by Eric Anderson

Abstract— Far from constituting a devastating critique of irreducible complexity, the evolutionary algorithm, Avida, is a flawed effort that bears little relevance to the biological world. In their haste to affirm the Darwinian creation story, the Avida authors seem oblivious to, or conveniently ignore, the fact that they have incorporated as premises the very conclusions they are trying to reach. Such efforts are at best misleading, at worst deceptive. Ironically, the main piece of data obtained by the Avida researchers that is not based on circular evolutionary assumptions, upon closer inspection supports, rather than refutes, Behe’s notion of irreducible complexity.

The full paper is available below:
Bits, Bytes and Biology: What Evolutionary Algorithms (Don’t) Teach Us About Biology

Back to PCID Volume 4.2, November 2005