Analogical reasoning is a method of processing information that compares the similarities between new and understood concepts, then uses those similarities to gain understanding of the new concept. It is a valid practical approach approved by the scientific community. For the past 150 years, scientists have used arguments based on analogies to things we do understand to formulate new hypotheses in emerging areas of scientific work. In fact, we as human beings use analogies in many walks of life, such as decision making in law, business and politics; scientific reasoning in the laboratory; and problem solving in daily life. Even children as young as one and two years of age display an ability to reason analogically, where they use their understanding of familiar situations to help them construct new knowledge. Consider the following case study by a group of interdisciplinary professionals where they observed five year old Elliot and James applying their knowledge of human anatomy to intrepret how trees function:
James: The tree's so fat. It's got lots of blood in it.
Elliot: Because inside the wood there's some very liquid black stuff and I know that's blood.
James: No, water! The water goes in the tree and it could easily.....The water goes under, in the roots, and it goes up in the tree and gets blood.
Teacher: Why do you think the trees need to have blood?
James: Cos if they didn't have blood they would die.
Teacher: What does the blood do, do you think?
James: Helps them stay alive.
(Trees have sap to carry water nutrients throughout the tree - just like we have blood to carry nutrients through our bodies)
It has been argued that analogical reasoning is the "core" of cognition. It plays a significant role in problem solving, decision making, perception, memory, creativity, emotion, explanation and communication. It lies behind basic tasks such as the identification of places, objects and people, for example, in face perception and facial recognition systems. It is not only important in ordinary language and common sense, but also in science, philosophy and humanities (Holyoak and Thagard - 43).
The point that I am trying to prove is that analogical reasoning isn't a farce; it's authentic and has been used practically in many fields of study, including science. The reason I am trying to validate the use of analogical reasoning is because it presents a powerful case for the existence of an Intelligent Designer.
We know that where there's intelligent communication, there's an intelligent cause. Carl Sagan, known for his scientific achievements and popular science books, once made the following statement: "The receipt of a single message from space would be enough to know there's an intelligence out there." And if a single message from space is enough for us to conclude there's intelligence behind it, then what about the vast amounts of information contained in the DNA of every living plant and animal?
If this were the only proof available to us for the existence of God, then it surely would not suffice. But it isn't. God has provided us with so much more evidence to the point where I believe that if you examine the evidence without any bias, you will come to the conclusion that God exists. And not only that God exists, but that He sent Jesus Christ down to this earth over 2000 years ago to redeem humanity from the depravity of this broken world.
Since I began writing this blog, all of my posts have been about the science behind creation and evolution. Although I plan on continuing to write about this incredible subject, I will definitely begin writing about new topics. If you ever have any questions or remarks about what I am writing, feel free to send me a message / comment or talk to me in person. I am open for discussion. Have a great Sunday!
References:
1. Mental Leaps: Analogy in Creative Thought - Keith J. Holyoak and Paul Thagard
2. Mathematical and Analogical Reasoning of Young Learners - Edited by Lyn English
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
DNA: Riddled with Intelligence
Click Here For Part One
Walter Bradley, an expert on polymers and thermodynamics, states: "If the only time we see written information - whether it's a painting on a cave wall or a novel from Amazon.com - is when there's intelligence behind it, then wouldn't that also be true of nature itself? In other words, what is encoded on the DNA inside every cell of every living creature is purely and simply written information. We use a 26 letter alphabet in English; in DNA, there is a 4 letter chemical alphabet whose letters combine in various sequences to form words, sentences and paragraphs. These comprise all the instructions needed to guide the functioning of the cell. They spell out in coded form the instructions for how a cell makes proteins. It works just the way alphabetical letter sequences do in our language. Now, when we see written language, we can infer, based on our experience, that it has an intelligent cause. And we can legitimately use analogical reasoning to conclude that the remarkable information sequences in DNA also had an intelligent cause." (109)
Analogical Reasoning: If the analogy of two phenomena be very close and striking, while, at the same time, the cause of one is very obvious, it becomes scarcely possible to refuse to admit the action of an analogous cause in the other, though not so obvious in itself.
I will try putting Bradley's explanation in simpler terms: We can conclude for obvious reasons that written language has an intelligent cause. When we look at the information contained within DNA, it looks strikingly similar to written language. They both have represented messages conveying expected action and intended purpose. The main difference between written language and DNA is that written language has an obvious cause (human intelligence) while DNA does not. Using analogical reasoning, we can conclude that the extraordinary information sequences contained within DNA also had an intelligent cause.
