Francisco J. Ayala - Evolution - Scientists Who Believe in God - New York Times: As challenges to the teaching of evolution continue to emerge, legislators debate measures equating the teaching of creationism with academic freedom and a new movie links Darwin to evils ranging from the suppression of free speech to the Holocaust, “I [...]
This from PBS/NOVAIn October, 2004, a war broke out in a small Pennsylvania town when Dover teachers became the first in the country required to tell students that evolution is not the only theory.It started when the Dover Area School Board passed a policy requiring that its high school science classes include a controversial subject called Intelligent Design. The Dover school board directed science teachers read their students a one-minute statement stating that gaps in the theory of evolution exist - and putting forward intelligent design as an alternative - directing students to an intelligent design textbook called Of Pandas and People that would be made available.Proponents of Intelligent Design claim that many features of living organisms are too complex to have evolved entirely through the natural process of evolution, as Charles Darwin proposed. Instead, they claim some aspects of those organisms must have been created - fully formed - by a so-called "intelligent designer." But
Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial will be airing on Nova on November 13 (and also be available on line on the 14th). The web site already has background material posted on this documentary on the Dover trial. Features include an interview with executive producer Paula Absell. The first three questions discuss the importance of this case:
Q: This program tackles a contentious issue for many people, particularly for many devout Christians. Why did NOVA and Paul Allen’s Vulcan Productions, your coproducer, take it on?
Apsell: Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial is in many ways a hornet’s nest. And we had to think long and hard before we decided to take it on. I think the real reason that we made that decision is because evolution is the foundation of the biological sciences. As Theodosius Dobzhansky, one of the great biologists of the 20th century, once said, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”
In 2004, the Dover, Pennsy
The Association for Science Education which has issued a statement (PDF) on science education, intelligent design, and creationism. (Hat tip to Panda’s Thumb.) One section discusses whether intelligent design should be taught as part of science education:
The rationale for science education involves the stimulation and motivation of young people towards appreciating and understanding some of the key ideas in science. It aims to engage them in exploring first hand the processes of science through experimentation, investigation, argument, and modelling thereby teaching them how science works in both an historical context and within the social community which is science. In doing so, science education explores the relationships between evidence and theory whilst appreciating the provisional nature of scientific ‘knowledge’. Such an education should prepare learners to be confident in engaging with scientific issues and be able to take a critical approach when evaluating claims
The right wing has become increasingly active in promoting their alternative reality. This includes a recent documentary promoting thieir revisionist history denying that separation of church and state is a fundamental principle upon which this country was founded, denial of the scientific consensus on global warming, and claiming that there is scientific controversy over evolution.
The New York Times demonstrates how the religious right is using deceptive techniques in a documentary entitled Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed to present a false view on evolution. In order to attempt to give the documentary which presents misinformation about science credibility, several scientists were deceived into appearing in the movie. P.Z. Myers, one of the biologists interviewed, writes on his blog, “We were lied to, and they tricked us. It’s that simple.”
The science writer for the Times sums up the issue well:
The growing furor over the movie, visible in blogs, on Web sites an
This rather fascinating article from dimaggio.org,” Tails in Humans ” , points out a little hole in the irrational rationalizations of those who whole heartedly believe in Intelligent Design (ID). The ID fundamentalists of the world (read: America), refuse to accept that humans evolved from apes. Well then, how would one explain this:
That’s right ladies and gents, 1 in every 100,000 humans are borne with a little tail. Usually, the “defect” is “fixed” at birth.
Don’t forget to read the whole article HERE: ” Tails in Humans “
Cause there is alot more than a couple of pictures…
Knowledge is power!
The argument from intelligent design (ID) is one of the supposed proofs for god’s existence. You’d think if an incredibly powerful and intelligent being did create the earth, it would have left better evidence of its handiwork than a ruthless unsympathetic world that seems to be purposed towards nothing in particular.
You might also expect that the people he selected to laud his creation to the world would be those of deep humility, respect, and scientific knowledge. But they’re not are they? Proponents of ID have a history of spreading misinformation or blatantly lying about science and evolution.
