Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

New book: “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Intelligent Design”

December 5, Penguin is coming out with The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Intelligent Design .Author Christopher Carlisle is the Episcopal Chaplain at the University of Massachusetts and W. Thomas Jr.l, is a freelance writer. Intelligent Design is one of the hottest issues facing parents and educators to day, but it can be hard to separate the facts from the heated rhetoric. This expert and objective guide gets to the bottom of the questions: What is Intelligent Design? Should it replace or complement traditional science? What’s all the fuss about? • Explains the terms, the controversy, and the involvement of the American courts • Indispensable guide for concerned educators and parents • Written by an expert in the field I wonder Read More ›

Thinkquote of the day: Nobel laureates on evolution

Why there is an intelligent design controversy, reason xxx xxx xxx …. Logically derived from confirmable evidence, evolution is understood to be the result of an unguided, unplanned process of random variation and natural selection. [ … ] Differences exist between scientific and spiritual world views, but there is no need to blur the distinction between the two. Nor is there need for conflict between the theory of evolution and religious faith. Science and faith are not mutually exclusive. Neither should feel threatened by the other. – 39 Nobel laureates writing writing to the Kansas State Board of Education , via the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: Nobel Laureates Initiative (September 9, 2005) Toss this one in the “why the intelligent Read More ›

David vun Kannon’s question on the rift between ID and Creationist communities

The readers at Uncommon Descent are often a good source of feedback for the topics which interest them. To that end, I’d like to address a question asked by one of our readers, David vun Kannon, about the rift between ID and Creationist communities.
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Pro-ID geneticist Maciej Giertych in his own words

Since Bill posted a little bit about Maciej Giertych in Evolution — No longer inspiring the confidence it once did, I thought I’d take the opportunity to highlight Maciej’s own saga. He details it in his review of Creation Rediscovered, by Gerard J. Keane

Sometime in 1955, when I was taking Honor Moderations in Science (Botany, Chemistry and Geology) at Oxford University, the O. U. Biology Club announced a lecture against the theory of Evolution. The largest auditorium in the Biology Labs was filled to capacity. When the speaker was introduced (I regret I do not remember his name), it turned out he was an octogenarian with a Ph.D. in biology from Cambridge, obtained in the 19th century.

He spoke fervently against the theory of Evolution, defending what was for us an obviously indefensible position. He did not convince anybody with his antique arguments; he did not understand the questions that were fired at him; he rejected science as we knew it. We all had a good laugh hearing this dinosaur. He fought for his convictions against a sophisticated scientific environment, deaf to any opinions inspired by religious beliefs. Today his views are being vindicated by new evidence from natural sciences. May his soul rest in peace.

In 1955, like all in my generation, I was fully convinced that Evolution was an established biological fact. The evidence was primarily paleontological. We were taught how to identify geological strata with the help of fossils, specific for a given epoch. The rocks were dated by the fossils, the fossils by the strata. A lecturer in stratigraphy, when asked during a field trip how the strata were dated, explained that we know the rate of current sedimentation, the depths of strata and thus the age of rocks. In any case, there are new isotopic techniques that confirm all this. This sounded very scientific and convincing.
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Evolution — No longer inspiring the confidence it once did

I just received this press release. I want to encourage conversation here about its accuracy and significance. PRESS RELEASE Wednesday, October 11th was an historic day in the life of the European Parliament. Polish member of the European Parliament, Maciej Giertych, retired head of the Genetics Department of the Polish Academy of Science, and father of Polish Deputy Prime Minister, Roman Giertych, introduced a public seminar on the General Theory of Evolution to fellow MEP’s. Professor Giertych questioned the value of teaching a continually falsified hypothesis – macroevolution – to students throughout Europe, as well as pointing out its lack of usefulness in regard to scientific endeavour. Professor Giertych introduced the subject by relating how his children had returned home Read More ›

