for He commanded, and they were created.
Psalm 148:5
"The stone arch is a classic example of irreducible complexity.
"The stone arch is a classic example of irreducible complexity.
It cannot be simplified. There can be no step-by-step evolution of the arch, because there is no such thing as a quarter-arch or half-arch. It is a ‘jackpot or nothing’ situation: it is either a full arch or no arch at all. Some evolutionists have tried to get around this by pointing out the fact that the arch can be constructed, step by step, by using scaffolding. One stone in the arch is not dependent upon any other stone until such time that the scaffold is removed. Let us take a closer look at this contention.
The scaffold enables a Roman arch to be constructed, and holds the
stones in place, relative to each other, until they are all in place. While the scaffold is in place, stones can be added or removed at will. Once the arch is constructed, and the scaffold removed, the stones in the arch are in complete dependence upon each other, and no stone can be removed without the arch collapsing.
The scaffold enables a Roman arch to be constructed, and holds the
--This is the irreducible complexity.
Note that the scaffold does not eliminate the irreducible complexity: it merely relocates the irreducible complexity from the arch to the scaffold! Any old collection of wooden pieces will not spontaneously make an arch-constructing scaffold: it takes intelligent design to tailor-make a scaffold that is even minimally suitable for erecting a stone arch. In addition, a suitable scaffold cannot arise from a step-by-step processes. Just as there is no such thing as a quarter-arch or half-arch, neither is there such a thing as a quarter-effective scaffold or half-effective scaffold.
Note that the scaffold does not eliminate the irreducible complexity: it merely relocates the irreducible complexity from the arch to the scaffold! Any old collection of wooden pieces will not spontaneously make an arch-constructing scaffold: it takes intelligent design to tailor-make a scaffold that is even minimally suitable for erecting a stone arch. In addition, a suitable scaffold cannot arise from a step-by-step processes. Just as there is no such thing as a quarter-arch or half-arch, neither is there such a thing as a quarter-effective scaffold or half-effective scaffold.
Either we have a fully effective scaffold for constructing the arch or we have no scaffold at all.
The ‘jackpot or nothing’ situation has not been overcome.
It remains."
CMI