Monthly Archives: October 2008
Is THIS your best shot? A response to New Scientist’s recent hit piece on non-materialist neuroscientists
| October 31, 2008 | Posted by O'Leary under Intelligent Design |
A few days ago, a friend alerted me to an interesting development: In its Perspectives section, New Scientist – the National Enquirer of popular science magazines – had published a hit piece on the non-materialist neuroscientists, including Mario Beauregard, my lead author on The Spiritual Brain. (“Creationists declare war over the brain” Amanda Gefter, 22… more
Selected moments from the Beyond the Mind-Body Problem symposium – morning
| October 31, 2008 | Posted by O'Leary under Intelligent Design |
“Mind-Body Connections: How Does Consciousness Shape the Brain?”, the morning panel of the Beyond the Mind-Body Problem symposium (September 11, 2008), sponsored by the Nour Foundation, UN-DESA, and the Université de Montréal, featured some interesting exchanges featuring a number of non-materialist neuroscientists. Non-materialist neuroscientists think that your mind is real and that it helps shape… more
McDowell-Dembski Tag Team
| October 28, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Intelligent Design |
Sean McDowell and I did a tag team event in Southern California this weekend. For a description and audio, go here. The focus was on our book Understanding Intelligent Design. more
How to Be an Intellectually Fulfilled Atheist (Or Not)
| October 27, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Atheism, Darwinism, Intelligent Design |
It’s out! To order go here. Book Description: Although atheism might have been logically tenable before Darwin, writes Richard Dawkins, Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist. This little book shows that atheism must seek intellectual fulfillment elsewhere decisively demonstrating the need for intelligence in explaining life’s origin. This is the best… more
Doing Science Backwards?
| October 25, 2008 | Posted by Dave S. under Intelligent Design |
I just read an Insights article in the July 2008 edition of Scientific American. In a nutshell, biochemist Jeremy Nicholson billed as one of the world’s foremost experts on the metabolome (the collection of chemicals in the body which are byproducts of metabolic processes) is screening thousands of individuals to establish baseline amounts of different… more
Materialist death watch: Is Steve Pinker also among the prophets?
| October 24, 2008 | Posted by O'Leary under Atheism, Culture, Intelligent Design, Philosophy |
Things are changing. Just recently, Richard Dawkins conceded that a serious case can be made for a deistic God. (= A God Who Used To Be There) Plus, Tom Wolfe has distanced himself from “Sorry, but your soul just died.” Apparently, it didn’t die, despite everything you did to kill it. Now, Harvard cognitive psychologist… more
Expelled DVD # 1 in documentaries, #11 in DVDs
| October 23, 2008 | Posted by O'Leary under Intelligent Design |
The Expelled DVD was released October 21, distributed by Vivendi. When I checked early that morning (around 3:30 am), it was doing well for a documentary about the intelligent design guys that almost every legacy film pundit knew he had a duty to trash - if he was going to eat lunch again in Shallow Waters.… more
Dawkins vs Lennox – Oxford University Debate
| October 23, 2008 | Posted by Steno under Intelligent Design |
Melanie Phillips, writing in the Spectator, offers her thoughts on the second debate between John Lennox and Richard Dawkins; this one held at Oxford University Natural History Museum – Tuesday evening 21st October 2008. Melanie Phillips asks – Is Richard Dawkins Still Evolving? and makes some pertinent points of her own. Science and Values more
Focusing on ID at UD
| October 23, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Intelligent Design |
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The presidential election has loomed large here at UD over the past several weeks. After discussion with key UD administrators, we’ve agreed to set the election aside and put the focus here back on ID (and on topics directly pertinent to ID). Short of the presidential candidates raising ID, the election will no longer be… more
Atheist Anti-God Ad Campaign in England
| October 23, 2008 | Posted by GilDodgen under Atheism |
Our good friend Richard Dawkins is on the march once again: The sides of some of London’s red buses will soon carry ads asserting there is “probably no God,” as nonbelievers fight what they say is the preferential treatment given to religion in British society. Organizers of a campaign to raise funds for the ads… more
