Of patterns and purpose

We have an extremely creative Designer who has orchestrated the laws of physics perfectly in order for us to have a very special place in our galaxy and solar system.  He planned for a mighty organic vessel to knit itself together around our intricate souls, so that we physically can discover and interact with the world that surrounds us.  For that purpose, the designer planned a flawless (though currently corrupted) interface - the human body.

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While pondering upon the beauty of snow crystals, it became obvious to me that the hexagonal shape plays an important role in many of the designer's projects.

  

Hexagonal structures are not only symmetrical they are extremely strong.  Snow crystals form when water evaporates into ice and their shapes vary, from what is known, depending on temperatures, pressure and water density (humidity) as they fall down towards Earth.  The author of these SEM photographs explains that snowflakes display a very "high degree of hexagonal structure and symmetry" with "additional ultrastructure" at even higher magnification.

Our arms and legs in the picture of my son above viewed as part of the whole design unquestionably display that functional pattern.  It is not the result of purposeless bottom-up evolution that our limbs enable us to create some thing as sophisticated as a Bugatti Veyron or a Space Station.  Much like these human engineered mechanical wonders allow us to travel on the ground at 248 mph (400km/h) and orbit the earth at 17,500 mph (28,163 km/h), the human body is top-down design at its best and there is unmistakably no room for chance in its execution.  Any amount of chance stifles purpose.  Each element is designed to work harmoniously with the other to fulfill the aforethought function.  The designer may reuse the same functional patterns in different designs.

This moth eye surface is another use of the shape.

 

Design occurs in the designer's consciousness from the top-down much like you plan a recipe, a family trip or the catching of mice. It is within this immaterial framework that the architect conceptualizes his blueprint which he eventually wills into existence.  What others have called irreducible complexity (Michael Behe), specified complexity, design inference, explanatory filter and empirical detectability of design (William Dembski), I call willed induction.



Even though the designer uses the same fundamental physical constants as instruments, and reuses the same pattern in many of his projects (much like you would reuse a switch in a Bugatti, a space station or your home), the fact that no two snowflakes that ever fell to the Earth, or DNA and consequently human beings are alike points to an unspeakable creativity.  Although computer modeling of snow crystals attempts to explain their formation, only a mind could transform water vapor into the fine wine of snow crystals. Right now what has me excited apart from their uniqueness is their hexagonal shapes.



For more study of snow crystals and amazing photographs, read Kenneth G. Libbrecht, in his very informative paper titled The physics of snow crystals where he comments, "explaining the physics behind the snow crystal morphology diagram, even at a qualitative level, continues to be a surprisingly elusive goal." (p.7).  His website on snow crystals at Caltech is probably the most thorough on the web.  There are many links there worth following.  You may also find Kepler's Discovery On the Six-Cornered Snowflake interesting.

Read Of patterns and purpose at Willed Induction in its intended format.