Saturday 1 August 2015
The Watchtower Society's commentary on the book of Jeremiah
JEREMIAH, BOOK OF
Prophecies and a historical record written by Jeremiah at the direction of Jehovah. Jeremiah was commissioned as prophet in the 13th year of King Josiah (647 B.C.E.) to warn the southern kingdom, Judah, of her impending destruction. This was less than a century after the prophet Isaiah’s activity and the fall of Israel, the northern kingdom, to the Assyrians.
Arrangement. The book is not arranged chronologically, but, rather, according to subject matter. Dating is presented where necessary, but the majority of the prophecies are applicable to the nation of Judah throughout the general period of the reigns of Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. God repeatedly told Jeremiah that the nation was incorrigibly wicked, beyond reform. Yet those with right hearts were given full opportunity to reform and find deliverance. As to being prophetic for our day, the arrangement does not affect the understanding and application of Jeremiah’s writings.
When Written. For the most part, the book of Jeremiah was not written at the time he declared the prophecies. Rather, Jeremiah evidently did not put any of his proclamations into writing until he was commanded by Jehovah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim (625 B.C.E.), to dictate all the words given him by Jehovah to date. This included not only words spoken about Judah in Josiah’s time but also proclamations of judgment on all the nations. (Jer 36:1, 2) The resulting scroll was burned by Jehoiakim when Jehudi read it to him. But Jeremiah was ordered to write it over, which he did through his secretary Baruch, with many additional words.—36:21-23, 28, 32.
The remainder of the book was evidently added later, including the introduction, which mentions the 11th year of Zedekiah (Jer 1:3), other prophecies that Jeremiah wrote down at the time he was to deliver them (30:2; 51:60), and the letter to the exiles in Babylon (29:1). Additionally, the proclamations uttered during the reign of Zedekiah and the accounts of the events after Jerusalem’s fall, down to about 580 B.C.E., were added later. It may be that, although the scroll written by Baruch was the basis for a large part of the book, Jeremiah afterward edited and arranged it when adding later sections.
Authenticity. The authenticity of Jeremiah is generally accepted. Only a few critics have challenged it on the basis of the differences in the Hebrew Masoretic text and the Greek Septuagint as found in the Alexandrine Manuscript. There are more variations between the Hebrew and the Greek texts of the book of Jeremiah than in any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Greek Septuagint is said to be shorter than the Hebrew text by about 2,700 words, or one eighth of the book. The majority of scholars agree that the Greek translation of this book is defective, but that does not lessen the reliability of the Hebrew text. It has been suggested that the translator may have had a Hebrew manuscript of a different “family,” a special recension, but critical study reveals that this apparently was not the case.
The fulfillment of the prophecies recorded by Jeremiah, together with their content, strongly testifies to the book’s authenticity. Among the numerous prophecies of Jeremiah are those listed on the chart on page 34.
Principles and Qualities of God. Besides the fulfillments that we have listed, the book sets forth principles that should guide us. It stresses that formalism is of no value in God’s eyes but that he desires worship and obedience from the heart. The inhabitants of Judah are told not to trust in the temple and its surrounding buildings and are admonished: “Get yourselves circumcised to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your hearts.”—Jer 4:4; 7:3-7; 9:25, 26.
The book furnishes many illustrations revealing God’s qualities and his dealings with his people. Jehovah’s great loving-kindness and mercy are exemplified in his delivering a remnant of his people and finally restoring them to Jerusalem, as prophesied by Jeremiah. God’s appreciation and consideration for those showing kindness to his servants and his being the Rewarder of those who seek him and show obedience are highlighted in his care for the Rechabites, for Ebed-melech, and for Baruch.—Jer 35:18, 19; 39:16-18; 45:1-5.
Jehovah is brilliantly portrayed as the Creator of all things, the King to time indefinite, the only true God. He is the only one to be feared, the Corrector and Director of those calling on his name, and the one under whose denunciation no nation can hold up. He is the Great Potter, in whose hand individuals and nations are as clay pottery, for him to work with or destroy as he pleases.—Jer 10; 18:1-10; Ro 9:19-24.
