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No Free Lunch

Why Specified Complexity Cannot Be Purchased without Intelligence

William A. Dembski

Darwin's greatest accomplishment was to show how life might be explained as the result of natural selection. But does Darwin's theory mean that life was unintended? William A. Dembski argues that it does not. In this book Dembski extends his theory of intelligent design. Building on his earlier work in The Design Inference (Cambridge, 1998), he defends that life must be the product of intelligent design. Critics of Dembski's work have argued that evolutionary algorithms show that life can be explained apart from intelligence. But by employing powerful recent results from the No Free Lunch Theory, Dembski addresses and decisively refutes such claims. As the leading proponent of intelligent design, Dembski reveals a designer capable of originating the complexity and specificity found throughout the cosmos. Scientists and theologians alike will find this book of interest as it brings the question of creation firmly into the realm of scientific debate.
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  • Reviews
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Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 432 • Trim: 7 x 9¼
978-0-7425-1297-9 • Hardback • December 2001 • $79.00 • (£61.00)
978-0-7425-5810-6 • Paperback • February 2007 • $51.00 • (£39.00)
Subjects: Religion / Christian Theology / General, Religion / Theology, Religion / Religion & Science
William A. Dembski is associate research professor in the conceptual foundations of science at Baylor University and senior fellow with Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture in Seattle.
Part 1 List of Illustrations
Part 2 Preface
Part 3 The Third Mode of Explanation
Chapter 4 Necessity, Chance, and Design
Chapter 5 Rehabilitating Design
Chapter 6 The Complexity-Specification Criterion
Chapter 7 Specification
Chapter 8 Probabilistic Resources
Chapter 9 False Negatives and False Positives
Chapter 10 Why the Criterion Works
Chapter 11 The Darwinian Challenge to Design
Chapter 12 The Constraning of Contingency
Chapter 13 The Darwinian Extrapolation
Part 14 Another Way to Detect Design?
Chapter 15 Fisher's Approach to Eliminating Chance
Chapter 16 Generalizing Fisher's Approach
Chapter 17 Case Study: Nicholas Caputo
Chapter 18 Case Study: The Comprehensibility of Bit Strings
Chapter 19 Detachability
Chapter 20 Sweeping the Field of Chance Hypotheses
Chapter 21 Justifying the Generalization
Chapter 22 The Inflation of Probabilistic Resources
Chapter 23 Design by Comparison
Chapter 24 Design by Elimination
Part 25 Specified Complexity as Information
Chapter 26 Information
Chapter 27 Syntactic, Statistical, and Algorithmic Information
Chapter 28 Information in Context
Chapter 29 Conceptual and Physical Information
Chapter 30 Complex Specified Information
Chapter 31 Semantic Information
Chapter 32 Biological Information
Chapter 33 The Origin of Comlex Specified Information
Chapter 34 The Law of Conservation of Information
Chapter 35 A Fourth Law of Thermodynamics?
Part 36 Evolutionary Algorithms
Chapter 37 METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
Chapter 38 Optimization
Chapter 39 Statement of the Problem
Chapter 40 Choosing the Right Fitness Function
Chapter 41 Blind Search
Chapter 42 The No Free Lunch Theorems
Chapter 43 The Displacement Problem
Chapter 44 Darwinian Evolution in Nature
Chapter 45 Following the Information Trail
Chapter 46 Coevolving Fitness Landscapes
Part 47 The Emergence of Irreducibly Complex Systems
Chapter 48 The Casual Specificity Problem
Chapter 49 The Challenge of Irreducible Complexity
Chapter 50 Scaffolding and Roman Arches
Chapter 51 Co-optation, Patchwork, and Bricolage
Chapter 52 Incremental Indispensability
Chapter 53 Reducible Complexity
Chapter 54 Miscellaneous Objections
Chapter 55 The Logic of Invariants
Chapter 56 Fine-Tuning Irreducible Complexity
Chapter 57 Doing the Calculation
Part 58 Design as a Scientific Research Program
Chapter 59 Outline of a Positive Research Program
Chapter 60 The Pattern of Evolution
Chapter 61 The Incompleteness of Natural Laws
Chapter 62 Does Specified Complexity Have a Mechanism?
Chapter 63 The Nature of Nature
Chapter 64 Must All Design in Nature Be Front-Loaded?
Chapter 65 Embodied and Unembodied Designers
Chapter 66 Who Designed the Designer?
Chapter 67 Testability
Chapter 68 Magic, Mechanism, and Design
Part 69 Index
In No Free Lunch, William Dembski gives the most profound challenge to the Modern Synthetic Theory of Evolution since this theory was first formulated in the 1930s. I differ from Dembski on some points, mainly in ways which strengthen his conclusion.
— Frank J. Tipler, professor of mathematical physics, Tulane University; coauthor of The Anthropic Cosmological Principle; and author of The Physic


