Claim CB921:
New structures or organs would not develop incrementally because they
would not function until fully developed. For example, what use is half
an eye?
Source:
Morris, Henry M., 1974. Scientific Creationism, Green Forest, AR: Master
Books, pg. 53.
Response:
- The assumption made by the claim is false. Structures and organs
function quite well when they are not fully developed. Six-year-olds
may not have the strength and agility of adults, but their arms, legs,
and so forth function well enough to do a great deal.
- "Fully developed" is not even well defined. Human eyes do not have the
acuity of hawks, the dark sight ability of owls, the color
discrimination of some fish, or the bee's ability to see in ultraviolet
(see CB921.1). With so much more potential
possible for the
human eye, how can one claim that our own eyes are fully developed?
Further Reading:
Gould, Stephen J., 1977. The problem of perfection, or How can a clam
mount a fish on its rear end? In: Ever Since Darwin, New York:
W.W. Norton & Co., pp. 103-110. Excerpted at
http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/lessons/contriv.pdf
created 2003-5-21
