My view of ID in a nutshell

Information has only ever been seen to be the result of a mind and has never been seen and actually does not make any logical sense to be a result of any process (especially natural laws) other than that -- purposeful process -- produced by mind. In fact, one of the defining points of mind is that it produces information.

Information = a seemingly random, yet also non-repetitive arrangement of units, in which the specific arrangement, not defined by natural laws of attraction, produces specific function. In other words, the sequence and therefore the function is not described by the physical properties of the units. The reason this arrangement is not random is because it must also conform to an independently given pattern, the pattern (similar to a password) being that which unlocks the function.

So what is the difference between information and naturally occurring complex patterns? Information either has specific meaning (the code of language as used orally and in writing) or it produces something specific (genetic code produces specific proteins that, together, produce specific functions) as based upon non-repetitive sequences of symbols or units. However, conversely, when units of water are frozen together they form a repetitive pattern (snowflake or ice) that is a result of natural laws of attraction between its units H and O. There is simply no code based upon non-repetitive units that either communicates meaning or produce specific units that act together to create specific functions.

As previously stated, information is completely independent of physical or chemical laws. There is no physical or chemical relation to how the units in a code are organized, be it ABCs on a piece of paper or A-C-T-Gs on a string of DNA. It is all up to what the intelligence wanted to communicate or build -- it's up to what he previously had in mind.

I'm NOT SAYING that there are no chemical or physical properties that combine the letter to the paper or the base to the DNA backbone. What I am saying is that in all codes there is no physical or chemical law apart from intelligence that causes the specific ordering and non-repetitive sequencing of these letters or bases to produce specific effects.

So, we have literal information in the form of DNA and we have the possibility for information generating and other teleological processes resulting from mind with a program and thus information at its base. Therefore, information at the foundation of mind is a reality and minds which produce information is another reality. So, we have an information to mind to information loop, similar to the classic “which came first, the chicken or the egg” problem, with no room for natural law, since the very definition of information runs contrary to the definition of natural laws, which is why critics must toss random chance occurrences into the mix.

Here’s a question for you. Since science is the study of natural laws which describe the repeatable results that occur upon specific initial conditions, what are the specific initial conditions that repeatedly produce information? Be careful how you answer. Everything you say will be used ... ... in a civil discussion with you.

Before I continue, I must note that a goal created by a guided process is one that is either guided by a previously set natural law working in accordance with specific initial conditions to create that goal as a necessary result of the initial conditions and previously set laws (a program) or one that is guided by an intelligence toward that previously determined goal without a program other than the designers’ blueprint, and thus he is designing directly with his own hand and other tools.

I’ve heard critics of GM + NS (Guided Mutations [one Intelligent Design concept] + Natural Selection) complain that it isn’t a scientific approach because they are not happy with the scientific filter for GM + NS being a combination of the mathematical approach of probability, the presence of Complex Specified Information (CSI), or the presence of an Irreducibly Complex (IC) system. Yet, they can not point to a natural law to account for these precise systems -- CSI or IC. Thus, they must make a chance of the gaps type of argument, which actually, upon further inspection is not scientific since you can never provide evidence that something immensely improbable isn’t just a freak random accidental occurrence.

I quote Professor Hasofer:

"The problem [of falsifiability of a probabilistic statement] has been dealt with in a recent book by G. Matheron, entitled Estimating and Choosing: An Essay on Probability in Practice (Springer-Verlag, 1989). He proposes that a probabilistic model be considered falsifiable if some of its consequences have zero (or in practice very low) probability. If one of these consequences is observed, the model is then rejected.
‘The fatal weakness of the monkey argument, which calculates probabilities of events “somewhere, sometime”, is that all events, no matter how unlikely they are, have probability one as long as they are logically possible, so that the suggested model can never be falsified. Accepting the validity of Huxley’s reasoning puts the whole probability theory outside the realm of verifiable science. In particular, it vitiates the whole of quantum theory and statistical mechanics, including thermodynamics, and therefore destroys the foundations of all modern science. For example, as Bertrand Russell once pointed out, if we put a kettle on a fire and the water in the kettle froze, we should argue, following Huxley, that a very unlikely event of statistical mechanics occurred, as it should “somewhere, sometime”, rather than trying to find out what went wrong with the experiment!’

