Can Darwinism Explain the Language of Life?

Language of Life

In this recent episode of the Discovery Institute’s ID the Future podcast, Dr. Jonathan Wells brings to light some interesting information (no pun intended) about the genetic code that is foundational to cellular life. He explains how this specified information, this language, cannot be explained by random mutation and natural selection for the same reason that randomly shaking up a bunch of letters and throwing them out on the floor randomly would not produce a Shakespearean play. Random, unguided processes do not produce long strains of specified information; nonetheless, specified information is exactly what we find in our genetic code.

Notice first how this research is not an argument based on blind faith, but on following the evidence where it leads. Even while many people argue that science is slowly and surely explaining God and design out of the picture of the universe, the actual evidence shows that Darwinian naturalism cannot explain the foundation of life.

Furthermore, the inference to intelligent design seems to be the most reasonable interpretation of the evidence. Wells notes that the only known cause of long chains of specified information is intelligence. Is it not then at least plausible to propose an intelligent cause for the specified information in our genetic code? This evidence seems to suggest that a greater being had us in mind.

Jonathan says:

“The only known cause in our experience of large amounts of information such as we find in the cell… is intelligence.