Skeptics often argue for evolution and against creation by pointing to "bad designs" in nature. They say that if an all-knowing, all-powerful Creator made life, these "inferior" or even "leftover" features would not exist. However, a closer study of the frequently used examples of bad designs reveals a different picture. They typically fall into one of three categories predicted by RTB's biblical creation model:
- Unappreciated good designs. These are revealed as good by further and closer investigation. Examples include the inverted retina in vertebrate eyes and the giant panda’s thumb.
- Intentional suboptimization. In these cases, one or more aspects of the organism or system is not optimized so that the whole system or organism works properly. The 30% inefficiency in protein synthesis provides an example.
- Decay from optimal. An initially well-designed system decays due to the operation of the laws of physics. Deviants of the universal genetic codes illustrates this process.
Any example of a so-called bad design in nature deserves deeper study to see if it fits into one of these three categories.
Featured Articles on Bad Designs
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October 20, 2010
Is the cause of inflammation is yet another example of a design flaw in nature—something unexpected if life stems from a Designer’s hand? Or does this new discovery really cause injury to the case for a Creator?
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June 3, 2010
Imagine sitting in an airport, waiting to board a plane. Thankfully you have something interesting to read as you wait for the flight. You glance up as someone walks by—it’s the pilot. To your dismay, you see he is wearing sunglasses and is escorted by a seeing-eye dog!
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September 10, 2009
I am putting the finishing touches on a book about the quest to create artificial life in the lab. Going through this process makes it apparent that some material belongs in the book, but it doesn't quite fit in the main body.
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June 3, 2009
Are Bad Designs a Problem for the Case for Intelligent Design?
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