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Horses have
binocular
vision and a
blind area
directly in
front of them. |
Design
flaws |
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| Another way
to respond to the theory of intelligent design is to carefully
examine complex biological systems for errors that no
intelligent designer would have committed. Because
intelligent design works from a clean sheet of paper,
it should produce organisms that have been optimally designed
for the tasks they perform. Conversely, because evolution
is confined to modifying existing structures, it should
not necessarily produce perfection. Which is it? |
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| The eye,
that supposed paragon of intelligent design, offers an
answer. We have already sung the virtues of this extraordinary
organ, but we have not considered specific aspects of
its design, such as the neural wiring of its light-sensing
units. These photoreceptor cells, located in the retina,
pass impulses to a series of interconnecting cells that
eventually pass information to the cells of the optic
nerve, which leads to the brain. |
Light passes
through the lens
to the retina,
and then to the
brain. |
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An intelligent designer, working with the components
of this wiring, would choose the orientation that produces
the highest degree of visual quality. No one, for example,
would suggest that the neural connections should be
placed in front of the photoreceptor cells -- thus blocking
the light from reaching them -- rather than behind the
retina.
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