You would also rightly expect that realisation of ID would transcend any worldview or religious leaning. But it doesn’t. Anyone who thinks the world was designed attributes it to their god, their religion. Belief in design is inseparable from belief in religion.
Also, you’d think the experts at studying this world and universe of ours, namely scientists, would be the strongest prop
With friends like these you don’t people like me telling the world that ID is a front for religion.
Christian thinkmag wars over intelligent design?: I have cause for hope, the tiny knot of genuinely orthodox Christians who hope to rescue Darwinism as it actually is for Christ have no influence whatever.
Post-Darwinist: Christian thinkmag wars over intelligent design?: I have cause for hope
Brilliant, Denyse. She goes on to demonstrate how strongly ideology trumps substance.
Right then. The book was allegedly written to Southern Baptist “pastors”, and therein lies its primary usefulness. It is likely to prove an excellent crap detector: Any pastor who takes Wilson seriously should be defrocked.
Post-Darwinist: Christian thinkmag wars over intelligent design?: I have cause for hope
Truly, with friends like these…
It is interesting to note that most of the arguments against intelligent design presented to the general public are not arguments against the data, but appeals to the consensus among scientists. Instead of being presented with refutations of the findings, the masses are only presented with quotes such as “The majority of scientists believe in evolution and not in intelligent design,” or “The only people who believe in intelligent design are Bible-toting Christians.” Notice, though, that neither of these arguments addresses the real issues. Even if the statements are true, the “majority of scientists” can be wrong and, and just because someone is a “Bible-toting Christian” does not mean that he cannot be right. The public is only given filtered information. Why should the slothful scholar worry about researching the data for himself in an attempt to come to the real truth when the “majority of scientists” have already done so and have come to the same conclusions? T
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Wandering through the food court for the fourth time in an hour, Matt Hawkins, 31, wanted to know just who the hell designed this place, anyway.
“You’d think there would be a clear map or some decent signage,” he said. “It makes you wonder if all this stuff was intelligently designed by the Lord, Our God, after all.”
Hawkins went on to wonder about the intelligence of design in other corners of life, like why God would put church and football on the same day, and why light beer tastes like piss.
“God can put a man on the moon, but he can’t make a tasty light brew? Come on!”
A third selection of books on Intelligent Design available from the 'Evolution Research - Amazon Book Shop/Store'. More books can be seen either via the "Intelligent Design" sidebar links (if you are reading this on a webpage) or by RSS links (if you are using a reader):
Geology in the Bible: Earth's Evidence for Intelligent Design
By Billy R. Caldwell Ph.D
This book searches out all the Geology in the Bible and relates this information to current geological knowledge. This book is written with a creationist viewpoint by a Certified Professional Geologist who has studied the geological origin of the earth for over 50 years. His two-year extensive research for all the Geology in the Bible resulted in the writing of this book. Dr. Caldwell believes that the Bible is scientifically correct and is the inerrant Word of God. He also believes God is the creator of all things and the earth is thousands of years old instead of millions.
