Copyright © 2014 Randall Scott Fryar All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. THE NON-ENDING SEARCH FOR A PRE-DNA REPLICATOR: RICHARD DAWKINS AND THE PROBLEM OF ABIOGENESIS __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by Randall Scott Fryar May 2014 APPROVAL SHEET THE NON-ENDING SEARCH FOR A PRE-DNA REPLICATOR: RICHARD DAWKINS AND THE PROBLEM OF ABIOGENESIS Randall Scott Fryar Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Theodore J. Cabal (Chair) __________________________________________ James Parker III __________________________________________ Mark T. Coppenger Date ______________________________ To Wendy, the love of my life and best friend. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page PREFACE …………………………………………………………………………. ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION……………..…………………………………………… 1 The Gap Separating Non-Life from Life ……………….……………….. 1 Contribution of Richard Dawkins ………………………………………. 5 Focus of this Study ……………………………………………………… 7 Background of this Study …………………………………..………….... 8 Structure of this Study …………………………………………………… 10 2. HISTORY OF ABIOGENESIS……………………………………………. 13 Antiquity: A Mythological Beginning ………………………………….. 13 Judaism: Case of the Miraculous ……………………………………….. 18 The Greeks: The Rise of Rationale ……………………………………… 21 The Medieval Era and Speculation ……..….…………………............... 26 The Enlightenment: Return to Naturalism ………………………………. 28 The 19th Century: Science Coming of Age …………………………….... 34 Evolution: Darwin’s Metanarrative .………….………………………….. 36 The Prevailing Zeitgeist ……………………………………………….... 40 3. THE CONTRIBUTION OF DAWKINS …….....…………….…………… 44 Introduction ………………………………………………………………. 44 iv Chapter Page A Life Destined for Science ………………….………………….…...... 45 Dawkins’s Computer Simulations ……….…………………………….. 49 “Methinks it is Like a Weasel” Program ……………………….… 51 D’Arcy Thompson’s Transformations …………………………… 58 Dawkins’s Biomorph Program .…………………………………... 60 Dawkins’s Movement Between Models ………………………………... 66 Dawkins’s 1st Model: The Prebiotic Soup ……………………..…. 67 Dawkins’s 2nd Model: A Crystalline Theory ……..……………... 73 Dawkins’s 3rd Model: Panspermia ……………………………….. 77 Dawkins’s 4th Model: RNA World ………………………………. 81 4. DAWKINS AND THE CLASSIC SOLUTION …………………………. 86 Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 86 The Prevailing View ……………………………………………… 87 Era of Optimism ………………………………………………….. 89 The General Theory ………………………………………………. 90 Dawkins’s Selfish Gene ………………………………………………… 93 Dawkins on Altruistic Behavior …………………………………… 94 Dawkins’s Position on the Study ………………………………….. 95 Philosophical and Scientific Assumptions ……………………….. 97 The Assumed Process for the Origin of Life …………………………... 109 Entropy and the Second Law …………………………………..…. 109 Going Against the Second Law …………………………………… 112 Self-Organization and Selection ………………………………….. 116 Evidence of emergence …………………………………...... 118 v Chapter Page Complexity through gradualism …………………………… 121 Information and Complexity …………………………………….. 127 Conclusion ……………………………………………………….. 134 5. A MOVE TOWARD ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS …………………. 136 Introduction ……………………………………………………………. 136 Setting Aside the Gene-Centered Studies .….…………………………. 139 In Defense of Evolution ……………………………………………….. 143 Empirical Evidence ………………………………………………. 144 The early atmosphere ……………………………………….. 145 Spiegelman’s “Little Monster” ……………………………… 148 Rebek’s autocatalytic system ……………………………….. 151 Current Theoretical Modeling ……………………………………. 154 Cairns-Smith’s clay replicators ……………………………… 155 Manfred Eigen’s hypercycle ………………………………… 159 Thomas Gold’s deep, hot biosphere ………………………… 163 Computer modeling ………………………………………….. 168 6. DAWKINS’S INTEREST IN PANSPERMIA …………………………… 170 Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 170 History of Panspermia ………………………………………………….. 171 Explanation of the Theory ……………………………………................ 174 Dawkins’s Move toward Panspermia ………………………………...... 175 Interview with Ben Stein …………………………………………. 177 Dawkins’s Reasoning toward Panspermia ……………………….. 185 Dawkins’s Ambiguous Solution ……………………………………….. 188 vi Chapter Page Dawkins on Directed Panspermia ………………………………… 189 Dawkins on the Probability of Alien Life ………………………… 192 Dawkins on “Advanced” Alien Life ……………………………… 195 The Characteristics of Alien Life …………………………..……… 198 Minimal Life Elsewhere …………………………………………... 203 Search for Life in the Solar System ………………….……………. 205 Search for Life outside the Solar System …………………………. 209 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………... 213 7. DAWKINS AND RNA WORLD THEORY …………………………….. 215 Introduction ………………………………………………………….…. 