Dawkins can speak for himself

mbig said:

Evolution of the eye.
A brief 7 minute vid on the topic from
The Unofficial Richard Dawkins Channel - YouTube
100+ vids there.
This topic, one floated by ID-ers as 'too complicated'/'impossible'.

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Backwardly wired retina “an optimal structure”: New eye discovery further demolishes Dawkins

Summary
On Darwin’s bicentennial last year, his most prominent defender and ardent antitheist Richard Dawkins wrote a new book, The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution. Ironically, he admits about all his previous pro-evolution books:

“Looking back on these books, I realized that the evidence for evolution is nowhere explicitly set out, and that it seemed like a good gap to close.”

One of his favourite examples, one he has been using for decades, is the alleged backwardly wired retina, a favourite example of supposed bad design. First, we republish a sample section from our refutation, The Greatest Hoax on Earth? showing that even with existing knowledge, Dawkins had no case. Then we report on a new discovery, conclusively showing that the allegedly inferior design is actually superior in producing sharper images and better colour distinctions.

From Greatest Hoax?:
Backwardly-wired retina?


Problem for Dawkins’ own just-so story of eye evolution

Evolutionists dogmatically hang on to dud argument

New discovery: Müller cells enhance sharpness

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MoSurveyor said:

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The Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Does Not Refute Intelligent Design
Casey Luskin

Part 1: Evolution Dictates a Function for the Design of the Laryngeal Nerve

Part 2: The Route of the Laryngeal Nerve Gives It Unique and Specific Functions
Evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne assumes that ID is incompatible with common ancestry, which it isn't. As one pro-ID biologist wrote me on this topic, "this is only a problem for design if one assumes design means designed from scratch for each taxon, and if one believes that the designer would necessarily use the shortest distance between two points (in other words, that the designer thinks like we do), and that there are not other design considerations at play."

But if we set aside the question of whether evolutionary history explains the RLN's path, it's also never been clear to me why "imperfect design" should refute design. I've complained before about the breakdowns and flaws I've had with computers, but obviously computers are designed. In fact, every piece of technology that has ever had a flaw shows that imperfect designs are was still designed! "Imperfect design"--a term used by Coyne--is still design.

Part 4: Direct Innervation of the Larynx Demanded by Intelligent Design Critics Does Exist
As noted, ID critics Jerry Coyne, Kelly Smith, and Richard Dawkins have all argued that the allegedly circuitous innervations of the larynx from the brain by the RLN is an "imperfect design" that refutes ID. What they rarely disclose, however, is that there are in fact nerves that innervate the larynx directly from the brain through the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN), without taking the longer path of the RLN--exactly as they demand. Thus, the larynx is in fact innervated from both above and below, by both the RLN and the SLN. This is clearly seen in the diagram below, from Elsevier's Atlas of Regional Anesthesia, 3rd ed., hotlinked from here:

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tosca1 said:

For those interested, another long, detailed article.

But if we set aside the question of whether evolutionary history explains the RLN's path, it's also never been clear to me why "imperfect design" should refute design. I've complained before about the breakdowns and flaws I've had with computers, but obviously computers are designed.

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The Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Does Not Refute Intelligent Design

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MoSurveyor said:

So God isn't any better at designing things than humans?!? Doesn't really seem like he deserves worship any more than the lead designer at Intel or AMD, then. :lol:

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tosca1 said:

For those interested, another long, detailed article.


The Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Does Not Refute Intelligent Design

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mbig said:

At Randolph Macon College, Lynchburg Va. Oct 2006 talking about 'The God Delusion.'
Quite well presented AND Answered.
Hardly Radical or aggressive; good sense of humor too.
Lynchburg also the home of Liberty University, and several questioners also from LU (lulu)

35 mins of talk.
Dawkins in Lynchburg VA (part 1) The God Delusion - YouTube

and More Importantly, Twice as long answering questions: 70 minutes.



Several of his answers to common fallacies, such as an intelligent-god-outa-nowhere being at least as difficult a proposition as any altenative, are very good to have on record.

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tosca1 said:

For those interested, a very long, detailed article that debunks Dawkins.


Mueller cells backwardly wired retina v Dawkins

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tosca1 said:

For those interested, a very long, detailed article that debunks Dawkins.


Mueller cells backwardly wired retina v Dawkins

Click to expand...

tosca1 said:

For those interested, another long, detailed article.


The Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Does Not Refute Intelligent Design

Click to expand...

MoSurveyor said:

So God isn't any better at designing things than humans?!? Doesn't really seem like he deserves worship any more than the lead designer at Intel or AMD, then. :lol:

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afr0byte said:

It's pretty funny that this imperfect design just happens to be explainable by evolution.

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