Thus, in accordance with the previous statement, I pose the question, “what really went ‘wrong’ to cause information (especially in life) and possible evolution”

The account of RM + NS (random mutations + natural selection) is at the very least, not as scientifically rigorous as GM + NS. ID (as a guided process) is the result of an inference to the best explanation, which is a scientific approach based on the fact that every time a highly improbable event appears which shows the presence of CSI or IC, as scientifically defined and quantified, we have always seen it to be the result of ID. At least ID does have a rigorous scientific filter.

Now, I’d like to pose another question. What if we are to place the same strict rules on RM + NS that we place on GM + NS? What scientific filter is used to separate an occurrence that is the result of natural laws from one that is the result of random chance occurrences? If you can’t provide this, then RM becomes a science stopper, since it is equivalent to throwing your hands up in the air and saying “I don’t know how natural laws could have done it so it must be the result of a random chance occurrence (of course filtered by the scientifically verifiable fact that things that don’t work in their respective environment, just plain don’t work and those things which do work, usually continue working -- natural selection).” Thus, you stop searching for a natural law for the sole reason that you can’t find one yet. Furthermore, you stop searching for a natural law without a rigorous scientific filter to distinguish between a random, chance occurrence verses an occurrence that is the result of ID (since ID is a real part of nature which in reality creates these types of systems which we are attempting to explain) or at the very least natural laws (since science is the discovery of these amazingly complex yet simple, consistent, repeatable laws).

The inspiration for this Blog (part 2)

An interview with the aliens responsible for the signal.

CJYman: Did you create the signal?

Aliens: Not directly.

Cjyman: What do you mean by that?

Aliens: Well, we planned the end product, yet it took some calculations that to mere earthlings would seem to be extremely complex, near impossible.

CJYman: Please do explain ...

Aliens: Well, we had to create a project for our High School science fair. We had read about other projects where you could evolve a program indirectly by forcing it through some preset filters, and we decided to take it one step further ...

CJYman: How did you manage that?

Aliens: Well, we knew we wanted to create a conscious and intelligent program, but how to evolve it was the question.

CJYman: uhuh ...

Aliens: We decided to use radio frequencies as the carrier for the code and the gravitational fields available naturally in your universe as the filters ... to split, recombine, and interfere countless times to evetually create the signal that was picked up on earth.

CJYman: So, the scientists were right then ...

Aliens: Woah, Woah, wait a minute. Hold on ... not so fast. The scientists were right that the creation of the signal by purely unguided means was logically possible. I mean, some of the necessary conditions were actually available, in the form of natural filters, however these conditions are not sufficient to create the ending signal. The signal had to be the right grouping of frequencies to begin with and it had start out at the prefect angle aimed exactly at the right spot at the right gravitational field in order to start everything. We intelligent beings had to provide these conditions. Even after calculating this for 250 years, we still ended up with some errors ...

CJYman: Ya, sorry for interrupting, but there were some errors in the end signal and even some leftover stuff.

Aliens: Well, that's just basically inevitable, because of all the factors involved. These radio mutations, although not perfect, created what we intended in the end.

The inspiration for this Blog

This blog and it's possible subtitle "Reality Deficit" is in large inspired by the blog "Imagination Deficit."

Here is a very short story that I would like to dedicate to "Imagination Deficit." Be advised that the author of this short story (myself) received less than excellent grades in High School short story writing class. Please look past the lack of dialogue and adventure and into the analogy.

Once upon a time there was a pseodoscientific research team that was searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. They went by the name, SPAGETI (Search for Petite And Grande Extraterrestrial Intelligence). They decided that once they received a radio signal that could not have "possibly" been created by natural processes (didn't bear the mark of natural processes) then they would know that intelligence was the most likely explanation.

