The DOI matches its Crossref record; 1 of the 1 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Digital Irreducible Complexity: A Survey of Irreducible Complexity in Computer Simulations
Abstract
Irreducible complexity is a concept developed by Michael Behe to describe certain biological systems. Behe claims that irreducible complexity poses a challenge to Darwinian evolution. Irreducibly complex systems, he argues, are highly unlikely to evolve because they have no direct series of selectable intermediates. Various computer models have been published that attempt to demonstrate the evolution of irreducibly complex systems and thus falsify this claim. However, closer inspection of these models shows that they fail to meet the definition of irreducible complexity in a number of ways. In this paper we demonstrate how these models fail. In addition, we present another designed digital system that does exhibit designed irreducible complexity, but that has not been shown to be able to evolve. Taken together, these examples indicate that Behe’s concept of irreducible complexity has not been falsified by computer models.
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“ACS incorporates both Shannon and Kolmogorov complexity measures, and it quantifies the degree to which an event is improbable and follows a pattern.”
From Using statistical methods to model the fine-tuning of molecular machines and systems (2020) · cites this paper as Ewert et al., 2014
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Estimating the prevalence of protein sequences adopting functional enzyme folds
Axe, D. D. (2004) · Journal of Molecular Biology · doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2004.06.058 · Cited by 86
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Using statistical methods to model the fine-tuning of molecular machines and systems
Thorvaldsen, S., & Hössjer, O. (2020) · Journal of Theoretical Biology · doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110352 · Cited by 15
“Behe’s concept of irreducible complexity has not been falsified by computer models (Ewert, 2014), and there are presently no detailed Darwinian accounts of the evolution of any such biochemical or cellular system, ‘‘only a variety of wishful speculations” (Harold, 2003, p. 205).”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Ewert, W.
- Corresponding author
- Ewert, Winston
- ORCID
- Ewert, Winston
- Venue
- BIO-Complexity
- Publisher
- Biologic Institute
- Published
- 2014-04-05
- Volume
- 2014
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 2151-7444 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2022807658
- Cited by
- 3
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2020: 3
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- BIO-Complexity (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Evolution and Science Education
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy of Biology and Scientific Explanation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Keywords
- irreducible complexity, Michael Behe, Darwinian evolution, digital systems, evolutionary intermediates
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