Continuous orderly creation vs evolution based on randomness
On Feb 16, 2025, the I-SHARPE Club hosted Dr Ilhan Akan for a talk entitled “Continuous Orderly Creation, Not Evolution”. Philosphers, theists, and theologians across different traditions have wrestled with the reconciliation of God as Creator vs natural selection based on Darwinian set-and-forget competition of genomes in a brutal war of survival and extinction. Dr Akan received his PhD in biology from Temple University and then spent many years as post doctoral fellow at the NIH, and then as staff scientist at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. His work centered on DNA sequencing using next generation sequencing methods and genomics. He is currently a Senior Staff Fellow and Reviewer for the FDA. He also is a scientific contributor for journals and organizations focused on Muslim life in America, including the Yaqeen Institute and MYNA.
DNA, RNA and protein…which came first? A bit of a chicken-and-egg problem….
Dr Akan spoke first on the central dogma of life, which is that DNA is the source, and proteins are the effectors, and RNA is the intermediary. However, this creates a bit of a conundrum in that DNA replication requires protein effectors such as polymerases, helicaases etc. However, proteins are themselves products of DNA. So this creates a chicken and an egg problem of what came first, protein chains or nucleic acid chains? Dr Akan further went on to describe a fundamental mystery that still exists: how do macromolecules of any type become self interested and self sustaining (ie avoiding noxious stimuli, seeking new macromolecules for sustenance) and then an even further step of realizing the value of self replication (which doesn’t confer any particular advantage to the individual). We also discussed the problem on homology in DNA sequences and protein products across living things (ie yeast and zebrafish share homology and homologous proteins with humans). To this Dr Akan suggested that while the conventional understanding of this is that implicates a common ancestor, it could also be viewed as evidence of a common Creator. We then discussed the proposition of Intelligent Design as advanced primarily by Christian thinkers, scientists and theologians. We discussed the limitations of the different variants of ID.
The chicken and egg problem exists at the cellular level too…
My own takeaway from the discussion was that we may not have all the answers, and that is okay. Understanding the models that explain life and their limitations is good enough. The reality and unchanging nature of human nature will still necessitate the wisdom of religious tradition and benefits of the “love of wisdom” ie Philosophia.