(For those of you who are skeptical about the validity of using analogical reasoning in the scientific field, stay tuned for a future blog with more detailed information about the importance of using analogical reasoning not only within the scientifc community, but in our daily lives)
People detect intelligent design all the time. For example, if we find arrowheads on a desert island, we can assume they were made by someone, even if we cannot see the designer.
I stated this fact in a previous post; I am re-posting the content for emphasis on the complexity of DNA:
Each cell in the human body contains more information than all thirty volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. One square inch chip of DNA could encode the information in over 7 million Bibles. There are about 50-100 trillion cells in the average human body. If the DNA in a single human cell were stretched out and laid end-to-end, it would measure approximately 6.5 feet. The average human body contains 10 to 20 billion miles of DNA distributed among trillions of cells.
It's certainly reasonable to make the inference that this isn't the random product of unguided nature, but it's the unmistakable sign of an Intelligent Designer. DNA is only one of many proofs within the design argument. As Walter Bradley states in The Case For Faith (108): If there isn't a natural explanation for the origin of life and there doesn't seem to be the potential of finding one, then I believe it's appropriate to look at a supernatural explanation. Many have reached this conclusion. But for some, their philosophy gets in the way. If they're persuaded ahead of time that there isn't a God, then no matter how compelling the evidence, they'll always say, "Wait and we'll find something better in the future."
References:
1. The Case For Faith (87-112) - Lee Strobel
Walter Bradley, an expert on polymers and thermodynamics, states: "If the only time we see written information - whether it's a painting on a cave wall or a novel from Amazon.com - is when there's intelligence behind it, then wouldn't that also be true of nature itself? In other words, what is encoded on the DNA inside every cell of every living creature is purely and simply written information. We use a 26 letter alphabet in English; in DNA, there is a 4 letter chemical alphabet whose letters combine in various sequences to form words, sentences and paragraphs. These comprise all the instructions needed to guide the functioning of the cell. They spell out in coded form the instructions for how a cell makes proteins. It works just the way alphabetical letter sequences do in our language. Now, when we see written language, we can infer, based on our experience, that it has an intelligent cause. And we can legitimately use analogical reasoning to conclude that the remarkable information sequences in DNA also had an intelligent cause." (109)
Analogical Reasoning: If the analogy of two phenomena be very close and striking, while, at the same time, the cause of one is very obvious, it becomes scarcely possible to refuse to admit the action of an analogous cause in the other, though not so obvious in itself.
I will try putting Bradley's explanation in simpler terms: We can conclude for obvious reasons that written language has an intelligent cause. When we look at the information contained within DNA, it looks strikingly similar to written language. They both have represented messages conveying expected action and intended purpose. The main difference between written language and DNA is that written language has an obvious cause (human intelligence) while DNA does not. Using analogical reasoning, we can conclude that the extraordinary information sequences contained within DNA also had an intelligent cause.
(For those of you who are skeptical about the validity of using analogical reasoning in the scientific field, stay tuned for a future blog with more detailed information about the importance of using analogical reasoning not only within the scientifc community, but in our daily lives)
People detect intelligent design all the time. For example, if we find arrowheads on a desert island, we can assume they were made by someone, even if we cannot see the designer.
I stated this fact in a previous post; I am re-posting the content for emphasis on the complexity of DNA:
Each cell in the human body contains more information than all thirty volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. One square inch chip of DNA could encode the information in over 7 million Bibles. There are about 50-100 trillion cells in the average human body. If the DNA in a single human cell were stretched out and laid end-to-end, it would measure approximately 6.5 feet. The average human body contains 10 to 20 billion miles of DNA distributed among trillions of cells.
It's certainly reasonable to make the inference that this isn't the random product of unguided nature, but it's the unmistakable sign of an Intelligent Designer. DNA is only one of many proofs within the design argument. As Walter Bradley states in The Case For Faith (108): If there isn't a natural explanation for the origin of life and there doesn't seem to be the potential of finding one, then I believe it's appropriate to look at a supernatural explanation. Many have reached this conclusion. But for some, their philosophy gets in the way. If they're persuaded ahead of time that there isn't a God, then no matter how compelling the evidence, they'll always say, "Wait and we'll find something better in the future."
References:
1. The Case For Faith (87-112) - Lee Strobel
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