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as we search for the x-factor that
accounts for the complexity of life we
have to follow the evidence so what have
we seen so far
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let's begin with the cell
what was a mystery to Charles Darwin is
now well understood
we know that the cell encodes and
transmits information that regulates the
size and shape of living things and we
know the cell is comprised of insanely
complex machinery
what's more much of it is irreducibly
complex all the parts are necessary in
order for an irreducibly complex system
to work irreducibility is evidence that
all the parts were formed intentionally
with the end purpose in mind not
randomly over time finally darwin's
explanation for complexity was evolution
where random small variations over many
generations progressively led to life of
greater and greater sophistication but
science has just recently discovered
that variation comes from genetic
mutation and that even helpful mutations
usually break genes
that's not evolution that's devolution
so what is the evidence for some
x-factor that accounts for biological
complexity let's think about it
if you were to come across this
formation for the first time what could
you conclude from examining it there's
no apparent evidence that shows when it
was made who made it or how it was made
but we do have clear evidence that it
was not arranged randomly it was planned
by an intelligent being the purposeful
arrangement of parts that is the way the
only way that we recognize the work of a
mind and the more intricately the parts
are arranged the stronger the evidence
that a mind was at work the X Factor
that accounts for complexity is
intelligence an intelligent being is
responsible for much of life the
exquisite and purposeful design found
throughout nature is overpowering
evidence
you might say hold on a second don't we
have to see the arrangement being put
together to decide for sure that it was
done on purpose after all we can see how
an intelligent builder constructs a home
if we can't see or understand how design
occurs in nature why should we believe
there is an intelligence behind it well
it's what we can see that is the whole
point suppose three visitors from a
distant place stumbled across this
surprising stone configuration that they
had never heard of before not knowing
how it was formed one visitor might
think it had been chiseled the second
guesses that power tools were used the
third might suppose it was cut by lasers
but none of them would conclude that
Mount Rushmore was formed accidentally
through gradual random erosion by wind
and rain they would immediately know it
was purposely designed just by
perceiving the intention behind the work
the purposeful design of nature was
nearly universally held common knowledge
for millennia some thinkers such as the
philosopher Aristotle believed that
purpose was built right into nature
others such as Galen the esteemed
physician in Rome thought that purpose
had been added to nature but almost
everyone educated or not religious or
not realized that life was intentionally
designed going beyond biology other
fields have acknowledged purposeful
design through the ages astronomy
chemistry and physics all reveal
arrangement and order science took a
detour from that strong consensus when
Charles Darwin proposed random unguided
evolutionary causes now we know that
Darwin was right for the case of small
changes in life but the void of evidence
for large random evolutionary changes
supports the enduring consensus of
purposeful design so who is this mind
one thing we know is that it must be
phenomenally intelligent to be able to
design life what's more a mind is at
least as intelligent as its work has
shown it's likely much more intelligent
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but it's clear that errors do occur in
nature babies are born with birth
defects good people get cancer
why as I said earlier I count myself
among those biologists who think that
science alone may not be able to answer
the question of who or why
perhaps philosophy and theology are
needed for that but the identity of the
designer is a separate question the
bottom line is that just like those
travelers encountering amount Rushmore
for the first time we can see the
evidence if we carefully study it we can
know with certainty that life was
designed by a mind
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in this short series we only scratched
the surface of the topic of the elegant
purposeful arrangement of the parts of
the cell and how that points so strongly
to a mind but the discussion continues
on the series website please go there
for a deeper look at these topics
finally thanks for watching this series
I hope it has expanded your own
appreciation for the elegance and design
of nature
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you