I think you are right, but overstating it. That is, the tree structure is an argument for “local only” communication, as you say, why don’t bird feet show up in any mammals and so on. Why are the changes across the tree incremental (which incrementalism is how we can connect adjacent nodes in the tree structure).
We do see a little bit of this in car designs. For modern cars one would have the major phyla which might be the brands, or possibly even the manufacturers. Within a given manufactured platform, there would be many similar offerings where the platform is adapted for different marketing organizations. Then somewhat more differentiation, the SUV model on some basic platform that also supports a 2 door and a 4 door, and so on. Then the more distant relationships with engines across different offerings, still limited (primarily) to within the manufacturers branches. Finally some features of engines like “hemi heads” on multiple chrysler engines, presumably some other features would be like this.
So yes, broad communication across all the individual types suggests a single intelligence reusing what it wants where it wants to. But we still have intelligent design in cars and something of a tree structure. So it doesn’t seem dispositive.
You can always do fast footwork and add epicycles, but by the time any theory predicts the observed tree structure as strongly as evolution does, it effectively is evolution. If the tree structure is not strong evidence for evolution, nothing is strong evidence for anything.
Cars are not tree-structured. There are a bunch of orthogonal variation dimensions. cars share frame technologies, engine technologies, tire technologies, etc. different companies have highly similar designs.
I think you are right, but overstating it. That is, the tree structure is an argument for “local only” communication, as you say, why don’t bird feet show up in any mammals and so on. Why are the changes across the tree incremental (which incrementalism is how we can connect adjacent nodes in the tree structure).
We do see a little bit of this in car designs. For modern cars one would have the major phyla which might be the brands, or possibly even the manufacturers. Within a given manufactured platform, there would be many similar offerings where the platform is adapted for different marketing organizations. Then somewhat more differentiation, the SUV model on some basic platform that also supports a 2 door and a 4 door, and so on. Then the more distant relationships with engines across different offerings, still limited (primarily) to within the manufacturers branches. Finally some features of engines like “hemi heads” on multiple chrysler engines, presumably some other features would be like this.
So yes, broad communication across all the individual types suggests a single intelligence reusing what it wants where it wants to. But we still have intelligent design in cars and something of a tree structure. So it doesn’t seem dispositive.
You can always do fast footwork and add epicycles, but by the time any theory predicts the observed tree structure as strongly as evolution does, it effectively is evolution. If the tree structure is not strong evidence for evolution, nothing is strong evidence for anything.
Cars are not tree-structured. There are a bunch of orthogonal variation dimensions. cars share frame technologies, engine technologies, tire technologies, etc. different companies have highly similar designs.