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The Darwin Awards 4: Intelligent Design (Darw
'Unlocking the Mystery of Life' (67 mins - Amazon Astore UK | US) - The scientific case for Intelligent Design - is produced by Illustra Media:"Time, chance, and natural selection. Since Darwin, biologists have relied on such processes to account for the origin of living things. Yet today, this approach is being challenged as never before..."The video starts with the 'landmark meeting' held by Phillip Johnson (TalkOrigins article on Phillip Johnson) in Pajaro Dunes California in 1993 and describes the development of the Intelligent Design movement through contributions from well-known names such as Paul Nelson, Stephen Meyer, Michael Behe, William Dembski, Jonathan Wells, and Scott Minnich. Sample quotations from the 'Unlocking the Mystery of Life' video:Phillip Johnson:I sometimes wonder why anybody talks about anything else. Because this is the most interesting topic there is. Where did we come from? How did we get here? What brought us into existence? What is our relationship
Another selection of three books on Intelligent Design available from the 'Evolution Research - Amazon Book Shop/Store' links at the end of the post:
The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design
By Ronald L. Numbers
Synopsis/ReviewIn light of the embattled status of evolutionary theory, particularly as "intelligent design" makes headway against Darwinism in the schools and in the courts, this now classic account of the roots of creationism assumes new relevance. Expanded and updated to account for the appeal of intelligent design and the global spread of creationism, "The Creationists" offers a thorough, clear, and balanced overview of the arguments and figures at the heart of the debate. Praised by both creationists and evolutionists for its comprehensiveness, the book meticulously traces the dramatic shift among Christian fundamentalists from acceptance of the earth's antiquity to the insistence of present-day scientific creationists that most fossils date
BBC Horizon: 'A War on Science' was broadcast on BBC Two at 2100GMT on Thursday, 26 January 2006From the BBC News report "Britons unconvinced on evolution":Just under half of Britons accept the theory of evolution as the best description for the development of life, according to an opinion poll.Furthermore, more than 40% of those questioned believe that creationism or intelligent design (ID) should be taught in school science lessons.The survey was conducted by Ipsos MORI for the BBC's Horizon series.Its latest programme, 'A War on Science', looks into the attempt to introduce ID into science classes in the US.From the BBC Horizon 'A War on Science' webpage:When Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution nearly 150 years ago, he shattered the dominant belief of his day - that humans were the product of divine creation. Through his observations of nature, Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. This caused uproar. After all, if the story of creation co
A selection of three books on Intelligent Design available from the 'Evolution Research - Amazon Book Shop/Store' links at the end of the post:
Intelligent Thought: Science versus the Intelligent Design Movement
Edited by John Brockman
Evolutionary science lies at the heart of a modern understanding of the natural world. Darwin's theory has withstood 150 years of scientific scrutiny, and today it not only explains the origin and design of living things, but highlights the importance of a scientific understanding in our culture and in our lives.
Recently the movement known as "Intelligent Design" has attracted the attention of journalists, educators, and legislators. The scientific community is puzzled and saddened by this trend-not only because it distorts modern biology, but also because it diverts people from the truly fascinating ideas emerging from the real science of evolution. Here, join fifteen of our preeminent thinkers whose clear, accessible, and passionate essays revea
Recent 'Intelligent Design The Future' podcasts/webcasts from the Center for Science and Culture include:
The Making of a Darwin Dissenter Part I
January 10, 2007 04:23PM
On this first of a two part ID The Future, CSC's Casey Luskin interviews CSC Fellow Dr. Geoffrey Simmons on what makes him skeptical Darwinian evolution. Dr. Simmons has a BS in biology; coursework completed for MS in microbiology, University of Illinois; an M.D., University of Illinois Medical School; Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine, LAC-USC Medical Center; Boarded in Internal Medicine since 1974. He is a licensed and practicing physician in Eugene, Oregon, and the author of the forthcoming book Billions of Missing Links (Amazon Astore UK | US).
Does Darwinism Lead to Moral Relativism?
January 08, 2007 03:43PM
On this episode of ID The Future, CSC senior fellow Dr. John West examines whether or not Darwinian evolution supports a traditional view of morality as is often claimed. In his new book Darw
A feature film inspired by Dover's intelligent design trial* is in the works, but it may be a few years before the movie makes it onto the big screen.
And the words 'inspired by' will likely mean some creative liberty is taken in the retelling of the drama.
Pennsylvania native Ron Nyswaner (info), whose writing credits include 'Philadelphia,' starring Tom Hanks, and 'The Prince of Pennsylvania,' starring Keanu Reeves, has begun researching and writing the screenplay for Paramount Pictures.
The writer, who grew up in Clarksville, Greene County, said he can relate to the small-town 'characters' because they are similar to him and his relatives.
Nyswaner said he has met with several of the key players in the trial, and has read 'every word' of the court transcript, every deposition and every piece of journalism written about the trial to prepare for his writing.
