[mjolnir]

Nor do evolutionary algorithms used to design software have anything to do with the evolution of life via natural selection. They do not prove the thesis of natural selection anymore than using reverse engineering, which applies ID principles, proves ID.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"Nor do evolutionary algorithms used to design software have anything to do with the evolution of life via natural selection."

Yes they do. They show how a selective program can make seemingly *designed* things.

"They do not prove the thesis of natural selection anymore than using reverse engineering, which applies ID principles, proves ID."

They don't prove it, but they demonstrate it works (they provide evidence for the efficacy of natural selection). Genetic engineering doesn't in any way have a thing to do with ID as proposed by ID'ers. It has nothing to do with the creation of the universe or the evolution of life.

[Quark2005]

Nor do evolutionary algorithms used to design software have anything to do with the evolution of life via natural selection. They do not prove the thesis of natural selection anymore than using reverse engineering, which applies ID principles, proves ID.

That's a true point, but the algorithms do show that naturally selective algorithms can yield organization and increased complexity in a system - contrary to what many critics of natural selection theory wrongly believe.