Uncommon Descent

Archive for the 'Evolution' Category

11 May 2008

Darwin Correspondence Project

Mario A. Lopez

From Darwin and design: historical essay:
“The only distinct meaning of the word ‘natural’ is stated , fixed or settled ; since what is natural as much requires and presupposes an intelligent agent to render it so, i.e. to effect it continually or at stated times, as what is supernatural or miraculous does to effect it […]

6 May 2008

Who’s in it for the money?

William Dembski

Critics of the ID movement often complain that we’re fabulously well funded by right-wing extremists and in it for our own aggrandizement. Fortunately, money leaves a trail. When one follows it, Darwinists seem to be doing much better financially than ID theorists (perhaps an indication that they are serving Mammon more faithfully). Let’s consider a […]

3 May 2008

Gambler’s ruin is Darwin’s ruin

scordova

The same day I first watched “Expelled” in theaters, I also watched the movie “21″. The movie “21″ is based on the true story of MIT students who made a fortune in Las Vegas casinos through the use of mathematics.
The real story behind the movie began with an associate of Claude Shannon by the […]

29 April 2008

Derbyshire reviews (and seems to have read) Berlinski

William Dembski

Derbyshire continues to embarrass himself — it’s as though on the topic of ID and God his emotions take over and he can’t think straight. I’ll spare you his review and simply quote Berlinski’s response, which skillfully shuts him down with very few words:
[From] David Berlinski:
1 If I remark that no sane man would […]

26 April 2008

Weikart-Ruse Debate in STANFORD REVIEW

William Dembski

This just published at the STANFORD REVIEW:
The Impact of Darwinism
By Tristan Abbey
With the premiere of Ben Stein’s new movie, Expelled, many people are pondering the long-term impact of Darwinism on society. We touched base with two experts on the subject. Arguing that Darwinism has had a largely positive impact on society is Michael Ruse, the […]

18 April 2008

What’s wrong with uttering “Darwin” and “Hitler” in the same breath?

William Dembski

The demise of religion is for Steven Weinberg the most important contribution of science.

18 April 2008

“Non-essential” genes give robust growth

DLH

Research often shows no apparent effect (phenotype) of deleting most genes. Hillenmeyer et al now find that 97% of yeast genes have an important biological function. Optimal growth requires nearly all genes in absence of “rich” medium in the lab. Sounds like robust design.

17 April 2008

Misleading Evolutionary Myths & Misconceptions - New Scientist

DLH

Per recommendations, here is a separate thread on:
Michael Le Page weighing in at New Scientist with:
Evolution: 24 myths and misconceptions
18:00 16 April 2008
He provides the mother pie statement that:
Darwin presented compelling evidence for evolution in On the Origin and, since his time, the case has become overwhelming. . . . Evolution is as firmly […]

16 April 2008

Darwin and the Nazis

DLH

Richard Weikart summarizes his devastating research into the Darwinian foundations of Nazis - and the continuation of those themes by modern evolutionists.
———————————————
Darwin and the Nazis
By Richard Weikart Published 4/16/2008 12:07:03 AM American Spectator

Richard Dawkins, PZ Myers, and some other Darwinists are horrified that the forthcoming documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, will […]

13 April 2008

Repeat after me: “this has nothing to do with my views on religion”

William Dembski

[[This blast from the past was originally published here at UD 25oct06. With EXPELLED coming out so soon and given Dawkins’s prominent role in it, I thought it worth moving to the top of the stack (blogs have the data structure of a push-down stack). –WmAD]]
Last night Richard Dawkins did a reading from his new […]

4 April 2008

Fisher’s Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection: the death sentence for Darwinism

scordova

Consider the following claims:

Darwinism requires that the Fundamental Theorem [of Natural Selection] does not apply most of the time.
Walter ReMine
Biotic Message

and

a relative lack of natural selection may be the prerequisite for major evolutionary advance
Mae Wan Ho
Beyond neo-Darwinism

and

Concerning this theory [Darwinian evolution], I believe that we might question (or at least note) the following:
….
(10) The […]

1 April 2008

Proteins essential to species differentiation- evolved or designed?

DLH

Researchers have discovered two proteins essential for reproductive cells to latch onto each other and then to fuse. Changing at least one of these proteins appears to prevent species from interbreeding. This appears to open up a way to stop malaria. A new species would appear to require at least two changed genes, one for […]

31 March 2008

Jonathan Wells reviews Francis Collins

William Dembski

Here’s the conclusion of Jonathan Wells’s review of Francis Collins’s THE LANGUAGE OF GOD:
Darwin of the gaps
Recall Collins’s principal objection to ID: “ID is a ‘God of the gaps’ theory, inserting a supposition of the need for supernatural intervention in places that its proponents claim science cannot explain… But those theories have a dismal history. […]

12 March 2008

Complex speciation of humans and chimpanzees

Mario A. Lopez

John Wakeley1
Abstract
Arising from: N. Patterson, D. J. Richter, S. Gnerre, E. Lander & D. Reich Nature 441, 1103–1108 (2006); Patterson et al.
Genetic data from two or more species provide information about the process of speciation. In their analysis of DNA from humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and macaques (HCGOM), Patterson et al.1 suggest that the apparently […]

6 March 2008

Maximo Sandin

Granville Sewell

As every child in our public school system knows, all critics of neo-Darwinism are religious fanatics. Except those who aren’t, such as University of Madrid biologist Maximo Sandin, whose dislike for Darwinism seem to be as much based on its association with capitalism (here) as with its inconsistency with the fossil record […]