The argument from poor design or dysteleological argument is an argument against the existence of God, specifically against the existence of a creator God (in the sense of a God that directly created all species of life). It is based on the following premise: Many arguments against the existence of God have been proposed over time, with reference to multiple gods and conceptions of God. ... God is the divine being that created the omniverse. ...

1. An omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent creator God would create organisms that have optimal design.
2. Organisms have features that are suboptimal.
3. Therefore, God either did not create these organisms or is not omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent.

The argument is structured as a basic Modus tollens. Omnipotence (literally, all power) is power with no limits or inexhaustible, in other words, unlimited power. ... Omniscience is the capacity to know everything infinitely, or at least everything that can be known about a character including thoughts, feelings, life and the universe, etc. ... Omnibenevolence is sometimes used to describe the property of being perfectly or absolutely good. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Creation (theology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... “Life on Earth” redirects here. ... All Saints Chapel in the Cathedral Basilica of St. ... In logic, Modus ponendo tollens (Latin for mode that affirms by denying) is the formal name for indirect proof or proof by contraposition (contrapositive inference), often abbreviated to MT. It can also be referred to as denying the consequent, and is a valid form of argument (unlike similarly-named but...

The argument is often used as a counter argument to the argument from design, and it is criticized by those who use that argument. If the argument from poor design is found to be acceptable, the argument from design is flawed as a consequence. The goal of the argument is to point out that the "creation" contains many defects, therefore intelligence wouldn't make a practical theory for the origin of our existence. A teleological argument, or argument from design, is an argument for the existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order, purpose, design and/or direction in nature. ...

Additionally, the term Incompetent design has been coined by Donald Wise of the University of Massachusetts to describe aspects of nature that are currently flawed in design. The name stems from the acronym I.D. and is used to counter-balance arguments for intelligent design by a creator that are used by creationists. This page is about the university system across Massachusetts. ... For other uses, see Intelligent design (disambiguation). ...

Examples of poor design

Examples of "poor design" cited include:

• In the African locust, nerve cells start in the abdomen but connect to the wing. This leads to unnecessary use of materials. [1]

An artist's representation of an ectopic pregnancy. Critics cite such common biological occurrences as contradictory to the 'Watchmaker Analogy'.

Poor design of the human reproductive system include the following: ^{[citation needed]} A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Desert locust Nymph of Locust Schistocera americana with distinct wing-rudiments Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria Locust from the 1915 Locust Plague For other uses, see Locust (disambiguation). ... Nerves (yellow) Nerves redirects here. ... Ectopic by R. de Graaf This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Ectopic by R. de Graaf This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Regnier de Graaf Regnier de Graaf (b. ... The reproductive system is the ensembles and interactions of organs and/or substances within an organism that strictly pertain to reproduction. ...

• In the human female, a fertilized egg can implant into the fallopian tube, cervix or ovary rather than the uterus causing an ectopic pregnancy. The existence of a cavity between the ovary and the fallopian tube could indicate a flawed design in the female reproductive system. Prior to modern surgery, ectopic pregnancy invariably caused the deaths of both mother and baby. Even in modern times, in almost all cases, the pregnancy must be aborted to save the life of the mother.
• In the human female, the birth canal passes through the pelvis. The prenatal skull will deform to a surprising extent. However, if the baby’s head is significantly larger than the pelvic opening, the baby cannot be born naturally. Prior to the development of modern surgery (caesarean section), such a complication would lead to the death of the mother, the baby or both. Other birthing complications such as breech birth are worsened by this position of the birth canal. Birth would hypothetically be easier if the birth canal passed through the front of the abdomen.^{[citation needed]}
• In the human male, testes develop initially within the abdomen. Later during gestation, they migrate through the abdominal wall into the scrotum. This causes two weak points in the abdominal wall where hernias can later form. Prior to modern surgical techniques, complications from hernias including intestinal blockage, gangrene, etc., usually resulted in death.[2]

