[betty boop]

At a gross level the idea of a designer is inherently plausible -- we as humans can understand how a designer might have come up with the things we can observe. At finer levels one can also see how randomness could play a role in the process. We can also understand ways in which randomness and design could both play roles in what we see. The "reverse engineering" aspects of this article are addressing that basic point.

Great insight, r9etb. I certainly agree with you that randomness has a role to play in the Universe. Were that not the case, then the Universe would be utterly determined, “frozen”; and free will (and individual atomic and biological collective degrees of freedom) would have no meaning and no role.

There is some very interesting work being done in Hungary right now (and elsewhere) on a reconceptualization of the role of thermodynamic entropy in living systems. As I understand it, in physical objects (i.e., non-living systems) it is entropy that characterizes the number of possible states the physical object could be in at any particular time. In other words, entropy represents a probability distribution (i.e., a “random set”) from which all real-world processes are realized or become possible at any given time. Prof. Kaitalin Martinas and Dr. Attila Grandpierre have suggested that living systems require very high rates of entropy continuously. In the case of living organisms, Grandpierre introduces an entropic measure of Gibbs free energy and points out that it may contribute to the generation of “biologically possible” states. In short, he argues the relatively high value of entropy in living systems enhances the ability of living matter to represent information.

And of course, information is not a "random" thing in itself; but according to Grandpierre's concept, informative transactions in living systems require randomness -- an astronomically large set of possibilities -- in order for "successful communication" that "reduces uncertainty in the receiver moving from a before-state to an after-state," in Shannon information terms.

[r9etb]

Dr. Attila Grandpierre

With a name like that, he oughta be a French porn star... ;-)

[RightWhale]

Paley's watchmaker was never more than an allegory. The string theory is also allegorical. We call these things theory in the sense of being a best guess, not because they contain a god.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your excellent post!

I certainly agree with you that randomness has a role to play in the Universe. Were that not the case, then the Universe would be utterly determined, “frozen”; and free will (and individual atomic and biological collective degrees of freedom) would have no meaning and no role.

Indeed. Pseudo-randomness also suggests predestination (strong determinism). In that view, only multi-world cosmology (the cat is both alive and dead) allows any other possibility - and it allows all other possibilities! LOL!