So, the researchers were sitting around their computer screens one day and they all noticed a peculiar looking radio signal. It was composed of different and distinct frequencies repeating themselves randomly. It was interesting since it was not periodic, such as those signals from spinning black holes or the like. The sequence of these frequencies seemed to be perfectly random, until on closer inspection it was found that certain sections of the signal repeated themselves, yet even these repetitions seemed to appear randomly. Well, one of the younger and more curious of the group of researchers decided to take a closer look at these signals.

He came to the conclusion that they did behave rather oddly, and he was puzzled by the random recurrence of sections of what seemed to be a random string of signals. In fact, this string of radio signals seemed to act as if it were some type of code. So, he began running tests on it in an attempt to decode the signal.

He eventually discovered (don't ask me how; he's smarter than I am) that the signal could actually be separated into five different signals and upon converting and running each of their codes in DivX (I guess aliens use DivX as well), you would get five different instructional videos. The instructional videos each showed how to put all five signals together to create a code, and then how to create the computer and the program to run it. Well, this young researcher was ecstatic and upon showing the result to his team members, was allocated the finances and manpower to create this alien program.

Of course it took a long time ... blah blah blah ... many trials and errors ... blah ... sweat and determination ... blah blah ... he finally completed the program. However, there were some glitches in the original signal that he had to correct, which he could because he gained an understanding of the program. Furthermore, there seemed to be a couple viruses which liked to destroy some parts of the code, and these viruses seemed to be in the original signal so he was quite sure that they weren't mistakes on his part. Then there was the extra code that didn't seem to fit in anywhere and a few mistakes on his own part. But, in the end, he decided to turn it on and see what happened. Well, the program started to spit up more information on the screen. But this time it was all in English. It was providing more information on how to hook up sensory apparatus onto the computer.

In the end, with the sensory apparatus hooked up, it seemed that an intelligent, conscious being was created. It had its glitches, but the researchers were able to actually teach it basic English in the course of the year and they were able to carry on conversation with it that you could have with a six year old.

Well, now that they had knock out proof of an intelligent source for the original signal, they could publish the results and confidently determine that we are not alone, and unfortunately but still definitely not the most intelligent beings, in this universe.

However, thankfully, the scientific community came to the rescue and showed how this research was completely pseudoscientific and was performed by ignorant, imagination deficit, religiously motivated pseudoscientists. (for effect one can preclude with "fundamentalist")

The scientists were fortunately able to display to the general public that all that was missing was a healthy dose of imagination. "There are other, actually scientific explanations for the data," the scientists pronounced. "We can't allow intelligence, since it is a cop out and pretty soon we'll be explaining everything in terms of 'an-intelligence-that-we-can't-see-did-it.' This would indeed be the demise of science since we all know that science doesn't allow such explanations."

"Furthermore, experiments have already been performed in the lab by Dr.s Iller and Murey that show that each of these frequencies can and have been produced naturally and that gravitational fields can and do bend radio signals to create two of the same signals and these signals can cause interference with other signals to easily produce the sequence of frequencies in the signal that was picked up by SPAGETI. Additionally, the universe is so vast, and there is so much gravity and radio frequencies out there that practically anything could have been done to the signal as it was travelling for billions of years. So, this is most likely a common occurence that happens all over the universe, and it just so happened that we were in the path of one of these signal.

And didn't you say that the end product -- your so called intelligent creature -- had some viruses and errors within it? Well, that is obviously the result of the aforementioned processes of random signal accumulation and error due to interference and gravitational effects. Therefore, it is obvious that the whole process was completely unguided and the result of random natural processes. See, all that is needed is a healthy dose of imagination.

In fact, the scientific community was able to link most of the researchers to organizations that were explicitly religious. Furthermore, some of the scientists were interested in UFOlogy. It was obvious that as a collective whole the SPAGETI researchers were a group of ignorant fundamenalists with a deep desire to create the idea of aliens so that they could prove UFOlogy, have some foreign entity to worship, and discover an advanced race that would be able to take over our government and install an Alienocracy. Even more damning was the direct correlation between the organizations name, SPAGETI, and the religion of the FSM.