Other arguments: It has been suggested that Biparental zygote be merged into this article or section. ... The Fallopian tubes, also known as oviducts, uterine tubes, and salpinges (singular salpinx) are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus. ... The cervix (from Latin neck) is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. ... // For ovary as part of plants see ovary (plants) An ovary is an egg-producing reproductive organ found in female organisms. ... This article is about female reproductive anatomy. ... The vagina, (from Latin, literally sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. ... The pelvis (pl. ... The term baby can refer to: an infant a very early computer—the Small-Scale Experimental Machine, nicknamed Baby a musician – Brian Williams – who performs under the name Baby. ... A caesarean section (AE cesarean section), or c-section, is a form of childbirth in which a surgical incision is made through a mothers abdomen (laparotomy) and uterus (hysterotomy) to deliver one or more babies. ... Breech, by W.Smellie, 1792 A breech birth (also known as breech presentation) refers to the position of the baby in the uterus such that it will be delivered buttocks first as opposed to the normal head first position. ... For the human abdomen, see human abdomen. ... Human male anatomy The testicles, known medically as testes (singular testis), are the male generative glands in animals. ... For the human abdomen, see human abdomen. ... In some male mammals, the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. ... Look up hernia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gangrene is necrosis and subsequent decay of body tissues caused by infection or thrombosis or lack of blood flow. ...

• Barely used nerves and muscles (e.g. plantaris muscle) that are missing in part of the human population and are routinely harvested as spare parts if needed during operations.
• Intricate reproductive devices in orchids, apparently constructed from components commonly used for different purposes in other flowers.
• The use by pandas of their enlarged radial sesamoid bones in a manner similar to how other creatures use thumbs.
• The pointless existence of the appendix in humans, also the corresponding potentially fatal condition of appendicitis. The appendix, which is highly developed in herbivores, is meant to aid in the bacterial digestion of cellulose. Since people use fire and heat to cook now the appendix has become useless. (It has also been proposed that the appendix is involved in development of the immune system within the first year after birth, but subsequently has no function. However some people have congenital absence of their appendix without any reports of impaired immune system function.)
• The existence of unnecessary wings in flightless birds, e.g. ostriches.
• The existence of apocrine sweat glands in the armpits. Unlike the sweat glands in all other parts of the body, the sweat glands in the armpits produce sweat that contains proteins and lipds. This causes yellowish stains on clothing, and also creates an odor when bacteria start to digest the proteins and lipids. No other sweat glands release proteins and lipids through sweat, and as a result, sweat from other parts of the body is virtually odorless.
• The route of the recurrent laryngeal nerve is such that it travels from the brain to the larynx by looping around the aortic arch. This same configuration holds true for many animals, in the case of the giraffe this results in about twenty feet of extra nerve.
• Portions of DNA — termed "junk" DNA — that do not appear to serve any purpose.
• The dystrophin gene is the largest ever found in nature — 2.4 million DNA base pairs; or 0.1 percent of the human genome. Its only known function is to inhibit muscular dystrophy; and such a large gene is highly susceptible to harmful mutations.
• The prevalence of congenital diseases and genetic disorders such as Huntington's Disease, and the inability for DNA to self-repair, leading to poor genetic performance, hereditable malformation and eventual death.
• The common malformation of the human spinal column, leading to scoliosis, sciatica and congenital misalignment of the vertebrae (vertebral subluxation)
• Photosynthetic plants that reflect green light, even though the sun's peak output is at this wavelength. A more optimal system of photosynthesis would use the entire solar spectrum, thus resulting in black plants.
• The existence of the pharynx, a passage used for both ingestion and respiration, with the consequent drastic increase in the risk of choking.
• The structure of humans' (as well as all mammals') eyes. The retina is 'inside out'. The nerves and blood vessels lie on the surface of the retina instead of behind it as is the case in many invertebrate species. This arrangement forces a number of complex adaptations and gives mammals a blind spot. (See Evolution of the eye). Six muscles move the eye when three would suffice. [3]
• Crowded teeth and poor sinus drainage, as human faces are significantly flatter than those of other primates and humans share the same tooth set. This results in a number of problems, most notably with wisdom teeth.
• Almost all animals and plants synthesize their own vitamin C, but humans cannot because the gene for this enzyme is defective (Pseudogene ΨGULO). Lack of vitamin C results in scurvy and eventually death. Defective vitamin synthesis pathways are a hallmark of "higher" animals — of which many are predators — because the prey accumulates vitamins that stems either from the eaten plants or are self-synthesized in the captured individual. Thus, higher animals are mostly unable to return to a purely "vegetarian" lifestyle; while conservation of such pathway genes is of no apparent cost to the animal.
• If rodents do not regularly wear down their incisors, which self-sharpen by chewing on wood, such upper and bottom teeth curl toward the rodents' skull and drill into their brain.

