Why would the Cosmic Designer or Cosmic Gardener work in this way? While empirical observations should not immediately be translated into explanations, there is more sense to such a method than is implied by the coin example. The coin example presents only two stark choices for each coin and the end result is very fixed and invariant. However, if there were more than one option for each element and if we did not require all the elements to go to only one solution then we would see the openness in the system.

We can illustrate this with a slightly modified thought experiment. Assume we have 320,000 or so pixels instead of 1000 coins. Each one can flip to any of three colors. We arrange these as you would on a VGA monitor with 480 rows of 640 pixels. If each second then flips randomly it is guaranteed that all you will have is a gray screen filled with what engineers refer to as "noise". However, if I let the pixels flip randomly but start applying rules such as holding still pixels that have neighbors of the same color I will suddenly have interesting shapes of different colors emerging on the screen. I can extend, manage and control such interventions to produce very pleasing aesthetic results. I would in this sense be acting as a gardener instead of a designer. Here is an example of random processes producing interesting outcomes that are surprising to the "gardener". There is an interesting interaction here between a form of initiative on the part of the random processes and the desires and control of the gardener.

The next example is more concrete. I take this example from what we understand of the actual process of evolution in human cognitive terms. I would like to compare the human brain with that of our nearest neighbor along the genetic evolutionary line: the chimpanzee. There are many, extremely complex innate advances present in the human brain relative to that of the chimpanzee. By innate, I mean a capability that it is not learnt but rather is found in essentially identical form in all human beings.

Now the human line diverged from that of the chimpanzees around 3-5 million years ago. Taking a generation to be about 25 years this represents no more than 200,000 generations. This is an absurdly small number of generations given the vast advances involved. However, that is just a psychological statement. A billion generations is also absurdly small but we tend to have more respect for numbers like a billion.

I use the example of the human brain because the advances we are talking about can easily be compared to computer programs or software even though the capabilities of the most complex human programs written to date don't even come close to those of the human brain itself. The simplest of our cognitive processes might be simulated by many millions of independent elements that need to be in exact order. This dwarfs even our 1000-coin example in terms of the impossibility of random process.

However, let's assume we can talk about building up a cognitive function out of very simple cognitive sub-functions that each confers the slightest tiny survival advantage to any ape that happens to have been blessed with such a capability. Let's further make the absurd assumption that such a minute cognitive capability – the smallest and simplest possible that still makes some difference can be represented by 1000 neurons wired in the right way.¹

We already know that there is no chance on any planet in the universe that such a cognitive function should appear randomly. However, what if some ape is born with a few neurons in the right state. Now this neuron arrangement, or in fact, any of the incomplete sequence, is of no survival advantage. That is because we defined the complete sequence as the minimum to provide any survival advantage – even if it is as slight an advantage as possible. So there is no reason that this individual will survive rather than any other and so after a few descendents the configuration disappears from the gene pool. This is the equivalent of some coins flipping heads up but over time the coins are flipped again and rearrange.

However, instead, the Cosmic Gardener knows that the way to win the 1000-coin game is to prevent the coins that are already in the right configuration from staying in the random game of arrangement and rearrangement. These coins must be held still as the other coins keep flipping. So without any external survival advantage, the Gardener will see to it that this ape and his descendents will perpetuate these special genes. Over time other apes, whether descendents or potential mates, will randomly develop other pieces of the sequence. These too will be preserved. Eventually, the sequence will complete and one ape will gain the cognitive function. Of course, as we all know, some slight advantage is often blown away by the other, far more significant survival factors. Being a tiny bit more intelligent does nothing for you when you catch some variant of a terrible plague and die along with most of your tribe. However, in this case this new ape just will survive and prosper and another piece will fit into the overall cognitive constellation that we will eventually know as humanity.