The book of Jeremiah reveals that God expects the people bearing his name to be a glory and a praise to him and that he considers them close to him. (Jer 13:11) Those who prophesy falsely in his name, saying “peace” to those with whom God is not at peace, have to account to God for their words, and they will stumble and fall. (6:13-15; 8:10-12; 23:16-20) Those standing before the people as priests and prophets have great responsibility before God, for, as he told those in Judah: “I did not send the prophets, yet they themselves ran. I did not speak to them, yet they themselves prophesied. But if they had stood in my intimate group, then they would have made my people hear my own words, and they would have caused them to turn back from their bad way and from the badness of their dealings.”—23:21, 22.
As in other books of the Bible, God’s holy nation is considered to be in relationship to him as a wife, and unfaithfulness to him is “prostitution.” (Jer 3:1-3, 6-10; compare Jas 4:4.) Jehovah’s own loyalty to his covenants, however, is unbreakable.—Jer 31:37; 33:20-22, 25, 26.
Many are the fine principles and illustrations in the book, upon which the other Bible writers have drawn for reference. And many other pictorial and prophetic patterns are found that have application and vital meaning to the modern-day Christian and his ministry.
[Box on page 33]
HIGHLIGHTS OF JEREMIAH
A record of Jehovah’s judgment proclamations through Jeremiah, as well as an account of the prophet’s own experiences and of Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem
Writing was begun about 18 years before Jerusalem fell, and was completed some 27 years after that event
Youthful Jeremiah is commissioned as a prophet
He will have “to tear down” as well as “build” and “plant”
Jehovah will strengthen him for the commission (1:1-19)
Jeremiah fulfills his commission “to tear down”
He exposes the wickedness in Judah and proclaims the certainty of Jerusalem’s destruction; the presence of the temple will not save the unfaithful nation; God’s people will be exiles for 70 years in Babylon (2:1–3:13; 3:19–16:13; 17:1–19:15; 24:1–25:38; 29:1-32; 34:1-22)
Judgments are announced against Zedekiah and Jehoiakim, as well as against false prophets, unfaithful shepherds, and faithless priests (21:1–23:2; 23:9-40; 27:1–28:17)
Jehovah foretells humiliating defeats of many nations, including the Babylonians (46:1–51:64)
Jeremiah carries out his assignment “to build” and “to plant”
He points to the restoration of an Israelite remnant and the raising up of “a righteous sprout” (3:14-18; 16:14-21; 23:3-8; 30:1–31:26; 33:1-26)
He also announces that Jehovah will conclude a new covenant with his people (31:27-40)
At Jehovah’s direction, Jeremiah buys a field in order to illustrate the certainty that Israel will return from exile (32:1-44)
He assures the Rechabites that they will survive, because they obeyed their forefather Jehonadab; their obedience shows up Israel’s disobedience to Jehovah (35:1-19)
He reproves Baruch and strengthens him with the assurance of surviving the coming calamity (45:1-5)
Jeremiah suffers because of his bold prophesying
He is struck and placed in the stocks overnight (20:1-18)
A plot is hatched to kill him for proclaiming the destruction of Jerusalem, but the princes deliver him (26:1-24)
The king burns Jeremiah’s scroll; Jeremiah is falsely accused of deserting to the Babylonians and is arrested and confined (36:1–37:21)
Finally, he is put into a miry cistern to die; Ebed-melech rescues him and is promised protection during the coming destruction of Jerusalem (38:1-28; 39:15-18)
Events from the fall of Jerusalem until the flight into Egypt
Jerusalem falls; King Zedekiah is captured, his sons are slain, and he is blinded and taken to Babylon (52:1-11)
The temple and great houses of Jerusalem are burned, and most of the people are led off into exile (39:1-14; 52:12-34)
Gedaliah is appointed governor over the few Israelites remaining, but he is assassinated (40:1–41:9)
Fearful, the people flee to Egypt; Jeremiah warns that Egypt itself will fall and that calamity will overtake them in that land (41:10–44:30)
[Box on page 34]
PROPHECIES RECORDED BY JEREMIAH
Ones That He Saw Fulfilled
The captivity of Zedekiah and destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Jer 20:3-6; 21:3-10; 39:6-9)
The dethronement and death in captivity of King Shallum (Jehoahaz) (Jer 22:11, 12; 2Ki 23:30-34; 2Ch 36:1-4)
The taking captive of King Coniah (Jehoiachin) to Babylon (Jer 22:24-27; 2Ki 24:15, 16)
The death, within one year, of the false prophet Hananiah (Jer 28:16, 17)
Some of the Rechabites and Ebed-melech the Ethiopian surviving Jerusalem’s destruction (Jer 35:19; 39:15-18)
Others Concerning Which History Records Fulfillment
Egypt invaded, conquered by Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar) (Jer 43:8-13; 46:13-26)
The return of the Jews and rebuilding of the temple and the city after 70 years’ desolation (Jer 24:1-7; 25:11, 12; 29:10; 30:11, 18, 19; compare 2Ch 36:20, 21; Ezr 1:1; Da 9:2.)
