[net.origins] Too complex or not too complex

hua@cmu-cs-edu1.ARPA (Ernest Hua) (05/05/85)

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> { from: Paul Dubois }
> 
> Maybe you can't explain the increase in complexity (now).  Fine.  It
> cannot be required that one be able to answer all questions at the
> present moment.  But if you say that you don't even *have* to explain it,
> then I think one might reasonably object.

As I have said numerous times before, "complex" is a subjective term.
How would one objectively define "complex"?  By the number of chromosomes?
By the number of body parts?  By the variety of cells?  By birth date?
The argument is not so difficult on vastly different organisms (e.g. between
a rabbit and a bacterium), but can one say that all cats are of the same
complexity?  How about all birds?  Just how are you answering these questions?
Via personal judgement?  It is certainly legitimate to say that biological
evolutionary theory does not have to account for complexity since there is
no objective way to measure complexity.
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Live long and prosper.
Keebler { hua@cmu-cs-gandalf.arpa }