INTRODUCTION

In a previous paper entitled: Fossils & Thermophysics, we discussed our
universe, and noted that it is a thermodynamically closed system in which
natural processes cannot SYSTEMATICALLY increase system complexity. But
we also noted that the fossil record shows that each life kind appears
with more complexity than the one that precedes it. We then asked how
this could be possible. How can we explain the observed systematic
increase of complexity in the light of the laws of modern Thermo and
Astro physics? The latter affirms Big Bang which, in turn, assures
thermodynamic closure, whereas the former teaches that information
(complexity) cannot, on average, rise in a closed system.
 

SEPARATING WHO & WHAT FROM HOW & WHEN

Some Christians erroneously answer the question by discarding concept of
evolution, claiming it cannot be true. But the Bible does not say HOW God
created, or WHEN He created. It only tells us WHO did the creating, and
WHAT He created. To say otherwise is to add to a sacred Canon that
declares itself to be closed (Jude 3). Moreover, prior to Abraham the
Bible is silent on the question of time and age. An excellent essay
entitle: "Primeval Chronology," and that distinguishes between a
chronology (NOT found in the Bible), and a genealogy (Genesis 5 and 11)
was published in 1890 William Henry Green (available on our Web site).
 

DISTINGUISHING PLAN AND PATH

It is important to understand that our conclusions from the First Law of
Thermophysics do not require us to abandon the CONCEPT of evolution. But
what they DO say is that IF the concept of evolution is true i.e., that
each life kind descends from the one preceding, then the information
(complexity) found in a complete description of its structure MUST HAVE
BEEN PRESENT IN THE INITIAL LIFE KIND THAT PRECIPITATED THE LINE OF
DESCENT. This descent is a mechanistic, genetic path dictated by
instructions from a plan or blueprint whose information existed when, or
before the first life kind ever appeared.

Stated differently, natural, genetic mechanisms for change may indeed
exist that are responsible for the kinds of life we see on earth today.
But if so, these changes can only occur as the result of instructions
that were programmed into the initial genome at the onset of the chain of
events that led to these life kinds.

But for this to be true, it means that ALL of the information requisite
to most complex biological structure must have existed at the beginning.
Since the inorganic universe can only spawn structures with a complexity
of the order of 300 bits, and since the complexity of Cytochrome-c is
described by about 1500 bits, the advent of the information in
Cytochrome-c cannot be logically explained by natural means.
 

INTELLIGENCE DESIGNED LIFE

A reasonable and rational conclusion to this quandary is that an
Intelligence of unfathomable magnitude generated the necessary 1500 bits
of information. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that a simple
bacterium contains several million bits of information. The difference
between 1500 and say, 3 million bits of information is NOT 2000 (the
factor between them). This is because small changes in "bits" correspond
to VAST changes in complexity.

For example, the knowledge contained in the approximately one thousand
books found in the typical public library of almost any small U.S. town
is characterized by 42 informational bits i.e., 42 bits describe the
complexity of the ink patterns on each of the pages in each of these
books. Yet the number of bits that attend the 40 million books found in
the Library of Congress is 57. Therefore, raising the informational bits
by 12 corresponds to an increase in the number of books by a factor of
40,000 (70 bits characterize all of human knowledge).
 

BIOLINEAL EVOLUTION

What all this means is that IF the concept of evolution is true i.e., if
each life kind descended from the preceding one, then the only known
rational explanation for the systematic rise in complexity seen with the
advent of each new life kind is that an Intelligence of unfathomable
magnitude authored the blueprint. The name given to the genetic changes
that would ostensibly flow from this blueprint is "Biolineal evolution."

Biolineal evolution is the idea that genetic changes produce new life
kinds. It is a working hypothesis, and it asserts that genetic mechanisms
exist that are responsible for the changes seen in the fossil record.
 

BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION

There is, however, a foundational distinction between Biolineal
evolution, and Biological evolution. The latter asserts that the genetic
changes spawned not only new life kinds, but also the blueprint that
guides the changes. Biological evolution thus claims that all of life
derives, in its entirety, from physical matter and its motion. Biological
evolution is, therefore, the bed-fellow of materialists-- those who claim
that all that exists is matter and its motion.

In effect, Biological evolution deifies mother nature as life's creator.
The problem with this antiquated belief, however, is that modern
thermophysics confirms that mother nature is an informational eunuch
i.e., natural processes CANNOT, on average, produce information (increase
complexity). Therefore believing that nature created life is as rational
as believing the Easter bunny creates Easter candy.
 

FAITH VERSUS FACT

Biolineal evolution differs from Biological evolution in yet another,
albeit radical way. Biological evolution is, in point of fact, a religion
with the following article of faith: All that we see and are originated
from physical matter and through natural law. In effect, it is the belief
that 'nature did it all'. We don't KNOW that this is true. Nonetheless it
is the foundational premise of all public school teaching on evolution.
 

BIOLINEAL SYNTHESIS

The First Law of Thermophysics disallows Biological evolution. It does
NOT disallow Biolineal evolution. Conversely, we know of NOTHING that
demonstrates that Biolineal evolution occurred. Yet there is nothing in
science that teaches it is disallowed. But IF Biolineal evolution is
true, then logic requires life's blueprint to be in existence FROM THE
BEGINNING. We cannot otherwise rationally explain the existence of three
billion informational bits in each of human cell. To accept in faith this
arose out of random meanderings within a 280 bit system (our universe) is
to truly bury our heads in the sands of materialistic lunacy.

