The theory of evolution would be mathematically impossible. Is this correct?

Answer

No, this is not correct at all. All physical laws comply with mathematical principles, including the physical and biological laws that form the basis of evolution, and therefore also the theory of evolution. This argument that the theory of evolution is mathematically impossible mainly refers to the misinterpretation or application of probability to the theory of evolution.

A frequently quoted example is that of a scrap yard with parts from a Boeing 747, where it is said that the chance is infinitely small that if a hurricane raged through it, those parts would fall into place in such a way that there would be another Boeing standing there again. can fly. The same reasoning would then, according to those who claim it, also be applicable for the origin of an organism that is also built up of very many parts. You can talk about the numerous cells that make up an organism, or even the many and complex molecules that make up a cell.

Well, the two errors in this statement that this would be mathematically impossible are the following:

(1) Even in the case of that boeing, it is indeed very unlikely that a boeing would be there again after a hurricane, but that does not imply that it is impossible. So, if you extend that to living organisms in the same way, it’s unlikely but not impossible. The chance of winning the lotto three weeks in a row is also very unlikely, but not impossible.

(2) The big flaw in that reasoning is that the example of the hurricane and the boeing parts is not comparable to an organism (or a cell) created in the course of evolution. Evolution goes hand in hand with selection! In other words, not everything will be compatible with everything in a completely arbitrary way. Only certain combinations will allow an organism or a cell to function, and thus survive to make offspring. If you wanted to extend the analogy to a machine (like a boeing), for example, you could take a set of parts that contains a metal element and a magnet, among all sorts of other parts. If you chase a hurricane through that, the chance that that metal will end up on that magnet is not as small as that metal would end up on a piece of plastic. In other words, the chance that two randomly chosen parts of that boeing would be combined, should a process like evolution be behind it, is not the same for any set of parts. Only those combinations that allow the organism to function and survive will be preserved. The chance that these combinations arise, and will be passed on to the offspring, is therefore more likely than that other random combinations arise. An additional point is that an offspring has largely the same genetic code as its parents. In other words, the chance that a human being is born with feathers on it is statistically much smaller than the chance that a human being is born with hair on the face (like some apes).