Information Theory and Creationism
Ian Musgrave
Rich Baldwin
and others
[next article]
[algoritmic information]
[Gitt information]
[Spetner information]
[Dembski information]
next
|
Links:
- A
Mathematical Theory of Communication
- The 1948 paper that founded Information Theory, by
American mathematician
Claude
E. Shannon of Bell Labs.
- A
Short Course in Information Theory
- A series of lectures by
David
MacKay explaining Information Theory. MacKay has also
published an on-line text, Information
Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms
- Molecular
Information Theory and the Theory of Molecular
Machines
- A web site explaining the application of Information
Theory to biology, by American biologist
Tom
Schneider of the Molecular Information Theory Group
at the National Institutes of Health
- Biological
Information Theory and Chowder Society
- FAQ page for the bionet.info-theory newsgroup.
- G J
Chaitin Home Page
- The home page of one of Algorithmic Information
Theory's inventors, Gregory Chaitin. Many of his papers
are available here.
- Kolmogorov
Complexity and Solomonoff Induction
- A web site with numerous references and links (some
expired) on the ideas of Kolmogorov and Solomonoff.
- The
Evolution of Improved Fitness
- An Talk Origins FAQ by Edward E. Max explaining how
evidence from molecular genetics provides evidence for
evolution
- Information
Theory Questions and Answers
- The Creationist Answers in GenesisFAQ on Information Theory
- Information,
Science and Biology
- An article by German information scientist and
creationist
Werner
Gitt, author of "In the Beginning was Information",
arguing that information in living systems must have been
created by Jesus Christ.
- A
Scientific Critique of Evolution
- An article by Israeli biophysicist, information
theorist and creationist Lee M. Spetner, author of "Not
by Chance", criticizing the Talk Origins FAQ by Dr. Max
- Intelligent
Design as a Theory of Information
- An article by American mathemetician and philosopher
William
Dembski, author of several books on Intelligent
Design.
|
Recently Creationists have taken to arguing that information in
the genome is evidence for special creation by an intelligent
designer (generally assumed to be God), and against evolution. A
common Creationist tactic is to ask: "do evolutionists have any
examples of mutations or evolutionary processes which have led to an
increase in genetic information?" But do they really know what they
are talking about?
It is easy to make false, scientific-sounding claims when
discussing complex ideas such as Information Theory. Readers should
suspicious of any writing on the subject that:
- Claims to provide a measure for meaning;
- Claims to to be based on both Classical (Shannon) and
Algorithmic (Chaitin-Kolmogorov) Information Theory (or neither);
- Claims to distinguish between random and non-random data;
- Proposes new theorems, principles, or laws without thoroughly
demonstrating their validity;
- Infers causality from correlation;
- Makes unsubstantiated claims about the probability of an
event; or
- Otherwise lacks mathematical rigor.
This series of articles provides a brief overview of
Classical Information Theory,
Algorithmic Information Theory, and
current Creationist arguments about information theory by
Gitt, Spetner, and
Dembski. Problems with the various
Creationist arguments are explained. The mathematical background for
Classical and Algorithmic Information Theory is not provided here; it
is quite detailed and on-line references are provided.
[next article]
[algoritmic information]
[gitt information]
[spetner information]
[Dembski information]
4/17/03