Does the second law of thermodynamics pose a problem for evolution? Daniel Styer doesn't think so. In fact, in a recent paper he found that any entropy decrease here on Earth due to evolution would have been dwarfed by the entropy increase of solar radiation contributing to the cosmic microwave background. He writes:

Presumably the entropy of the Earth’s biosphere is indeed decreasing by a tiny amount due to evolution, and the entropy of the cosmic microwave background is increasing by an even greater amount to compensate for that decrease. But the decrease in entropy required for evolution is so small compared to the entropy throughput that would occur even if the Earth were a dead planet, or if life on Earth were not evolving, that no measurement would ever detect it.

In other words, entropy is a non issue. In fact, Styer shows it is a non issue by 12 orders of magnitude (it is actually 14 orders of magnitude but Styer makes a calculation error). How does he arrive at this conclusion? Styer compares individuals separated by 100 years and uses a factor of 1000 times reduction in microstates. This nicely turns out to solve the problem.

Interestingly Styer says his selection of a reduction factor of 1000 is "very generous." One can hardly argue with that. Am I 1000 times less likely than my great grandfather? Of course not.

But why not go further to strengthen the case? Styer could increase the factor to 100000 or 10^6, or 10^12, or 10^50, or 10^99, or ..., without harming the case. With Styer's method one could assume individuals separated by 100 years have a reduction in microstates that is tens or hundreds of orders of magnitude beyond Styer's "very generous" assumption. Styer could have made a "very, very, very, very, very ... generous" assumption and still reveal entropy to be a non issue.

But of course this would have revealed the silliness. Every individual, in every species, for all history could be 10^99 more improbable than an individual from a century earlier, and you're nowhere close to a problem. Amazing what a little sunlight does.

It's no secret that evolutionists insist evolution is a fact. They disagree amongst themselves about the theory of evolution but they agree about the fact of evolution. If there is one point of agreement within evolution-dom, it is that evolution is a scientific fact. This proclamation runs all through the literature. From the popular articles and books to textbooks, evolutionists constantly reassure themselves their idea is beyond a shadow of a doubt. You can read more about this here. But when you ask real evolutionistists about this, a funny thing happens.

The fact of evolution is so overwhelmingly established, explained Harvard's Ernst Mayr, that it would be irrational to call it a theory. Comparisons to the roundness of the earth, gravity, and heliocentrism are typical. Sure this existence could all be a dream, but aside from such philosophical conundrums, evolution is clearly a fact.

This evolutionary drumbeat is constant, but when I ask evolutionists about this monumental claim, they suddenly become circumspect. Repeatedly in discussions and debates, evolutionists strangely never seem to sign up to this claim.

You don't understand what we mean by "fact," you don't understand evolution, and you don't understand science, are typical retorts. Suddenly, I am the one who is to blame for their absurdity. But I am merely asking them to reaffirm the holy creed. I am not using the words "fact," "evolution," or "science" any differently.

Or sometimes they avoid the question altogether. In any case, the contrast is deafening. After shouting dogmatic claims of facthood through their megaphone, when personally asked for an account they suddenly become sheepish. All is suddenly quiet.

When confronted, no one seems actually to agree with the party line. But of course in their circles, no one disagrees. It is a position of convenience.