But the concept of Biolineal evolution is a different issue. It is an
attempt to synthesize about one-half million species of plants, one
million species of animals and almost ten million species of insects
under one elegant umbrella. Biolineal evolution postulates "how" so many
different organisms came to be, but is silent on "who" or "what" lies
behind it. Its operational assumption is that genetic mechanisms exist
that allow change. But it says nothing regarding the set of instructional
blueprints that orchestrated these changes into the unimaginably complex
functionality seen in even the tiniest of organisms.
 

BIOLINEAL EXAMPLE

One way to illustrate the concept of Biolineal evolution is through a
simple example. Consider a hypothetical factory composed of bins that
contain all parts that exist from anywhere in the world. Also imagine
that our factory is manned by robots that are under computer control, and
that these robots are capable of assembling anything instructed by the
computer. A master program (software) within the computer controls all of
the instructions given by the computer to each of the robots, including
the parts to retrieve, and the location of the bins that contain them.
This, incidentally, is not unlike some modern factories today.

At the start of a new year, the program has the computer instruct our
robots to assemble a sled. Some of the robots go to bins containing wood,
others to bins with rails, and others to bins with the nuts and bolts.
Each robot reaches into its respective bin, retrieves the parts, and
these in turn are transferred to other robots that perform the assembly
under instructions from the computer.

When the first of February occurs, the instructions change, and the
robots are now instructed to assemble roller skates. These robots go to
different bins containing different parts, and begin assembling roller
skates. Each month the program alters its flow in a way that instructs
the robots to assemble something different.

In March wagons are assembled, and in April baby carriages. In May we see
tricycles come off our robotic assembly line and, in June, 10-speed
bicycles. In July our factory is assembling go-carts, and in August lawn
mowers. When September arrives, motorcycles are assembled, and in October
our robots are instructed to assemble automobiles.

Each month a more complex object comes into existence than the month
before. Toward year's end, the computer program instructs robots to
assemble jet airplanes in November and, in December, rockets to the moon.
As is evident, the complexity of each item assembled increases with
time-- in a way that is not unlike what we see happening with each new
life kind in the fossil record.

It is also apparent that the information specifying, say, the assembly of
jet airplanes and later moon rockets during the months of November and
then December represent designs that were present in our computer program
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. Stated differently, the instructions to assemble
jet airplanes and moon rockets existed in the computer program at the
same time that the instructions to assemble sleds were being given to the
robots in January.

But if this is true, why were sleds being assembled in January instead
of, say, jet airplanes or moon rockets? The reason is that other parts of
our computer program contain instructions that determine which set of
instructions is active at any one time. When the internal computer clock
showed January, the instruction set that makes sleds became active. But
when February rolled around, these instructions were turned off, and the
instructions that makes roller skates became active.
 

GENETIC MECHANISMS

The concept of Biolinear evolution is similar to this. But in Biolineal
evolution the instruction set is DNA, and enzymes are the robots
(workers). The parts taken from the bins are amino acids (our body has
about 20), and they are linked together to create peptides (protein).
However the choice of what parts (amino acids) to select, and precisely
where they should be linked (attached along the peptide) occurs in
compliance with the blueprint and defines the kind of organism that comes
into being.

For example, the amino acids used to create an insect such as an ant are
the SAME amino acids used to create a large animal such as an elephant.
The ONLY difference is the particular amino acids that the blueprint
instructs the enzymes to assemble, and and the sequence and location of
where to put them.
 

LIFE'S BLUEPRINT

THE QUESTION OF LIFE'S ORIGIN IS THE QUESTION OF HOW THE INFORMATION
ORIGINATED TO CREATE ITS BLUEPRINT. Biolineal evolution says, "I don't
know". Biological evolution says, "My faith is in physical matter." The
latter is all well and good, except for the fact that the First Law of
Thermophysics demonstrates that mother nature is an informational eunuch
incapable of creating the vast information found in even the simplest of
life's blueprints.

For these reasons Biological evolution is NOT from science. It stems from
the apriori belief that all that exists is matter, and its motion.
Biolineal evolution COULD be science, if evidence were discovered to
substantiate its working hypothesis that each life kind resulted from
genetic modifications within a prior life kind.

Since Biolineal evolution claims that these modifications occur under
control of a master blueprint which, at its inception, contains ALL of
the information from which each of the other blueprints evolve to create
all of the life kinds, it does NOT contradict modern thermophysics
because it lays no claim as to how the vast "startup" information within
the master blueprint originated.

Of course the theist has an easy answer to this question. The theist
believes all that exists is God and what God holds in being. He replies:
"The master blueprint came from God." When asked, "Where did God come
from?", the theist answers, "That's a different question. That's like a
goldfish trying to understand a nuclear test ban treaty. But I HAVE
explained where life came from. I have explained the origin of life."
 

SUMMARY

We can summarize all of this in an easy way.

Big Bang
forces life's birth and development to originate through information
existing outside space-time, in a realm inaccessible to measurement.

4. Biological evolution is an act of faith that requires physical
processes within our universe, on average, to produce information.
The belief is driven by the philosophy of materialism, disallowed by
modern thermophysics, but yet is taught in virtually all public
schools. In effect, Biological evolution combines Biolineal
mechanisms with the belief that mother nature did it all. In the
light of modern thermophysics and quantum mechanics, and amid an
enduring absence of any supporting evidence, Biological evolution's
wide acceptance strains the bounds of credulity.