Other critics argue that if these design failures are the deliberate products of an intelligent designer, then the designer must be either inept or sadistic. Or possibly there was a committee of designers, as in the old joke that "a camel is a horse designed by a committee". The Plantaris muscle is a muscle of the human body. ... Orchid re-directs here; for alternate uses see Orchid (disambiguation) Genera Over 800 See List of Orchidaceae genera. ... Panda may refer to: // Giant Panda Panda (plant), a genus of the family Euphorbiaceae PANDAS or P.A.N.D.A.S. is Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptoccal infections Qinling Panda, a subspecies of the Giant Panda. ... In anatomy, a sesamoid bone is a bone embedded within a tendon. ... The thumb is one of the five fingers. ... In human anatomy, the vermiform appendix (or appendix, pl. ... This article is about modern humans. ... Appendicitis (or epityphlitis) is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix[1]. While mild cases may resolve without treatment, most require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. ... In zoology, an herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plants (rather than meat). ... Cellulose as polymer of β-D-glucose Cellulose in 3D Cellulose (C6H10O5)n is a polysaccharide of beta-glucose. ... The recurrent laryngeal nerve is a branch of the vagus nerve (the tenth cranial nerve) that supplies motor function and sensation to the larynx (voice box). ... For the embryological structure, see Aortic arches. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species. ... In molecular biology, junk DNA is a collective label for the portions of the DNA sequence of a chromosome or a genome for which no function has yet been identified. ... Dystrophin is a protein found in membranes surrounding individual muscle fibers, and its deficiency is one of the root causes of muscular dystrophy. ... For other uses, see Gene (disambiguation). ... Base pairs, of a DNA molecule. ... In biology the genome of an organism is the whole hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in the DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA). ... Muscular dystrophy refers to a group of genetic, hereditary muscle diseases that cause progressive muscle weakness. ... A congenital disorder is a medical condition that is present at birth. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. ... Sciatica is pain caused by general compression and/or irritation of one of five nerve roots that are branches of the sciatic nerve. ... The vertebral column seen from the side Vertebral subluxation is a chiropractic term that is used by some chiropractors to describe a myriad of signs and symptoms thought to occur as a result of a misaligned or dysfunctional spinal segment. ... The leaf is the primary site of photosynthesis in plants. ... The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the neck and throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and cranial, or superior, to the esophagus, larynx, and trachea. ... In general terms, eating (formally, ingestion) is the process of consuming something edible, i. ... // In animal physiology, respiration is the transport of oxygen from the ambient air to the tissue cells and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction. ... For choking meaning compression of the neck, see Strangling. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including those that produce milk, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... For other uses, see Eye (disambiguation). ... Human eye cross-sectional view. ... Invertebrate is an English word that describes any animal without a spinal column. ... For other uses, see Blind spot. ... Diagram of major stages in the eyes evolution. ... Types of teeth Molars are used for grinding up foods Carnassials are used for slicing food. ... Sinus may refer to: In anatomy, where a sinus is a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue: Paranasal sinus, an air cavity in the cranial bones, especially those near the nose Sinus (anatomy), description of the general term Anal sinuses, the furrows which separate the columns in the... For the ecclesiastical use of this term, see primate (religion) Families 13, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all lemurs, monkeys, and apes, including humans. ... This article is about the nutrient. ... The effect of riboflavin deficiency on the activity of L-gulonolactone oxidase [L-gulono-gamma-lactone: oxygen 2-oxidoreductase, EC 1. ... Scurvy (N.Lat. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ... Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. ... Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ...