Ammon laid waste (Jer 49:2)
Edom cut off as a nation (Jer 49:17, 18) (With the death of the Herods, Edom became extinct as a nation.)
Babylon to become a permanent desolation (Jer 25:12-14; 50:35, 38-40)
Those Having Significant Spiritual Fulfillment, as Indicated in the Christian Greek Scriptures
A new covenant made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer 31:31-34; Heb 8:8-13)
David’s house not to lack a man on the throne of the kingdom forever (Jer 33:17-21; Lu 1:32, 33)
Fall of Babylon the Great an enlargement and symbolic application of Jeremiah’s words against ancient Babylon, as the following comparisons show: Jer 50:2—Re 14:8; Jer 50:8; 51:6, 45—Re 18:4; Jer 50:15, 29—Re 18:6, 7; Jer 50:23—Re 18:8, 15-17; Jer 50:38—Re 16:12; Jer 50:39, 40; 51:37—Re 18:2; Jer 51:8—Re 18:8-10, 15, 19; Jer 51:9, 49, 56—Re 18:5; Jer 51:12—Re 17:16, 17; Jer 51:13—Re 17:1, 15; Jer 51:48—Re 18:20; Jer 51:55—Re 18:22, 23; Jer 51:63, 64—Re 18:21
Prophecies and a historical record written by Jeremiah at the direction of Jehovah. Jeremiah was commissioned as prophet in the 13th year of King Josiah (647 B.C.E.) to warn the southern kingdom, Judah, of her impending destruction. This was less than a century after the prophet Isaiah’s activity and the fall of Israel, the northern kingdom, to the Assyrians.
Arrangement. The book is not arranged chronologically, but, rather, according to subject matter. Dating is presented where necessary, but the majority of the prophecies are applicable to the nation of Judah throughout the general period of the reigns of Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. God repeatedly told Jeremiah that the nation was incorrigibly wicked, beyond reform. Yet those with right hearts were given full opportunity to reform and find deliverance. As to being prophetic for our day, the arrangement does not affect the understanding and application of Jeremiah’s writings.
When Written. For the most part, the book of Jeremiah was not written at the time he declared the prophecies. Rather, Jeremiah evidently did not put any of his proclamations into writing until he was commanded by Jehovah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim (625 B.C.E.), to dictate all the words given him by Jehovah to date. This included not only words spoken about Judah in Josiah’s time but also proclamations of judgment on all the nations. (Jer 36:1, 2) The resulting scroll was burned by Jehoiakim when Jehudi read it to him. But Jeremiah was ordered to write it over, which he did through his secretary Baruch, with many additional words.—36:21-23, 28, 32.
The remainder of the book was evidently added later, including the introduction, which mentions the 11th year of Zedekiah (Jer 1:3), other prophecies that Jeremiah wrote down at the time he was to deliver them (30:2; 51:60), and the letter to the exiles in Babylon (29:1). Additionally, the proclamations uttered during the reign of Zedekiah and the accounts of the events after Jerusalem’s fall, down to about 580 B.C.E., were added later. It may be that, although the scroll written by Baruch was the basis for a large part of the book, Jeremiah afterward edited and arranged it when adding later sections.
Authenticity. The authenticity of Jeremiah is generally accepted. Only a few critics have challenged it on the basis of the differences in the Hebrew Masoretic text and the Greek Septuagint as found in the Alexandrine Manuscript. There are more variations between the Hebrew and the Greek texts of the book of Jeremiah than in any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Greek Septuagint is said to be shorter than the Hebrew text by about 2,700 words, or one eighth of the book. The majority of scholars agree that the Greek translation of this book is defective, but that does not lessen the reliability of the Hebrew text. It has been suggested that the translator may have had a Hebrew manuscript of a different “family,” a special recension, but critical study reveals that this apparently was not the case.
