Michael Denton on the Primal Patterns That Govern Living Systems
On this classic ID The Future out of the vault, biochemist Dr. Michael Denton discusses the implications of recurring animal body plans, arguing that they are predetermined types that point away from purely mechanistic processes. He observes that structures like the insect body plan were fixed long ago and haven’t changed. He argues they are better understood as instances of predetermined type rather than collections of historical adaptations. This predetermination, he suggests, is the product of laws of form, which he finds inexplicable on a mechanistic view of nature.
Dr. Denton elaborates on the concept of “primal patterns” in living systems, a term he attributes to the 19th century biologist, comparative anatomist, and paleontologist Richard Owen. Primal patterns represent fundamental patterns or “types” that form the basis of the biological world. Denton views these as being part of the inherent natural order. He contrasts them with adaptations, which Owen referred to as “adaptive masks” built upon these underlying patterns. Denton provides several examples of what he considers primal patterns, including the insect body plan, the five-digit structure of the terrestrial limb, mammalian teeth systems, and more.
Denton argues that these non-adaptive, fixed patterns pose a significant challenge to the Darwinian worldview, which primarily focuses on adaptation and gradual change through natural selection. He finds it difficult to imagine how selection could focus on and change patterns without clear function. Even if one argues they were once adaptive, they would still need to explain why they were “mysteriously frozen” and never changed over vast periods. This problem, Denton notes, is largely ignored in modern biology and evolutionary biology textbooks.
Dig Deeper
- In The Miracle of Man, Dr. Denton argues that the cosmos is specifically fit for creatures like us. Learn more and get your copy!
- More conversation with Dr. Denton on ID The Future: