retreat. What is the secret or Architect makes good sense. to the bombardier beetle’s trick? It However, while watchmaker-style 8 https://research.avondale.edu.au/css/vol2/iss1/2 2 Ward and Hancock: Intelligent Design arguments are intuitively appealing quite false, although it is regularly and have convinced Christians for repeated throughout the creationist centuries that God exists, they have literature”.4 As mentioned previ- not been well received by the modern ously, however, these chemicals scientific community. This was due require the presence of a catalyst to in no small part to the success of undergo significant reaction. Darwinian Evolution in suggesting While Dawkins uses such apparent how complex structures may have problems in the design literature to evolved through natural processes. his advantage and doesn’t offer any Richard Dawkins, Oxford Zoologist explanation for how the bombardier and well-known defender of Dar- Beetle’s defence may have evolved winian Evolution, has challenged by natural selection, he does offer the apparent need for a designer in plausible scenarios for the evolution the bombardier beetle. In his book, of other classic design examples such The Blind Watchmaker, Dawkins first as the mammalian eye.5 Typically, quotes a passage from a book called creationists have argued that struc- The Neck of the Giraffe by Francis tures such as the bombardier beetle’s Hitching . “The chain of events that defensive system and the mamma- could have led to the evolution of lian eye could not have evolved by such a complex, coordinated and gradual evolutionary steps because subtle process [in the bombardier all the parts are required for it to beetle] is beyond biological expla- function effectively. Dawkins dem- nation on a simple step-by-step onstrates that there are eyes of vary- basis. The slightest alteration in the ing complexity and resolving power chemical balance would result im- in the animal kingdom and that it mediately in a race of exploded bee- is quite conceivable that the mam- tles”.3 Dawkins then responds. “A malian eye evolved from a simpler biochemist colleague has kindly pro- eye by small steps that progressively vided me with a bottle of hydrogen improved upon the primitive eye. peroxide, and enough hydroquinone Darwin’s Black Box for 50 bombardier beetles. I am about While Dawkins seemingly gets the to mix the two together. According to better of this exchange, the design the above [Hitching], they will ex- argument has recently had a resur- plode in my face. Here goes … Well, gence and this time it is being led I’m still here. I poured the hydrogen by well-informed professionals and peroxide in the hydroquinone, and academics. Michael Behe, professor absolutely nothing happened. It of biochemistry at Lehigh University didn’t even get warm… The state- in Pennsylvania, USA, published ment that ‘these two chemicals, when a watershed book in 1996 entitled, mixed together, literally explode’ is 9 Published by ResearchOnline@Avondale, 2001 3 Christian Spirituality and Science, Vol. 2 [2001], Iss. 1, Art. 2 Darwin’s Black Box: the biochemical over time. This is often called mi- challenge to evolution, (The Free Press, croevolution. What Behe and others New York). A black box is a term such as Michael Denton in Evolution: used to refer to a device that does A theory in crisis and Phillip Johnson something, but whose inner work- in Darwin on Trial, have exposed in ings are mysterious. A computer is recent years is the inability of Dar- a black box to many that rely on its winian evolution to explain the big function everyday. They can use it, questions, such as how life arose on but what happens inside that box is this earth in the first place.

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