The fulfillment of the prophecies recorded by Jeremiah, together with their content, strongly testifies to the book’s authenticity. Among the numerous prophecies of Jeremiah are those listed on the chart on page 34.
Principles and Qualities of God. Besides the fulfillments that we have listed, the book sets forth principles that should guide us. It stresses that formalism is of no value in God’s eyes but that he desires worship and obedience from the heart. The inhabitants of Judah are told not to trust in the temple and its surrounding buildings and are admonished: “Get yourselves circumcised to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your hearts.”—Jer 4:4; 7:3-7; 9:25, 26.
The book furnishes many illustrations revealing God’s qualities and his dealings with his people. Jehovah’s great loving-kindness and mercy are exemplified in his delivering a remnant of his people and finally restoring them to Jerusalem, as prophesied by Jeremiah. God’s appreciation and consideration for those showing kindness to his servants and his being the Rewarder of those who seek him and show obedience are highlighted in his care for the Rechabites, for Ebed-melech, and for Baruch.—Jer 35:18, 19; 39:16-18; 45:1-5.
Jehovah is brilliantly portrayed as the Creator of all things, the King to time indefinite, the only true God. He is the only one to be feared, the Corrector and Director of those calling on his name, and the one under whose denunciation no nation can hold up. He is the Great Potter, in whose hand individuals and nations are as clay pottery, for him to work with or destroy as he pleases.—Jer 10; 18:1-10; Ro 9:19-24.
The book of Jeremiah reveals that God expects the people bearing his name to be a glory and a praise to him and that he considers them close to him. (Jer 13:11) Those who prophesy falsely in his name, saying “peace” to those with whom God is not at peace, have to account to God for their words, and they will stumble and fall. (6:13-15; 8:10-12; 23:16-20) Those standing before the people as priests and prophets have great responsibility before God, for, as he told those in Judah: “I did not send the prophets, yet they themselves ran. I did not speak to them, yet they themselves prophesied. But if they had stood in my intimate group, then they would have made my people hear my own words, and they would have caused them to turn back from their bad way and from the badness of their dealings.”—23:21, 22.
As in other books of the Bible, God’s holy nation is considered to be in relationship to him as a wife, and unfaithfulness to him is “prostitution.” (Jer 3:1-3, 6-10; compare Jas 4:4.) Jehovah’s own loyalty to his covenants, however, is unbreakable.—Jer 31:37; 33:20-22, 25, 26.
Many are the fine principles and illustrations in the book, upon which the other Bible writers have drawn for reference. And many other pictorial and prophetic patterns are found that have application and vital meaning to the modern-day Christian and his ministry.
[Box on page 33]
HIGHLIGHTS OF JEREMIAH
A record of Jehovah’s judgment proclamations through Jeremiah, as well as an account of the prophet’s own experiences and of Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem
Writing was begun about 18 years before Jerusalem fell, and was completed some 27 years after that event
Youthful Jeremiah is commissioned as a prophet
He will have “to tear down” as well as “build” and “plant”
Jehovah will strengthen him for the commission (1:1-19)
Jeremiah fulfills his commission “to tear down”
He exposes the wickedness in Judah and proclaims the certainty of Jerusalem’s destruction; the presence of the temple will not save the unfaithful nation; God’s people will be exiles for 70 years in Babylon (2:1–3:13; 3:19–16:13; 17:1–19:15; 24:1–25:38; 29:1-32; 34:1-22)
Judgments are announced against Zedekiah and Jehoiakim, as well as against false prophets, unfaithful shepherds, and faithless priests (21:1–23:2; 23:9-40; 27:1–28:17)
Jehovah foretells humiliating defeats of many nations, including the Babylonians (46:1–51:64)
Jeremiah carries out his assignment “to build” and “to plant”
He points to the restoration of an Israelite remnant and the raising up of “a righteous sprout” (3:14-18; 16:14-21; 23:3-8; 30:1–31:26; 33:1-26)
He also announces that Jehovah will conclude a new covenant with his people (31:27-40)