In this book, William Dembski takes his statistical work on inferring design and translates it into an information-theoretic apparatus relevant to understanding biological fitness. In doing so, he has brought his argument for intelligent design into a domain that overlaps current work in evolutionary biology. As I see it, this is a landmark for intelligent design theory because, for the first time, it makes it possible to objectively evaluate the claims of evolutionary biology and intelligent design on common ground.
— Martin Poenie, associate professor of biology, University of Texas at Austin


Dembski lays the foundations for a research project aimed at answering one of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time: What is the maximal specified complexity that can be reasonably expected to emerge (in a given time frame) with and without various design assumptions?
— Moshe Koppel, professor of mathematics, Bar-llan University, Israel


This sequel to The Design Inference further enhances the credibility of Intelligent Design as a sound research program. Through solid historical and philosophical arguments, Dembski succeeds in showing how specified complexity reliably detects design. His critique of Darwinian and other naturalistic accounts of evolution is built on a set of powerful and lucid arguments; his formulation of an alternative to these accounts is simply compelling.
— Muzaffar Iqbal, author of Islam and Science and founder-president of the Center for Islam and Science (CIS)


The valid philosophical arguments and historical examples make the study really agreeable to a large audience.
— Auss


I disagree strongly with the position taken by William Dembski. But I do think that he argues strongly and that those of us who do not accept his conclusions should read his book and form our own opinions and counterarguments. He should not be ignored.
— Michael Ruse, Florida State University


No Free Lunch is written for scholars and is filled with equations and careful technical definitions. Much of the text, however, is accessible for a broad audience and the book should prove useful to anyone wishing to explore the degree to which intelligent design can be formulated in a mathematically rigorous way.
— Research News and Opportunities In Science and Theology