Overview

Natural selection is expected to push fitness to a peak, but that peak often is not the highest.

"Poor design" is consistent with the predictions of the scientific theory of evolution by means of natural selection. This predicts that features that were evolved for certain uses, are then reused or co-opted for different uses, or abandoned altogether; and that suboptimal state is due to the inability of the hereditary mechanism to eliminate the particular vestiges of the evolutionary process. Importing fitness landscape cartoon image originally included in Nupedia fitness landscape article-in-progress (originally titled fig1. ... Importing fitness landscape cartoon image originally included in Nupedia fitness landscape article-in-progress (originally titled fig1. ... In mathematics, theory is used informally to refer to a body of knowledge about mathematics. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... For other uses, see Natural selection (disambiguation). ... See Heredity (disambiguation) for other meanings. ...

In terms of a fitness landscape, natural selection will always push "up the hill", but a species cannot normally get from a lower peak to a higher peak without first going through a valley, a method known in computer science circles as "naïve hill climber". In evolutionary biology, fitness landscapes or adaptive landscapes are used to visualize the relationship between genotypes (or phenotypes) and replicatory success. ...

The argument from poor design is one of the arguments that was used by Charles Darwin; modern proponents have included Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins. They argue that such features can be explained as a consequence of the gradual, cumulative nature of the evolutionary process. Theistic Evolutionists generally reject the argument from design, but do not necessarily reject the existence of God. For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... Stephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. ... Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. ... Evolutionary creationism encompasses the concept of theistic evolution, a synthesis of the religious belief in a creator God with the scientific theory of evolution. ...

The argument from poor design is a counter-argument against the argument from design in which it is asserted that certain biological phenomena are too complex or too efficient to have come about by undirected natural processes rather than by design. A teleological argument, or argument from design, is an argument for the existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order, purpose, design and/or direction in nature. ... All Saints Chapel in the Cathedral Basilica of St. ...

Criticism

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details.(September 2007)

• The Panda's "thumb" works excellently for what it does — strip leaves.
  • The argument isn't that it works, the argument is that the design is poor, as a real digit would be functionally more effective than modified wrist bones.
• Plantaris muscle is important in proprioception, and in any case, disused muscles atrophy, which the plantaris does not.[4]
  • The Plantaris muscle does atrophy. Its motor function is so minimal that its long tendon can readily be harvested for reconstruction elsewhere with little functional deficit. "Often mistaken for a nerve by freshman medical students, the muscle was useful to other primates for grasping with their feet. It has disappeared altogether in 9 percent of the population." ^[1]
• "Junk" DNA may actually serve a purpose, and increasingly there have been many uses found for it, such as the regulatory function of the Makorin1-p1 "pseudogene".
  • The fact that some non-coding DNA has a purpose does not establish that all non-coding DNA has a purpose.
  • The original study that suggested that the Makorin1-p1 served some purpose (Hirotsune et al., 2003 [5]) has been shown to be entirely wrong (Grey et al., 2006 [6]).
  • Some sections of DNA can be randomized, cut, or added to with no apparent effect on the organism in question. [7]
• Greater energy efficiency in plants would result in damaging chemical reactions.^{[citation needed]}
  • Nobody has studied the effects of increased efficiency in plants in such a way to make this determination possible. Some plants have more and less efficient photosynthesis reactions, such as the C3, C4 and CAM photosynthesis reactions. No such "damaging chemical reactions" occur in the more effective processes.

Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... // Proprioception (PRO-pree-o-SEP-shun (IPA pronunciation: ); from Latin proprius, meaning ones own and perception) is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body. ... Plantaris is one of the superficial muscles of the posterior crural compartment of the leg. ... A pseudogene is a nucleotide sequences that is similar to a normal gene, but is not expressed as a functional protein. ... C3 carbon fixation is a pathway for carbon fixation in photosynthesis. ... Overview of C4 carbon fixation C4 carbon fixation is one of three methods, along with C3 and CAM photosynthesis, used by land plants to fix carbon dioxide (binding the gaseous molecules to dissolved compounds inside the plant) for sugar production through photosynthesis. ... Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) is a carbon fixation pathway in some photosynthetic plants. ...