At Jehovah’s direction, Jeremiah buys a field in order to illustrate the certainty that Israel will return from exile (32:1-44)
He assures the Rechabites that they will survive, because they obeyed their forefather Jehonadab; their obedience shows up Israel’s disobedience to Jehovah (35:1-19)
He reproves Baruch and strengthens him with the assurance of surviving the coming calamity (45:1-5)
Jeremiah suffers because of his bold prophesying
He is struck and placed in the stocks overnight (20:1-18)
A plot is hatched to kill him for proclaiming the destruction of Jerusalem, but the princes deliver him (26:1-24)
The king burns Jeremiah’s scroll; Jeremiah is falsely accused of deserting to the Babylonians and is arrested and confined (36:1–37:21)
Finally, he is put into a miry cistern to die; Ebed-melech rescues him and is promised protection during the coming destruction of Jerusalem (38:1-28; 39:15-18)
Events from the fall of Jerusalem until the flight into Egypt
Jerusalem falls; King Zedekiah is captured, his sons are slain, and he is blinded and taken to Babylon (52:1-11)
The temple and great houses of Jerusalem are burned, and most of the people are led off into exile (39:1-14; 52:12-34)
Gedaliah is appointed governor over the few Israelites remaining, but he is assassinated (40:1–41:9)
Fearful, the people flee to Egypt; Jeremiah warns that Egypt itself will fall and that calamity will overtake them in that land (41:10–44:30)
[Box on page 34]
PROPHECIES RECORDED BY JEREMIAH
Ones That He Saw Fulfilled
The captivity of Zedekiah and destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Jer 20:3-6; 21:3-10; 39:6-9)
The dethronement and death in captivity of King Shallum (Jehoahaz) (Jer 22:11, 12; 2Ki 23:30-34; 2Ch 36:1-4)
The taking captive of King Coniah (Jehoiachin) to Babylon (Jer 22:24-27; 2Ki 24:15, 16)
The death, within one year, of the false prophet Hananiah (Jer 28:16, 17)
Some of the Rechabites and Ebed-melech the Ethiopian surviving Jerusalem’s destruction (Jer 35:19; 39:15-18)
Others Concerning Which History Records Fulfillment
Egypt invaded, conquered by Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar) (Jer 43:8-13; 46:13-26)
The return of the Jews and rebuilding of the temple and the city after 70 years’ desolation (Jer 24:1-7; 25:11, 12; 29:10; 30:11, 18, 19; compare 2Ch 36:20, 21; Ezr 1:1; Da 9:2.)
Ammon laid waste (Jer 49:2)
Edom cut off as a nation (Jer 49:17, 18) (With the death of the Herods, Edom became extinct as a nation.)
Babylon to become a permanent desolation (Jer 25:12-14; 50:35, 38-40)
Those Having Significant Spiritual Fulfillment, as Indicated in the Christian Greek Scriptures
A new covenant made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer 31:31-34; Heb 8:8-13)
David’s house not to lack a man on the throne of the kingdom forever (Jer 33:17-21; Lu 1:32, 33)
Fall of Babylon the Great an enlargement and symbolic application of Jeremiah’s words against ancient Babylon, as the following comparisons show: Jer 50:2—Re 14:8; Jer 50:8; 51:6, 45—Re 18:4; Jer 50:15, 29—Re 18:6, 7; Jer 50:23—Re 18:8, 15-17; Jer 50:38—Re 16:12; Jer 50:39, 40; 51:37—Re 18:2; Jer 51:8—Re 18:8-10, 15, 19; Jer 51:9, 49, 56—Re 18:5; Jer 51:12—Re 17:16, 17; Jer 51:13—Re 17:1, 15; Jer 51:48—Re 18:20; Jer 51:55—Re 18:22, 23; Jer 51:63, 64—Re 18:21
The blind mariner II
Research by Dembski and Marks Makes Inroads in Technical Literature
Casey Luskin July 29, 2015 1:19 PM
Intelligent design is making unmistakable progress in mainstream scientific thinking. Here's an example from a new paper in the journal of Soft Computing, "Heuristic algorithm based on molecules optimizing their geometry in a crystal to solve the problem of integer factorization." It cites the work of leading ID researchers William Dembski and Robert Marks of the Evolutionary Informatics Laboratory -- quite favorably so, not in order to critique them.
The paper discusses integer factorization, or how we determine what prime numbers can be multiplied to yield another particular integer. This is essentially a search problem with applications in cryptography and other computer science questions. As the article explains:
Because of the computational intractability in factoring large semi-prime numbers, it is often used in public-key cryptography (PKC) such as RSA cryptosystems used in digital signatures, communication and e-commerce.
