Hoyle's fallacy
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==The ultimate tornado== | ==The ultimate tornado== | ||
| − | In ''[[The God Delusion]]'', [[Richard Dawkins] misrepresents Hoyle's fallacy of the tornado in a junkyard by fallaciously applying it to the existence of the immortal [[God]] Himself, failing to comprehend that God is not a finite creation. | + | In ''[[The God Delusion]]'', [[Richard Dawkins]] misrepresents Hoyle's fallacy of the tornado in a junkyard by fallaciously applying it to the existence of the immortal [[God]] Himself, failing to comprehend that God is not a finite creation. |
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 09:40, 3 February 2015
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Hoyle's analogy, also known as the Junkyard tornado, describes a hypothetical tornado that passes through a hypothetical junkyard resulting in chaos. Proponents of Intelligent Design correctly conclude that because the ensuing chaos does not produce some sort of complex device (for example, a Boeing 747), that various processes of evolution, abiogenesis or other origins theory are equally, if not more, unlikely.
The "Tornado in a Junkyard" analogy is an example of how evolution is false. Also, when confronted with the false claim that adding energy to a system can give rise to complexity, creationists simply disprove it by presenting an example of a situation where adding energy to a system does not give rise to complexity.
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Background
The "Tornado in a Junkyard" analogy is credited to Sir Fred Hoyle, a British astronomer and writer. He originally used the comparison not as an analogy for evolution, but as an argument against abiogenesis. He felt that the improbability of even the simplest life form arising from non-living matter was too great. However, his analogy lives on in origins debate despite its original context.
Relation to abiogenesis
Abiogenesis is an atheistic theory for the origin of life on earth. Abiogenesis is more ludicrous than jumbo jets appearing in a storm-stricken junkyard. Current theory in abiogenesis suggests that complex high-order beings appeared from primordial soup in one magical step. Nevertheless abiogenesis was disproved many times by Louis Pasteur.
Relation to evolution
The original context of Hoyle's argument was against abiogenesis, not evolution. Nevertheless, opponents of evolution occasionally use it when discussing aspects of evolutionary biology. The analogy is claimed by evolutionists to be exceptionally poor when compared to the process of evolution, although one of the main mechanisms of evolution is natural selection which is random (unguided).
Anthropic principle
Some say Hoyle is rendered effectively irrelevant by the anthropic principle, in that life already exists, and our universe, solar system, and planet necessarily are able to support our existence. Whether Creationism is true or Evolution is true, our world contains all necessary conditions for our existence (as evidenced by our existence), therefore the Tornado analogy is irrelevant. Further examination of our origins can be left to science (which of course rejects evolution).
Unrealistic expectations
It is manifestly impossible for a tornado in a junkyard to, by chance, create some complex instrument (particularly a Boeing 747). Since it has not yet been demonstrated by all the tornadoes that have passed through junkyards, it can be estimated the probability of it occurring is unfathomably small. Even more impossible is abiogenesis since non-living chemicals do not in themselves contain life.
Variety of forces
Another problem with evolutionary theory is that a tornado cannot realistically be expected to supply the variety of forces needed to create a complex assembly. Given that forces generated by a tornado tend to be aligned to the tangents of the tornado's cone, it is inconceivable that a tornado would be able to apply the diametrically opposed forces needed to, for instance, insert both wings into the fuselage of the hypothetical craft, let alone install bolts in the myriad different directions, including those which can only be accessed from inside the plane (for instance, those which affix the seats to the floor). That is why evolution is false. Plenty of intelligent design and arrangement are needed for the formation of sophisticated biological creatures.
The ultimate tornado
In The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins misrepresents Hoyle's fallacy of the tornado in a junkyard by fallaciously applying it to the existence of the immortal God Himself, failing to comprehend that God is not a finite creation.