Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Even IF the Genome is Full of “Junk”

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I particularly enjoyed Denyse’s comment here about how, according to some evolutionary theorists — who should be more accurately depicted as evolutionary storytellers — Darwinian evolution programmed us to find Darwinian evolution difficult to believe.

This is called science?

A much more reasonable explanation is that our minds were programmed to invent computer programs, and to find Darwinism difficult to believe because it makes no rational sense.

But I digress from the theme of my post.

I enjoyed Jonathan’s presentation about junk DNA at the link provided above. Let us presume that the genome does include junk. What does this have to do with the evidence for design found elsewhere, such as in the highly sophisticated, functionally integrated, information-processing machinery about which we know a great deal?

I’m sure that Francis Collins is a very fine fellow. I have no doubt about his Christian conversion. (I underwent a similar one.) I have no doubt about his intellect or problem-solving IQ.

However, there is something missing in his reasoning, which basically goes like this:

A troglodyte discovers a car in a junkyard. The engine runs. The transmission works, and the car can be driven. But wait: The headlights don’t work and do nothing (of course, the troglodyte has no idea what a headlight is, but he sees such structures and assumes that they have no purpose).

Even if (and that’s a BIG if) the genome is full of junk (that is, degenerate stuff that provides no function), the existence of that junk has nothing to do with an inference to design from the stuff that is obviously not junk, but highly sophisticated technology.

Based upon my experience, design theorists are not the troglodytes who refuse to follow the evidence where it leads — Darwinists are.

Comments
Joe @ 6
C: If the genome is full of junk, this falsifies a prediction made by prominent ID advocates. J: It all depends on which genome you are talking about. Ya see the genomes of today are not the designed genomes and the designed genomes are not around. And then it all depends on what one means by “junk”.
It's not much of a prediction, then, if it all "depends". In any case, the prediction seems pretty clear to me, and the meaning of "junk" in this thread seems pretty clear too. But not to worry. Falsified predictions should be a good thing. They help refine the theory so it more closely reflects reality. CheersCLAVDIVS
May 29, 2012
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Joe, Is there any question that Meyer and Dembski are talking about modern genomes? If we take 'junk DNA' to be function-less DNA then both are saying ID predicts little to no junk, don't they?wd400
May 29, 2012
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If the genome is full of junk, this falsifies a prediction made by prominent ID advocates.
It all depends on which genome you are talking about. Ya see the genomes of today are not the designed genomes and the designed genomes are not around. And then it all depends on what one means by "junk".Joe
May 29, 2012
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If the genome is full of junk, this falsifies a prediction made by prominent ID advocates. "The theory of intelligent design predicts that most of the nonprotein-coding sequences in the genome should perform some biological function, even if they do not direct protein synthesis." -- Meyer S. C (2009) Signature in the Cell, Ch 18 "Predictions of Design (Hypothesis): ... (4) The genetic code will NOT contain much discarded genetic baggage code or functionless "junk DNA". -- IDEA Center, FAQ: Does intelligent design make predictions? Is it testable?, http://www.ideacenter.org "If, on the other hand, organisms are designed, we expect DNA, as much as possible, to exhibit function." -- Dembski W. (1998) "Science and Design" in First Things Oct 1998 CheersCLAVDIVS
May 29, 2012
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ronvanwegen, Some of the DNA identity tests used in forensics count the number of repeats of chunks of genome. IF junk DNA is just DNA that hasn't been turned on then why do some people have different numbers of some sequences?Jerad
May 28, 2012
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"Junk" DNA is just DNA that hasn't been switched on yet.ronvanwegen
May 28, 2012
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IF the genome is full of 'junk' and was designed it does make you wonder why the junk was put in or left there. It costs resources to perpetuate the 'junk' so . . . . sounds like very shoddy design for a living, self-replicating system. The car was not designed with non-functioning headlights. Perhaps a better analogy would be with the more decorative bits, stuff that doesn't affect how the car was supposed to behave.Jerad
May 28, 2012
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Can anyone describe a better system for getting rid of junk than the "Darwinian" one?Mung
May 28, 2012
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