This is a very difficult problem but some algorithms have been developed to solve it. Which search algorithms are more efficient than others at solving the search? That is the precise question that Dembski and Marks set out to answer. The paper continues:
To quantify the quality of an objective function, we analyze our objective functions based on conservation of information in search theory (Dembski and Marks 2009).
Dembski and Marks have developed a principle called the "conservation of information" which says that if an algorithm does better than blind search, that is because it was given prior information, where the amount of prior information equals at least the measure of how far the algorithm outperforms blind search. Searches can thus perform better than a random search when they are fed information (called "Active Information") to help find the target. According to their methodology, Exogenous Information (I‡) represents the difficulty of a search in finding its target with no prior information about the target's location. Active Information (I+) is the amount of information smuggled in by intelligence to aid the search algorithm in finding its target. Endogenous Information (Is) then measures the difficulty the search will have in finding its target after the addition of Active Information. Thus, I+ = I‡ - Is.
After discussing various methods of solving the problem of integer factorization, the new paper in Soft Computing asks how the methods compare. They authors write:
In this section, we analyze our objective function based on conservation of information in search (Dembski and Marks 2009). We know that exactly two integers will exist, those are the prime factors of the semi-prime under consideration. Therefore for a semi-prime number, N, the probability of finding the two factors using a random search is
eq9.jpg (9)
Therefore, the endogenous information (Dembski and Marks 2009) measure is:
IΩ = -log p = 2 log N. (10)
Now, to measure the exogenous information (Dembski and Marks 2009), we need to know the problem-specific structure that the search algorithm takes into account. For example, if we just evolve one single factor using the objective function as defined in Eq. (3), then the probability of finding that factor is
q = 1/N (11)
Hence, the exogenous information measure (Dembski and Marks 2009) will be
Is = −log q = log N. (12)
Therefore, the active information measure (Dembski and Marks 2009) for this will be
I+ = log N (13).
After discussing how this methodology relates to solving a search question, they conclude, "The conservation of information in search provides a way to quantify the quality of an objective function."
What does all this have to do with Darwinian evolution? The research by Dembksi and Marks is applicable to essentially any search function. While this paper focuses on solving the problem of searching for prime numbers that can be multiplied to yield a given integer, Darwinian evolution is, at its heart, also a search algorithm. It uses a trial-and-error process of random mutation and unguided natural selection to find genotypes (i.e., DNA sequences) that lead to phenotypes (i.e., biomolecules and body plans) characterized by high fitness (i.e., fostering survival and reproduction).
Dembski and Marks explain that unless you start off with some information indicating where peaks in a fitness landscape may lie, any search -- including a Darwinian one -- is on average no better than a random search.
In some cases, even a random search can work when you have lots of probabilistic resources (i.e., time and opportunities for computation) or when there are lots of targets out there waiting to be found. Thus, Darwinian evolution can work when only one mutation is needed to give some advantage and when evolution takes place within a large, rapidly reproducing population (like we often see in bacteria).
But when targets are rare and there aren't lots of opportunities for the search (e.g., trying to evolve a complex multimutation feature in long-lived organisms like humans with small effective breeding populations), then such a random search won't work. The paper under discussion here doesn't get into any of that. It does, however, show the utility of Dembski and Marks's ideas in testing the efficiency of a search function -- an extremely important question in the context of evaluating Darwinian evolution.
Casey Luskin July 29, 2015 1:19 PM
Intelligent design is making unmistakable progress in mainstream scientific thinking. Here's an example from a new paper in the journal of Soft Computing, "Heuristic algorithm based on molecules optimizing their geometry in a crystal to solve the problem of integer factorization." It cites the work of leading ID researchers William Dembski and Robert Marks of the Evolutionary Informatics Laboratory -- quite favorably so, not in order to critique them.
The paper discusses integer factorization, or how we determine what prime numbers can be multiplied to yield another particular integer. This is essentially a search problem with applications in cryptography and other computer science questions. As the article explains:
Because of the computational intractability in factoring large semi-prime numbers, it is often used in public-key cryptography (PKC) such as RSA cryptosystems used in digital signatures, communication and e-commerce.
This is a very difficult problem but some algorithms have been developed to solve it. Which search algorithms are more efficient than others at solving the search? That is the precise question that Dembski and Marks set out to answer. The paper continues:
To quantify the quality of an objective function, we analyze our objective functions based on conservation of information in search theory (Dembski and Marks 2009).