215 History of RNA World …………………………………………………. 217 Challenges to RNA World Theory …….……………………………...... 220 Dawkins and RNA World Theory….………………………………….... 222 Impact of Dawkins’s Worldview …………………….……………….... 226 Current Status of RNA World ………………………………………….. 228 8. CONCLUSION .…………………………………………………………. 233 Initial Remarks: Dawkins and Abiogenesis …………………………… 233 Dawkins’s Search for a Solution ………………………………………. 236 Applying Theistic Science to Abiogenesis ……………………………. 238 God-of-the-Gaps: A General Response ……………………………….. 240 God-of-the-Gaps: A Specific Response ……………………………….. 243 Admonition against Methodological Naturalism ……………………… 246 Failure of Metaphysical Naturalism …………………………………….. 251 Current State of the Problem ……………………………………………. 257 vii Chapter Page Further Research ……………………………………………………….. 258 BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………… 260 viii PREFACE Only through the grace of God has this dissertation been possible given the many obstacles I have experienced. To learn how to thoroughly research and critically argue through a paper of this magnitude yields perhaps the greatest challenge of all. The experience itself has truly given me a whole new perspective of the process and upon those who have accomplished it before me. They had undoubtedly earned it and I am humbled beyond measure to be even mentioned among them. I am simply amazed that an airline pilot who had thought about enrolling in an off campus hermeneutics course a decade ago would ever arrive at this time and place. Little do we know how God will direct our paths. We must all have faith in preparing for the ride, for it is not always a smooth experience when God chooses to engage our hearts. He often demands our blood, sweat, and tears to take on the challenges presented to us. But what a joy it is in the grand scheme of it all as God alone receives praise! Along this journey, God has afforded me many to thank. Chuck Lawless is one of the first who comes to mind when thinking back to the decision made to pursue a research doctoral track. When faced against the seemingly impossible odds of attending mid-week classes amidst an airline schedule, I was dumbfounded as to how such a conflict could ever be resolved. Unbelievably, God saw to it that the out-of-town and out-of-country flights would neither interfere nor cause me to miss but a single class during the entire time. And that class, as Mark Coppenger knows, was due to my own faulty scheduling and not a lack of God’s provision. ix I would be remiss if I did not recognize the godly leadership and friendship offered by Peter Gentry, Steve Wellum, Bruce Ware, and Bill Cook. These men left their mark on my heart as brothers of insight and encouragement. But where they prepared me, God supplied others to polish the skills of my chosen discipline. Jim Parker, Mark Coppenger, James Chancellor and Ted Cabal poured their efforts into further refining that which was demanded. I am forever in their debt – especially to Ted Cabal, who has not left my side since taking me on in that opening interview. He has refined the fire in my heart and channeled it in a way that would best serve God and His kingdom. I thank God for each and every one of these men. I am also indebted to the encouragement of friends that God has brought into my life at this time. Brothers such as Brian Payne and Travis Kerns saw to it that I was steadfast to complete that which was before me. Then came men like Tawa Anderson who found a way to trudge through the process with me. In addition to these expected colleagues of the process, God has also blessed me with a few unexpected fellows who have encouraged and prayed for me along the way. A number of pilots at UPS had become aware of my work over time and offered their encouragement to get through it. Though there are too many to list here in this place, my thanks would be incomplete without mentioning Brad Clark, Mike Zawisza, Ron Karr, and Ivan Lasoi. Each has been a Barnabas to me. Last and certainly not least, I offer my greatest appreciation and thanks to those who bore the greatest challenge of all. Only through the love and support of my ever faithful and patient wife Wendy and my two children Ciana and Luke, could this dissertation been completed. They have respected my time to research and write, and x have celebrated each and every passing chapter that had been written (and edited). They are the ones who have kept the home fires burning for a weary pilot and researcher who had come in from the cold. All in all, my hope and prayer is that this dissertation does not simply accomplish the requirements of a degree, but that the truth about creation by the hand