DNA: Riddled with Intelligence

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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