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ID the Future

Stephen Meyer: Scientific Arguments for a Theistic Worldview

Are there strong scientific arguments for theism? Is there such a thing as objective morality? How is a worldview built? On this ID The Future, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer answers these questions and more in the first hour of a new two-hour interview on various topics related to his work and books. Dr. Meyer answers questions related to worldview, consciousness, arguments for theism, objective morality, materialism, the nature of information, and more. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.

Two Nature Articles Call for Rethink in Biology

It's not just intelligent design theorists who are calling for a major rethink of biology and origin-of-life research. On this ID The Future, Casey Luskin speaks to host Andrew McDiarmid about two recent articles in the prestigious journal Nature that review major problems with current theories on the origin of life and the source of genetic complexity in living things. Dig deeper with more resources at idthefuture.com.

An Engineer Talks ID, Biomimicry, and Hacking the Cosmos

On today’s ID the Future from the vault, host Casey Luskin sits down with Dominic Halsmer, a Senior Professor of Engineering at Oral Roberts University, to discuss Halsmer’s book Hacking the Cosmos: How Reverse Engineering Uncovers Organization, Ingenuity, and the Care of a Maker. They pair discuss the engineering concept known as affordance, reverse engineering of biological systems, and biomimicry.

Mind Matters

Methodological Naturalism: Neutral Principle or Self-Refuting Philosophy?

282
Robert J. Marks
March 14, 2024
In this episode, hosts Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge interview Dr. Robert Larmer about his chapter on methodological naturalism in the recently published volume Minding the Brain. Larmer explains that methodological naturalism is the assumption that when pursuing knowledge, one must always posit a physical cause and never appeal to a non-physical cause. Larmer argues that methodological naturalism is not neutral and that it biases the search for truth in two ways. First, it makes it impossible to recognize and acknowledge non-physical causes, even if they exist. Second, it implies that mental states have no causal influence on our actions, leading to a problematic understanding of ourselves as rational agents. Larmer also discusses how methodological naturalism undermines the idea of

Debunking the Hype of Artificial General Intelligence

281
Michael Egnor
March 7, 2024
In this episode, host Michael Egnor speaks with Dr. William Dembski, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, about his essay titled “Artificial General Intelligence as an Idol for Destruction.” Dembski argues that the belief in the imminent arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is unachievable and destructive. He points out that while AI has made significant advancements, it still lacks the universality and ingenuity of human intelligence. Dembski also expresses concerns about the potential negative impact of AI on human society, including the loss of humanity and the dangers of mimetic contagion. He suggests that AI should be seen as a tool rather than a replacement for human intelligence. Additional Resources The

Can AI Ever Be Sentient? A Conversation with Blake Lemoine

280
Robert J. Marks
February 29, 2024
AI can mimic sentience, but can it ever be sentient? On this episode, we return to our conversation with former Google engineer Blake Lemoine. Host Robert J. Marks has a lively back and forth with Lemoine, who made national headlines when, as an employee of Google, he claimed that Google’s AI software, dubbed LaMDA, might be sentient. Lemoine recounts his experience at Google and explains why he thinks LaMDA might be more powerful than Google lets on. Marks, for his part, maintains that while AI might be able to mimic aspects of human intelligence, it can never understand what it’s doing or be creative and conscious in ways humans can. The pair also discuss how to define consciousness, and explore ways that intelligence can be tested on machines.