As an argument regarding God

The argument from poor design is sometimes interpreted, by the argumenter or the listener, as an argument against the existence of God, or against characteristics commonly attributed to God, such as omnipotence, omniscience, or personality. In a weaker form, it is used as an argument for the incompetence of God. The existence of "poor design" (as well as the perceived prodigious "wastefulness" of the evolutionary process) would seem to imply a "poor" designer, or a "blind" designer, or no designer at all. In Gould's words, "If God had designed a beautiful machine to reflect his wisdom and power, surely he would not have used a collection of parts generally fashioned for other purposes. Orchids are not made by an ideal engineer; they are jury-rigged...." Many arguments against the existence of God have been proposed over time, with reference to multiple gods and conceptions of God. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

A counter-argument that has been made against this application of the argument — and that can be used against the argument from poor design itself — points out that the argument from poor design assumes that efficiency and neatness are the only criteria upon which the quality of biological design must be judged. The counter-argument maintains that, in addition to (or instead of) being thought of as an engineer, God is perhaps better thought of as an artist (possessing the ultimate artistic license). Moreover, this application of the argument presupposes the accountability of God to the judgment of humanity, an idea most major religions consider to be an enormous conceit that is diametrically opposed to their doctrines. However, doctrinal distaste should not rule out the moral issue that a benign God would not include design flaws that lead to pain or unnecessary death, such as the appendix, coccyx, our crowded teeth or a proclivity for cancer. It should also be noted that most major religions do impose human judgement on God (i.e. that he is benign in the first place). Look up engineer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... The Death of General Wolfe (Benjamin West. ... Look up appendix in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The coccyx is formed of up to five vertebrae. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...

Arguers from poor design regard all these counter-arguments as a false dilemma (God designed it, or it's flawed), leading to the unfalsifiability of intelligent design — if it's good design, God did it, if it's bad design, it's a result of the Fall, so any conceivable evidence will fit. Arguers against poor design argue in turn: if it's poor design, then God would not have done it, so natural selection must have, but wonderful design shows how wonderful natural selection can be. The form of the fallacy of false dichotomy as an argument map with the conclusion at the top of the tree. ... The fall refers to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, as recorded in the biblical book of Genesis, and the consequences of that expulsion. ...

External links

• A short interview with prof. Don Wise at Really Magazine (2006)
• Unintelligent Design Network satirical site

References

• God for the Third Millennium
• Gould, Stephen Jay (1980). The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History. ISBN 0-393-30023-4
• Dawkins, Richard (1986). The Blind Watchmaker. ISBN 0-393-30448-5
• Selim, Jocelyn (2004). Discover. Useless Body Parts
• Leonard, P. (1993). "Too much light," New Scientist, 139.
• Witt, Jonathan. "The Gods Must Be Tidy!", Touchstone, July/August 2004.
• Gurney, Peter W.G. (1999). "Is our 'inverted' retina really 'bad design'?" Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal/TJ 13(1):37–44.
• Woodmorappe, J. (1999). "Why Weren't Plants Created 100% Efficient at Photosynthesis? (OR: Why Aren't Plants Black?)"
• Woodmorappe, J. (2003). "Pseudogene function: more evidence" Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal/TJ 17(2):15?18.
• Hirotsune S, Yoshida N, Chen A, Garrett L, Sugiyama F, Takahashi S, Yagami K, Wynshaw-Boris A, Yoshiki A. An expressed pseudogene regulates the messenger-RNA stability of its homologous coding gene. Nature. 2003 423:91-6.
• Gray TA, Wilson A, Fortin PJ, Nicholls RD. The putatively functional Mkrn1-p1 pseudogene is neither expressed nor imprinted, nor does it regulate its source gene in trans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006 Aug 1; [Epub ahead of print]