I have written previously about the groundbreaking research of engineering professor Stuart Burgess that has demonstrated the exquisite design behind human anatomy (see here, here, and here). Dr. Burgess has compiled many of the best examples in his new book, out today for Darwin Day, the birthday of Charles Darwin: Ultimate Engineering: How Human Biomechanics Reveals Intelligent Design. This book not only dismantles claims that the human body often appears poorly designed, but it also demonstrates that human anatomy displays ingenuity and efficiencies far superior to the best creations of human engineers.
Evolutionary Expectations
The significance of this work cannot be overstated. Both evolutionists and design proponents have long acknowledged that one of the most reliable, arguably the most reliable, criterion for distinguishing between the two frameworks is whether living systems exhibit poor, suboptimal design or exquisite design. Burgess quotes many evolutionists making this very point:
Why do evolutionary theorists so often anticipate bad design? Because the evolutionary mechanism — as understood by both Darwin and by modern evolutionary theorists — is highly constrained. As Duke University professor of biology Steven Vogel put it, “The dazzling diversity of the living world too easily disguises the fact that the evolutionary process faces constraints far more severe than anything impeding human designers.”
Compare that with this statement by biologist Nathan Lents in his book Human Errors: A Panorama of Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes:
In humans, the vertebral disks are in an arrangement that is optimal for knuckle-draggers, not upright walkers…. Our ancestors began walking upright about six million years ago. It was one of the first physical changes as they diverged from other apes. It’s disappointing, although not altogether surprising, that human anatomy has not had time to catch up and complete this adaptation.
The evolutionary reasoning is straightforward. Evolution can only modify existing structures, which are typically based on a design logic not ideal for new functions. In addition, even minor alterations involving only a few mutations can require enormous amounts of time. In contrast, intelligent agents can start with whatever design logic is best to achieve future goals, and they can complete complex projects in short timeframes.
Ultimate Engineering
After contrasting the divergent expectations of the two frameworks, Burgess shows that claims of poor design consistently collapse under close inspection. For example, the assertion that the human spine is suboptimal for upright walking is untrue. On the contrary, the spine is so well optimized that “engineers are using the human spine as inspiration for the design of the advanced bridges of tomorrow.” Rather than arising from empirical evidence, evolutionary critiques largely reflect the projection of anti-teleological expectations onto the biology.
Burgess goes much further by demonstrating that human anatomical structures appear was well designed as theoretically possible. His own research proved that knee joint geometry and supporting structures are optimally designed to achieve multiple objectives:
- High load-bearing capacity,
- Large range of motion,
- High mechanical advantage,
- Longevity.
The same holds true for other structure such as the ankle-foot complex. These and many other examples illustrate beyond reasonable doubt that the human body does not bear the marks of a jury-rigged system constrained by blind tinkering. Instead, it displays the hallmarks of the supreme engineer.
Ultimate Engineering does more than simply refute iconic evolutionary critiques; it challenges a foundational prediction of the evolutionary framework itself. If poor design is expected and optimal design is routinely observed, then the inference to intelligent design is the only conclusion that follows the evidence where it naturally leads.