Back at Baylor talkin’ ID
| October 23, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Intelligent Design |
I was back at Baylor on Tuesday talking about ID. For the school newspaper article reporting on the event, go here. more
EXPELLED “Superbundle” through ARN
| October 21, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Intelligent Design |
Ben Stein’s EXPELLED is finally out today on DVD. If you want to get it as well as a bunch of other nifty ID videos and Jerry Bergman’s new book, click here. Here’s a description of the superbundle: EXPELLED DVD and Super Bundle Available at ARN The EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed DVD featuring Ben Stein… more
Forget about global warming again? Me too…
| October 20, 2008 | Posted by Dave S. under Off Topic, Science |
Easy enough to do when like true things that are real problems are happening. Nevertheless, we have a definite climate trend emerging – more and more climate scientists are admitting anthropogenic global warming is a bunch of crap. Read about some of them: Lorne Gunter: Thirty years of warmer temperatures go poof More goodies below… more
Liberal fascism: What it is and why you should care
| October 20, 2008 | Posted by O'Leary under Intelligent Design |
Recently, I read a book by an American political analyst Jonah Goldberg, Liberal Fascism, which helped me understand a political landscape that I have watched with growing concern: increasingly authoritarian government and increasingly supine citizens. Culturally, it reached the point recently where the term denialist began to characterize anyone who departs from a consensus –… more
Don McLeroy’s Full Op-Ed
| October 19, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Intelligent Design |
It appears that the Waco Tribune abridged Don McLeroy’s op-ed on Texas science standards (that piece was cited a few posts back). Here is the full op-ed (reprinted with Don McLeroy’s permission): Don McLeroy, guest column: Biology standards and reasonable doubts Sunday, October 19, 2008 COLLEGE STATION — Science education has become a culture-war issue.… more
Darwin, check your mail. Texas needs you.
| October 19, 2008 | Posted by O'Leary under Intelligent Design |
(I submitted this op-ed to the Austin American-Statesman, but – in their wisdom – they decided not to print it. So I am simply posting it here.): When I first heard that a group of professors who say they speak for 800 Texas scientists “is challenging the idea that discussion of the weaknesses of evolutionary… more
The Miller-Urey Experiment — The Gift That Keeps Giving
| October 19, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Intelligent Design |
Jeffrey Bada inherits Stanley Miller’s “scientific posessions” and finds untold riches … click here for article in WIRED SCIENCE If you want the truth about Miller-Urey, which was a bridge to nowhere, see my forthcoming book with Jonathan Wells: HOW TO BE AN INTELLEC-TUALLY FULFILLED ATHEIST (OR NOT) — this book is about the origin… more
Lactose digestion in E. coli
| October 19, 2008 | Posted by Dave S. under Intelligent Design |
Remember the big stir about Lenski’s 20 year experiment with E. coli where the bugs “evolved” the ability to digest lactose citrate and this was touted as overwhelming evidence of evolution? And remember our response that until the mechanism behind it was discovered that it might not be much “evolution” at all? As usual, we… more
Don McLeroy on Looming Battle over Texas Science Standards
| October 19, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Intelligent Design |
Don McLeroy, who heads the Texas State Board of Eduction, has an editorial in my local paper: …Texas is adopting new science standards. Scientists representing evolutionists and calling themselves the 21st Century Science Coalition say that creationists on the State Board of Education will inject religion into the science classroom. Should they be concerned? No.… more
Weasel Ware at EvoInfo.org
| October 19, 2008 | Posted by William Dembski under Intelligent Design |
I share concerns expressed here that this blog is becoming too political. I’m of a mixed mind about this. I see the upcoming presidential election as pivotal for our nation and for the place of ID in the wider culture (I foresee an Edwards v. Aguillard type case going against ID if Obama gets to… more