Week 6: Chapter 5 — The First Life: Natural Law or Divine Awe?

1.The authors shift from cosmological fine-tuning to biological information, arguing that the DNA molecule contains a 'language' with more information than an encyclopedia. Why does the presence of information — as opposed to mere chemical complexity — matter so much for this argument?

2.Geisler and Turek argue that natural law alone cannot account for the specified complexity of DNA. They compare it to the difference between a random rockslide producing letters on a hillside by accident versus someone carving them intentionally. What makes this analogy effective, and where might a critic push back on it?

3.The authors discuss the work of scientists like Francis Crick and Richard Dawkins — both committed atheists — who nonetheless used the language of design when describing biological systems. What does this tell us about the power of the evidence?