He said the film will be 'inspired by true events that took place in Dover' and will incorporate 'lots of humor an
Pay a visit to the Biologic Institute* and you are liable to get a chilly reception. 'We only see people with appointments,' states the man who finally responds to my persistent knocks. Then he slams the door on me.I am standing on the ground floor of an office building in Redmond, Washington, the Seattle suburb best known as home town to Microsoft. What I'm trying to find out is whether the 1-year-old institute is the new face of another industry that has sprung up in the area - the one that has set out to try to prove evolution is wrong.This is my second attempt to engage in person with scientists at Biologic. At the institute's other facility in nearby Fremont, researchers work at benches lined with fume hoods, incubators and microscopes - a typical scene in this up-and-coming biotech hub. Most of them there proved just as reluctant to speak with a New Scientist reporter.The reticence cloaks an unorthodox agenda. 'We are the first ones doing what we might call lab science in in
Harrisburg, Pennysylvania. - A federal judge who barred a Pennsylvania school district from teaching 'intelligent design' virtually copied findings suggested by the winning side in a key section of the landmark ruling, according to a Seattle think tank that promotes the concept and has criticized the decision.
But legal experts say it is common for judges in civil cases to rely heavily on findings proposed by lawyers when they write their opinions, and there is nothing wrong with copying those findings if the legal briefs have been well-prepared.
The Discovery Institute on Tuesday released a study* in which it compared the December 2005 ruling by U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III with findings proposed by lawyers for eight families who sued to have intelligent design removed from the Dover Area School District's biology curriculum. The decision equated intelligent design, which attributes the complexity of living organisms to an unidentified intelligent cause, with creationism.
Though they probably didn't intend to do so, The Independent in the UK has published an article that is part of a scientific avalanche that is burying the dispelled theory of common ancestry evolution. Scientists have discovered that genetic variations are not due to slight changes in genetic sequencing, but to far more complex copies of sequences in which the numbers vary significantly from person to person. This discovery, if verified, will have a profound effect on our knowledge of the human genome and is another anchor in the argument for intelligent design.
I am reminded of a quote from Stephen C. Meyer of the Discovery Institute Center for Science and Culture:
"Science, done right, points to God." (as quoted to Lee Strobel)
Everyone have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving weekend and may God grant peace to your household.
I came across this blog that you may be interested in if you are interested in the continuing controversy regarding Intelligent Design. Here is a list of other blogs that cover the same subject.
I really like this topic though rarely have the time to write much about it. Regardless of those who think it really should be "Un-Intelligent Design" or "No-Design, just sort of happened", this is an area that will continue to receive attention.
My opinion is that to any thinking person, they have to look at the incredible design of the human body, the earth, the universe we find ourselves in and conclude that there sure seems to be a lot of evidence that a really incredible designer was/is at work. Makes sense to me. The issue is, if you believe that what do you do about it?
"Pro-Life", "Intelligent Design"... these guys do have a knack for positive wording (don't even think about positive thinking). I gather they call torture in Abu Ghraib "Truth Quest" and the negation of all independant safeguards or watchdogs (the UN, the Geneva Convention, the International Criminal Tribunal...) something like "Active Freedom".Bush's position on evolution resembles that of Revisionists on gas chambers : since there are alternative theories, students should be taught both angles*. This image may strike you as indecent and it is, but it clearly exposes the loopholes in the argumentation.I'm not making any sick parallel between the existence of gas chambers and the existence of God, nor between proven facts and beliefs : I'm comparing people who knowingly manipulate opinions through biased rethorics.I'm not even defending the theory of evolution, which is the best to date but won't explain everything. I just think the fundamentals of human society should be protect
Book Review: Seattle, Washington - 'This book is going to upset defenders of Darwin's theory, because it exposes just how weak the evidence for it is and how irrational their criticisms of intelligent design really are,' says biologist Jonathan Wells author of the controversial new book "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design". The book will be published on August 21st by Regnery as part of their popular series of "Politically Incorrect Guides."In clear, non-technical language, Wells explains who is fighting whom, the root of the conflict, and the evidence for and against Darwinism and Intelligent Design. He also explains what is ultimately at stake for liberals and conservatives, Christians and non-Christians, educators, policymakers, and scientists.--"The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design" is currently appearing on the 'Featured Books' page of the Evolution Book Store: UK | US)technorati tags: seattle, washington, darwin
