Design of the Ear
A favorite argument by biblical creationists and advocates of Intelligent Design against Darwinism is irreducible complexity. The simplified version is that everything must be in place at the same time, from the beginning, or nothing works or makes sense. This applies to the human eye and even down to the molecular level.
Papa Darwin said, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” He also said that he could "find no such case". I reckon he didn't try to see the evidence, just like his disciples today — who have even less excuse because of advances in science and technology. Matthew 13:14 comes to mind.
Anti-creationists say that irreducible complexity "can be explained", but their arguments can be summed up as, "I found someone on teh interwebs that says irreducible complexity isn't so, and he says what I want to believe, so I'll reject science and reason because evolution. Well, yeah!" Their "explanations" can be answered. Another place irreducible complexity applies is regarding the human ear.
Your sense of herring hearing happens when sound waves reach your ear, then tiny bones help process them through fluid, vibrations undergo chemical activity, they reach the brain, then we can understand and respond to sounds. Pretty much an example of specified complexity is happening.
And what a variety of sounds! Other people speaking, Eleana's violin in the symphony orchestra, my wife hears the blue jays demanding their supply of peanuts, varieties of pet sounds, intruders skulking around outside, and so much more. We hear, and discern. Medical science has progressed to the point that some cases of encroaching deafness can be forestalled, such as the famous case of Rush Limbaugh's cochlear implant. A whole heap of research and learning went into understanding some of the complexities of the human hear and the intricacies of hearing. There's a great deal going on, put in place by our Creator, just to hear a pin drop, and it defies evolution. You listening?
Papa Darwin said, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” He also said that he could "find no such case". I reckon he didn't try to see the evidence, just like his disciples today — who have even less excuse because of advances in science and technology. Matthew 13:14 comes to mind.
Anti-creationists say that irreducible complexity "can be explained", but their arguments can be summed up as, "I found someone on teh interwebs that says irreducible complexity isn't so, and he says what I want to believe, so I'll reject science and reason because evolution. Well, yeah!" Their "explanations" can be answered. Another place irreducible complexity applies is regarding the human ear.
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| Highly modified from a Pixabay image by Anemone123 |
And what a variety of sounds! Other people speaking, Eleana's violin in the symphony orchestra, my wife hears the blue jays demanding their supply of peanuts, varieties of pet sounds, intruders skulking around outside, and so much more. We hear, and discern. Medical science has progressed to the point that some cases of encroaching deafness can be forestalled, such as the famous case of Rush Limbaugh's cochlear implant. A whole heap of research and learning went into understanding some of the complexities of the human hear and the intricacies of hearing. There's a great deal going on, put in place by our Creator, just to hear a pin drop, and it defies evolution. You listening?
I would like to take you through the ear and our ability to hear and interpret sound. As you consider the many mechanisms that work together so that we can hear music and voices and laughter, think about how it all came to be. As you are reading, it is not necessary to understand every part. Just understand how many different mechanisms are necessary in order for us to interpret vibrations as sound and think about the possibility that these mechanisms all could have arisen through a random nondirected process such as evolution.To read the rest, click on "The Amazing Ear: Evidence for Design".