Row and Bee

Author notes

Atomic Number Change Operation

Kilre

on Nov. 19, 2009

Apologies to anyone that is offended by mention of an atom "cross-dressing" and the like; I'm using it as a metaphor to attempt to, at least for myself, explain how I view creationists labeling carbon as irreducibly complex. Aside from the concept of irreducible complexity being roughly equivalent to bemoaning how well aligned the atoms in a crystal happen to be, which, if you've had some geology and chemistry training, you realize it's not that improbable at all, it's refreshing to know that creationists are still sticking to the same arguments, though it's becoming déjà vu, because we've seen all this same shit dozens of times before.

Why, though, Bergman, in his debate with PZ Myers, decided to bring up how complex carbon atoms are, and how irreducible they appear to be, at least to him, is beyond me. Swap an electron or a proton out, or add more, and suddenly carbon becomes boron, or nitrogen; add neutrons and it becomes unstable. Bergman should go back to basic chemistry; this is like watching a dog attempt to perform the Star-Spangled Banner.