Dembski and Marks have developed a principle called the "conservation of information" which says that if an algorithm does better than blind search, that is because it was given prior information, where the amount of prior information equals at least the measure of how far the algorithm outperforms blind search. Searches can thus perform better than a random search when they are fed information (called "Active Information") to help find the target. According to their methodology, Exogenous Information (I‡) represents the difficulty of a search in finding its target with no prior information about the target's location. Active Information (I+) is the amount of information smuggled in by intelligence to aid the search algorithm in finding its target. Endogenous Information (Is) then measures the difficulty the search will have in finding its target after the addition of Active Information. Thus, I+ = I‡ - Is.
After discussing various methods of solving the problem of integer factorization, the new paper in Soft Computing asks how the methods compare. They authors write:
In this section, we analyze our objective function based on conservation of information in search (Dembski and Marks 2009). We know that exactly two integers will exist, those are the prime factors of the semi-prime under consideration. Therefore for a semi-prime number, N, the probability of finding the two factors using a random search is
eq9.jpg (9)
Therefore, the endogenous information (Dembski and Marks 2009) measure is:
IΩ = -log p = 2 log N. (10)
Now, to measure the exogenous information (Dembski and Marks 2009), we need to know the problem-specific structure that the search algorithm takes into account. For example, if we just evolve one single factor using the objective function as defined in Eq. (3), then the probability of finding that factor is
q = 1/N (11)
Hence, the exogenous information measure (Dembski and Marks 2009) will be
Is = −log q = log N. (12)
Therefore, the active information measure (Dembski and Marks 2009) for this will be
I+ = log N (13).
After discussing how this methodology relates to solving a search question, they conclude, "The conservation of information in search provides a way to quantify the quality of an objective function."
What does all this have to do with Darwinian evolution? The research by Dembksi and Marks is applicable to essentially any search function. While this paper focuses on solving the problem of searching for prime numbers that can be multiplied to yield a given integer, Darwinian evolution is, at its heart, also a search algorithm. It uses a trial-and-error process of random mutation and unguided natural selection to find genotypes (i.e., DNA sequences) that lead to phenotypes (i.e., biomolecules and body plans) characterized by high fitness (i.e., fostering survival and reproduction).
Dembski and Marks explain that unless you start off with some information indicating where peaks in a fitness landscape may lie, any search -- including a Darwinian one -- is on average no better than a random search.
In some cases, even a random search can work when you have lots of probabilistic resources (i.e., time and opportunities for computation) or when there are lots of targets out there waiting to be found. Thus, Darwinian evolution can work when only one mutation is needed to give some advantage and when evolution takes place within a large, rapidly reproducing population (like we often see in bacteria).
But when targets are rare and there aren't lots of opportunities for the search (e.g., trying to evolve a complex multimutation feature in long-lived organisms like humans with small effective breeding populations), then such a random search won't work. The paper under discussion here doesn't get into any of that. It does, however, show the utility of Dembski and Marks's ideas in testing the efficiency of a search function -- an extremely important question in the context of evaluating Darwinian evolution.
Darwinism vs. The real world. V
Cardiovascular Function: What Happens When Real Numbers Are Wrong?
Howard Glicksman July 31, 2015 1:57 PM
Editor's note: Physicians have a special place among the thinkers who have elaborated the argument for intelligent design. Perhaps that's because, more than evolutionary biologists, they are familiar with the challenges of maintaining a functioning complex system, the human body. With that in mind, Evolution News & Views is delighted to present this series, "The Designed Body." Dr. Glicksman practices palliative medicine for a hospice organization.
Due to the laws of nature, the body must have enough energy for its trillions of cells to work properly. The body won't function very well if its cells don't have enough oxygen (O2).
Evolutionary biologists claim that the organs described so far in this series, and the systems that control them, must have come about by chance and the laws of nature alone. But their theory seems to account only for how life looks and not how it actually works to stay alive under the laws of nature. Experience teaches that real numbers have real consequences when it comes to life and death.
Based on what we know about how the body actually works, our earliest ancestors had to be able to provide at least 3,500 mL/min of O2, mainly to their muscles and heart, to be able to run fast enough and fight hard enough to win the battle for survival. That would have required their lungs to have a rapid enough airflow, a large enough volume, and an efficient enough gas exchange to bring in enough O2. It would also have required that they have enough iron to make enough hemoglobin to be able to carry enough O2 in the blood. And finally, their cardiac output (CO) needed to be at least 25 L/min to sustain the kind of activity levels needed to hunt rather than be hunted.