The fourth selection of books on Intelligent Design/ID available from the 'Evolution Research - Amazon Book Shop/Store'. More books are available either via the "Intelligent Design" sidebar links (if you are reading this on a webpage) or by RSS links (if you are using a reader) at the end of the post:Defeating Darwinism by Opening MindsBy Phillip E. JohnsonBook DescriptionFor decades, Christians have felt voiceless in the critical debate over evolution. Until now. Finally, ordinary Christians have the opportunity and the resources to defeat the false claims of Darwinism.With all of the complicated scientific debate swirling around the topic of evolution, Christians need an easy way to understand the basic issues without oversimplifying. Phillip Johnson has the answer: the key to defeating the false claims of Darwinism is to open our minds to good thinking habits. Here is first-rate advice on avoiding common mistakes in discussions about evolution, understanding the legacy of the Scop
Science teaching materials deemed 'not appropriate' by the government should be allowed in class, Education Secretary Alan Johnson has been urged.Chemistry teacher at Liverpool's Blue Coat School, Nick Cowan, says the packs promoting intelligent design are useful in debating Darwinist evolution.Education officials insist intelligent design is not recognised as science.It argues that evolution cannot explain some things so the universe must have had an intelligent creator.The packs were sent out to 5,000 secondary schools by a group of academics and clerics known as Truth in Science.The Department for Education and Skills said they were inappropriate and not supportive of the science curriculum.Continued at "Let us test Darwin, teacher says"------- See last week's "Government department rejects creationist infiltration of science teaching":The Christian think-tank Ekklesia and the British Humanist Association (BHA) have welcomed a statement from the British government's Department
From BBC News UK: Parents are being encouraged to challenge their children's science teachers over what they are explaining as the origins of life.An organisation called Truth in Science has also sent resource packs to all UK secondary school science departments.It promotes the idea of intelligent design - that there was an intelligence behind the creation of the universe.Humanists (1) and a Christian think tank (2) want the government to tell teachers to keep 'a wholly scientific perspective'.The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in England has said it does not endorse the resources sent out by Truth in Science.It said the fossil record was evidence for evolution.Continued at "'Intelligent Design' attack on UK school science"-------Also reported by the Times Educational Supplement (TES): "Science heads become targets"-------From the 'About Truth in Science' webpage:Truth in Science is a Limited Company, run by a Board of Directors who are advised by a Council of Refere
New journal Outreach and Education in Evolution will arm educators for battle with creationists:Nearly a century ago, John Scopes [1] was found guilty of violating a Tennessee statute when he taught evolution in his classroom. Though an appeals court later reversed his conviction on a technicality, the law lingered on the books, joined by later laws promoting "scientific creationism," and, most recently, "intelligent design." The battle to keep religiously based explanations of the history of life - especially human life - out of the science curriculum continues unabated. And though a number of educational institutions and organizations have had notable success in combating intelligent design in the classroom, what is needed now is a fresh source of evolution materials and anti-creationism ammunition for our school teachers on the front lines of this ongoing battle. Today, on Charles Darwin's 198th birthday, Springer announces plans for a new journal which will do just that.A father-a
In a thought-provoking paper from the March 2007 issue of The Quarterly Review of Biology , Elliott Sober (University of Wisconsin) clearly discusses the problems with two standard criticisms of intelligent design: that it is unfalsifiable and that the many imperfect adaptations found in nature refute the hypothesis of intelligent design.Biologists from Charles Darwin to Stephen Jay Gould have advanced this second type of argument. Stephen Jay Gould's well-known example of a trait of this type is the panda's thumb. If a truly intelligent designer were responsible for the panda, Gould argues, it would have provided a more useful tool than the stubby proto-thumb that pandas use to laboriously strip bamboo in order to eat it.ID proponents have a ready reply to this objection. We do not know whether an intelligent designer intended for pandas to be able to efficiently strip bamboo. The "no designer worth his salt" argument assumes the designer would want pandas to have better eating impl