One of the best books available about ID.
— Journal of Scientific Exploration


No Free Lunch

Why Specified Complexity Cannot Be Purchased without Intelligence

Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
Summary
Summary
  • Darwin's greatest accomplishment was to show how life might be explained as the result of natural selection. But does Darwin's theory mean that life was unintended? William A. Dembski argues that it does not. In this book Dembski extends his theory of intelligent design. Building on his earlier work in The Design Inference (Cambridge, 1998), he defends that life must be the product of intelligent design. Critics of Dembski's work have argued that evolutionary algorithms show that life can be explained apart from intelligence. But by employing powerful recent results from the No Free Lunch Theory, Dembski addresses and decisively refutes such claims. As the leading proponent of intelligent design, Dembski reveals a designer capable of originating the complexity and specificity found throughout the cosmos. Scientists and theologians alike will find this book of interest as it brings the question of creation firmly into the realm of scientific debate.
Details
Details
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
    Pages: 432 • Trim: 7 x 9¼
    978-0-7425-1297-9 • Hardback • December 2001 • $79.00 • (£61.00)
    978-0-7425-5810-6 • Paperback • February 2007 • $51.00 • (£39.00)
    Subjects: Religion / Christian Theology / General, Religion / Theology, Religion / Religion & Science
Author
Author
  • William A. Dembski is associate research professor in the conceptual foundations of science at Baylor University and senior fellow with Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture in Seattle.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Part 1 List of Illustrations
    Part 2 Preface
    Part 3 The Third Mode of Explanation
    Chapter 4 Necessity, Chance, and Design
    Chapter 5 Rehabilitating Design
    Chapter 6 The Complexity-Specification Criterion
    Chapter 7 Specification
    Chapter 8 Probabilistic Resources
    Chapter 9 False Negatives and False Positives
    Chapter 10 Why the Criterion Works
    Chapter 11 The Darwinian Challenge to Design
    Chapter 12 The Constraning of Contingency
    Chapter 13 The Darwinian Extrapolation
    Part 14 Another Way to Detect Design?
    Chapter 15 Fisher's Approach to Eliminating Chance
    Chapter 16 Generalizing Fisher's Approach
    Chapter 17 Case Study: Nicholas Caputo
    Chapter 18 Case Study: The Comprehensibility of Bit Strings
    Chapter 19 Detachability
    Chapter 20 Sweeping the Field of Chance Hypotheses
    Chapter 21 Justifying the Generalization
    Chapter 22 The Inflation of Probabilistic Resources
    Chapter 23 Design by Comparison
    Chapter 24 Design by Elimination
    Part 25 Specified Complexity as Information
    Chapter 26 Information
    Chapter 27 Syntactic, Statistical, and Algorithmic Information
    Chapter 28 Information in Context
    Chapter 29 Conceptual and Physical Information
    Chapter 30 Complex Specified Information
    Chapter 31 Semantic Information
    Chapter 32 Biological Information
    Chapter 33 The Origin of Comlex Specified Information
    Chapter 34 The Law of Conservation of Information
    Chapter 35 A Fourth Law of Thermodynamics?
    Part 36 Evolutionary Algorithms
    Chapter 37 METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
    Chapter 38 Optimization
    Chapter 39 Statement of the Problem
    Chapter 40 Choosing the Right Fitness Function
    Chapter 41 Blind Search
    Chapter 42 The No Free Lunch Theorems
    Chapter 43 The Displacement Problem
    Chapter 44 Darwinian Evolution in Nature
    Chapter 45 Following the Information Trail
    Chapter 46 Coevolving Fitness Landscapes
    Part 47 The Emergence of Irreducibly Complex Systems
    Chapter 48 The Casual Specificity Problem
    Chapter 49 The Challenge of Irreducible Complexity
    Chapter 50 Scaffolding and Roman Arches
    Chapter 51 Co-optation, Patchwork, and Bricolage
    Chapter 52 Incremental Indispensability
    Chapter 53 Reducible Complexity
    Chapter 54 Miscellaneous Objections
    Chapter 55 The Logic of Invariants
    Chapter 56 Fine-Tuning Irreducible Complexity
    Chapter 57 Doing the Calculation
    Part 58 Design as a Scientific Research Program
    Chapter 59 Outline of a Positive Research Program
    Chapter 60 The Pattern of Evolution
    Chapter 61 The Incompleteness of Natural Laws
    Chapter 62 Does Specified Complexity Have a Mechanism?
    Chapter 63 The Nature of Nature
    Chapter 64 Must All Design in Nature Be Front-Loaded?
    Chapter 65 Embodied and Unembodied Designers
    Chapter 66 Who Designed the Designer?
    Chapter 67 Testability
    Chapter 68 Magic, Mechanism, and Design
    Part 69 Index
Reviews
Reviews
  • In No Free Lunch, William Dembski gives the most profound challenge to the Modern Synthetic Theory of Evolution since this theory was first formulated in the 1930s. I differ from Dembski on some points, mainly in ways which strengthen his conclusion.
    — Frank J. Tipler, professor of mathematical physics, Tulane University; coauthor of The Anthropic Cosmological Principle; and author of The Physic


    In this book, William Dembski takes his statistical work on inferring design and translates it into an information-theoretic apparatus relevant to understanding biological fitness. In doing so, he has brought his argument for intelligent design into a domain that overlaps current work in evolutionary biology. As I see it, this is a landmark for intelligent design theory because, for the first time, it makes it possible to objectively evaluate the claims of evolutionary biology and intelligent design on common ground.
    — Martin Poenie, associate professor of biology, University of Texas at Austin


    Dembski lays the foundations for a research project aimed at answering one of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time: What is the maximal specified complexity that can be reasonably expected to emerge (in a given time frame) with and without various design assumptions?
    — Moshe Koppel, professor of mathematics, Bar-llan University, Israel


    This sequel to The Design Inference further enhances the credibility of Intelligent Design as a sound research program. Through solid historical and philosophical arguments, Dembski succeeds in showing how specified complexity reliably detects design. His critique of Darwinian and other naturalistic accounts of evolution is built on a set of powerful and lucid arguments; his formulation of an alternative to these accounts is simply compelling.
    — Muzaffar Iqbal, author of Islam and Science and founder-president of the Center for Islam and Science (CIS)


    The valid philosophical arguments and historical examples make the study really agreeable to a large audience.
    — Auss


    I disagree strongly with the position taken by William Dembski. But I do think that he argues strongly and that those of us who do not accept his conclusions should read his book and form our own opinions and counterarguments. He should not be ignored.
    — Michael Ruse, Florida State University


    No Free Lunch is written for scholars and is filled with equations and careful technical definitions. Much of the text, however, is accessible for a broad audience and the book should prove useful to anyone wishing to explore the degree to which intelligent design can be formulated in a mathematically rigorous way.
    — Research News and Opportunities In Science and Theology


    One of the best books available about ID.
    — Journal of Scientific Exploration


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