As I've noted in previous articles, lung function, hemoglobin production, and cardiac output are controlled by irreducibly complex systems, each consisting of sensors, integrators, and effectors that must also inherently know what is needed for survival. I call this natural survival capacity, because the systems involved must naturally have the capacity to keep a specific chemical or physical parameter within a certain range to allow for survival. We have looked at what happens to the body when its lung function and hemoglobin production do not measure up to what is needed. Now we will start to look at what happens when cardiac function is not up to snuff.
At rest the average male needs about 250 mL/min of O2 to keep all of his organs working properly, and any increase in activity requires more. Walking slowly requires 500 mL/min of O2; walking quickly, 1,000 mL/min; moderate jogging, 2,000 mL/min; and fast running, 3,500 mL/min of O2. Since we know that the CO has to be at least 25 L/min for maximum activity, we can figure out what the minimum CO levels would have to be for lesser activity levels. We can do this by multiplying 25 L/min by the ratio of the lower and maximum O2 consumption. So to jog at a moderate pace, the minimum CO would have to be 25 x 2,000/3500 = 14.3 L/min. To walk quickly would take at least a CO of 7.2 L/min, to walk slowly a CO of 3.6 L/min, and to stay at rest would need a CO of 1.8 L/min.
It is important to note here that these are real numbers that reflect real life and the laws of nature. No matter what evolutionary biologists say about how matter must have organized itself into the complex systems we know are needed for life, medical science tells you that if you don't have a CO of 7.2 L/min, you can't walk very quickly, if you don't have a CO of 3.6 L/min, it would be very difficult for you to walk even slowly, and if you don't have a CO of at least 1.8 L/min, you are probably dead. Certain parameters of cardiac function had to be met for our ancestors to survive within the laws of nature, and no expenditure of imaginary effort can deny this fact.
When real numbers lead to chronic debility with respect to the lungs, they usually involve problems with ventilation and/or gas exchange. But when dealing with chronic debility and the heart, we usually encounter four different problems. Each condition, individually, is capable of causing significant debility but, in real life, they often occur in combination. Just as adding a gas exchange problem to a ventilation problem can more quickly lead to worsening debility from pulmonary dysfunction, so too a combination of more than one of these cardiac conditions can quickly lead to significant weakness and a limited ability to be active and manage independently.
The commonest heart condition in developed countries, and what most people think of when they hear someone has heart trouble, is coronary artery disease. Even though the heart pumps blood throughout the body, it must also supply adequate blood flow to itself so it can do its job. As the blood flows out of the left ventricle through the aortic valve, the coronary arteries turn back over the surface of the heart. The heart is the hardest working muscle in the body and when its blood supply is compromised this can lead to significant debility and even death.
Another common cardiac condition is valvular heart disease. The "V" shaped one-way valves between the atria and the ventricles and the ventricles and their outflow tracts are structured in a way that allows them, when open, to facilitate the forward movement of blood, and when closed, to prevent blood from going backward. The efficiency of cardiac function is dependent not only on adequate coronary blood flow, but also on properly working valves. A valve can't be too tight, slowing forward blood flow, or too lax, allowing backward flow.
When the heart cannot meet the metabolic needs of the body it is said to be in heart failure. This third common cardiac condition can involve either the left or the right side of the heart alone, or both at the same time. In addition, left ventricular failure can be systolic, where reduced muscle contractility leads to weaker pumping action, and/or diastolic, where increased muscle stiffness reduces relaxation and the filling of the ventricle with blood. Both coronary artery and valvular heart disease are common causes of heart failure.
The fourth common cardiac condition is the cardiac arrhythmias. It is the sino-atrial node, the natural pacemaker in the right atrium that dominates the other excitable cells in the heart. It controls the heart rate and starts coordinated atrial contraction and the conducting system makes sure that coordinated ventricular contraction takes place soon afterward. Any disruption or short-circuiting of this signal formation, impulse conduction or coordinated muscle contraction can lead to significant debility and even death. All three of the conditions mentioned above, and other disorders, can predispose the heart to cardiac arrhythmias.
When real numbers lead to functional problems of the heart, these are usually the four main conditions that contribute to the situation. In the next few articles we will take a closer look at each of them.
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