The Groupthink Syndrome

Read the following and ask yourself which side in the ID vs. Darwinism debate exhibits the groupthink syndrome: The groupthink syndrome: Review of the major symptoms Source: http://www.swans.com/library/art9/xxx099.html In order to test generalization about the conditions that increase the chances of groupthink, we must operationalize the concept of groupthink by describing the symptoms to which it refers. Eight main symptoms run through the case studies of historic fiascoes. Each symptom can be identified by a variety of indicators, derived from historical records, observer’s accounts of conversations, and participants’ memoirs. The eight symptoms of groupthink are: 1. an illusion of invulnerability, shared by most or all the members, which creates excessive optimism and encourages taking extreme risks; 2. collective efforts to Read More ›

Thinkquote of the day: On the right to hear both sides

Mike S. Adams, a prof who boldly attacks the stifling sanctimony that overwhelms our culture, writes, In the famous 1925 Scopes “monkey” trial, Clarence Darrow stated: “For God’s sake, let the children have their minds kept open – close no doors to their knowledge; shut no door from them. Make a distinction between theology and science. Let them have both. Let them be taught. Let them both live.” Have you ever met a 21st Century liberal who believes that both evolution and creation should be taught in schools? Or do they say “Let them have only one”? Of course they say today, let them have only one – only ours. Many contemporaries who think of themselves as liberals are not Read More ›

Wells vs. Shermer at Cato Institute

On October 12, Jonathan Wells spoke opposite Skeptic magazine editor Michael Shermer at the Cato Institute in Washington, DC. Shermer was promoting his new book, Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design, and Wells was promoting his book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design.

Shermer appears to be a favorite of the Cato Institute. In his book he writes (on p. 138): “Evolution [by which he means a blind materialistic form of it] provides a scientific foundation for the core values shared by most Christians and conservatives, and by accepting — and embracing — the theory of evolution, Christians and conservatives strengthen their religion, their politics, and science itself.”

At this event, Shermer spoke first, then Wells followed. Wells’s prepared remarks are given below. Shermer and Wells then answered questions from the audience. The event was filmed by C-Span Book Channel, and is scheduled to air on TV next weekend, October 21-22. Read More ›

GMU Provost hosts The Language of God 7:30pm Wednesday, October 18, 2006

December 2, 2005, the day after Eugenie Scott gave a talk Why Scientists Reject ID at GMU under the Provost’s sponsorship, I was providently invited to have tea with the Provost and had the opportunity to give him the pro-ID side of the story before a public gathering of Asian students. I presented a copy of Privileged Planet to him.
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Bergman’s Dissent from Darwin List at 3,000-10,000

(thank you to Denyse O’Leary for finding this and reporting it at ARN)

If one combines Discovery Institute’s list of dissenters from Darwin along with other lists (such as that maintained by ICR), one can create a list about 20 times as large as the Dicovery Institute’s list. Bergman estimates he could easily get 10,000 names. He has in the interim published 3,000 names.

There are many PhD’s whom I wish were on the DI’s list but are only on the ICR list. For example:

Kelly Hollowell, JD, PhD in Molecular Biology
Georgia Purdom, PhD in Molecular Biology

Then there are some indpendents like my favorite scientist, Walter Brown, PhD MIT, who is on no one’s list! He’s the greatest YEC on Earth, and he’s on no one’s list (sniff). These examples underscore the fact there is still a bit of a rift between the Creationist communities and the ID communities, and even competing creationist communities (like Brown’s CFCS and John Morris’ ICR).
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The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science

Check out this great looking website (if only the content matched in quality): http://richarddawkins.net. Anybody who is willing and able to upgrade the look, feel, and functionality of this site (Uncommon Descent) to match that of the Dawkins site will receive three of my books autographed. What a deal. Think it over.

Michael Shermer and Salvador Cordova on the SciPhi Show

Here is a wonderful internet radio show with a special segment called “outcasts”. Michael Shermer and several Discovery Institute fellows and myself (for the IDEA Center) were interviewed. Michael Shermer and I were given opportunities to offer our opposing viewpoints on ID. Here are links: Salvador Cordova on ID (IDEA Center) vs. Michael Shermer on ID (Skeptic Society) Of note, Discovery Institute Fellows and ID proponents also appeared on other shows: William Lane Craig (Discovery Institute) Wesley J. Smith on Bioethics (Discovery Institute) Alvin Platinga (possibly Michael Behe in the future!) Be sure to visit: http://www.thesciphishow.com/