‘Vestigial' organ theory flawed
Miller, 6-11-00, presumes that the "Intelligent designer" wasn't very intelligent, since there are so many "vestigial" organs in the human body. Aside from the fact that Haeckel sees this as a theological rather than a scientific argument, we should note two other more important points.
Scadding, S.R., "Do ‘Vestigial Organs' Provide Evidence for Evolution?" Evolutionary Theory, Vol. 5, (May 1981), p. 174 states, "As our knowledge has increased the list of vestigial structures has decreased. Wiedersheim could list about 100 in humans, recent authors usually list four or five. Even the current short list … is questionable."
Emphatically, the list has shrunk because man's knowledge has increased as to the functions performed by these "vestigial" organs, not because the "Intelligent Designer" has become smarter! (Scadding was in the zoology department at the University of Guelph.)
The fact that we have learned the function of most of these "functionless" organs clearly means that their origin by bumbling randomness is far less likely than previously thought, and that our respect and admiration for an Intelligent Designer should increase proportionally!
Secondly, we must understand that "vestigial" organs, even if they were actually "vestigial," cannot explain the rise of new organs necessary for the production of new life forms! Neither can they explain the origin of the new genetic information that would cause one life form to produce the body parts for a new life form and the necessary instincts to make the new parts useful!
Ward E. Ellsworth
Mount Vernon
Letters to the Editor - Skagit Valley Herald
Scadding, S.R., "Do ‘Vestigial Organs' Provide Evidence for Evolution?" Evolutionary Theory, Vol. 5, (May 1981), p. 174 states, "As our knowledge has increased the list of vestigial structures has decreased. Wiedersheim could list about 100 in humans, recent authors usually list four or five. Even the current short list … is questionable."
Emphatically, the list has shrunk because man's knowledge has increased as to the functions performed by these "vestigial" organs, not because the "Intelligent Designer" has become smarter! (Scadding was in the zoology department at the University of Guelph.)
The fact that we have learned the function of most of these "functionless" organs clearly means that their origin by bumbling randomness is far less likely than previously thought, and that our respect and admiration for an Intelligent Designer should increase proportionally!
Secondly, we must understand that "vestigial" organs, even if they were actually "vestigial," cannot explain the rise of new organs necessary for the production of new life forms! Neither can they explain the origin of the new genetic information that would cause one life form to produce the body parts for a new life form and the necessary instincts to make the new parts useful!
Ward E. Ellsworth
Mount Vernon
Letters to the Editor - Skagit Valley Herald
posted by Christian at 2/02/2005
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