William A. Dembski

Senior Fellow, Center for Science and Culture

A noted mathematician and philosopher, William A. Dembski is a Founding and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture and a Distinguished Fellow with the Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. His most recent books relating to intelligent design include Being as Communion: A Metaphysics of Information (2014), Evolutionary Informatics (2017, co-authored with Robert Marks and Winston Ewert), and the second edition of The Design Inference (2023, co-authored with Winston Ewert).

Dr. Dembski has taught at Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Dallas, and Southwestern Seminary. He has done postdoctoral work in mathematics at MIT, in physics at the University of Chicago, and in computer science at Princeton University. Dr. Dembski was previously an Associate Research Professor in the Conceptual Foundations of Science at Baylor University, where he headed the first intelligent design think-tank at a major research university: The Michael Polanyi Center.

Dr. Dembski is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a doctorate in philosophy. He also received a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago in 1988 and a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1996. He has held National Science Foundation graduate and postdoctoral fellowships.

Dr. Dembski has published in the peer-reviewed mathematics, engineering, biology, philosophy, and theology literature. He is the author/editor of more than 25 books. In The Design Inference: Eliminating Chance Through Small Probabilities (Cambridge University Press, 1998), he examined the design argument in a post-Darwinian context and analyzed the connections linking chance, probability, and intelligent causation. The greatly expanded second edition of that book also critiques naturalistic accounts of evolution.

Dr. Dembski has edited several influential anthologies, including The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith (Harvest, 2021, co-edited with Casey Luskin and Joseph Holden), Biological Information: New Perspectives (World Scientific, 2013, co-edited with Robert Marks, Michael Behe, Bruce Gordon, and John Sanford), The Nature of Nature: Examining the Role of Naturalism in Science (ISI, 2011, co-edited with Bruce Gordon), Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing (ISI, 2004) and Debating Design: From Darwin to DNA (Cambridge University Press, 2004, co-edited with Michael Ruse).

As interest in intelligent design has grown in the wider culture, Dr. Dembski has assumed the role of public intellectual. In addition to lecturing around the world at colleges and universities, he has appeared on radio and television. His work has been cited in newspaper and magazine articles, including three front page stories in the New York Times as well as the August 15, 2005 Time magazine cover story on intelligent design. He has appeared on the BBC, NPR (Diane Rehm, etc.), PBS (Inside the Law with Jack Ford; Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson), CSPAN2, CNN, Fox News, ABC Nightline, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Archives

Debunking the Hype of Artificial General Intelligence

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

Webinar with Bill Dembski and Winston Ewert on The Design Inference

Mathematician William Dembski and computer scientist Winston Ewert discuss the significance of their new book, The Design Inference, and answer listener questions. Twenty-five years ago, Dembski unveiled a rigorous scientific method for detecting intelligent design in The Design Inference. Originally published by Cambridge University Press, Dembski’s landmark monograph sparked vigorous debate among scientists, scholars, and the public. In a dramatically expanded new edition, Dembski and co-author Winston Ewert now show how Dembski’s method of design detection has stood the test of time, and they demonstrate its applicability to biology, cosmology, and daily life.

Orgelian Specified Complexity

I have presented Orgel’s account of specified complexity so readers can decide which they prefer, Orgel’s or the one described in this series.

The Primacy of Information Over Matter

In this episode, host Michael Egnor continues a conversation with Dr. William Dembski, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, about the relationship between the mind and the body. Dembski argues that if information is considered fundamental rather than matter, it dissolves the mind-body problem. He suggests that information is not constrained by the speed of light and can be exchanged through correlations, as seen in quantum mechanics. Dembski also discusses the concept of free will and how materialism denies its existence. He explores the idea of information as a fundamental concept in the natural world, analogous to energy, and discusses conservation of information and its relevance to Darwinian evolution. Dembski concludes by suggesting that an

The Primacy of Information Over Matter

In this episode, host Michael Egnor continues a conversation with Dr. William Dembski, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, about the relationship between the mind and the body. Dembski argues that if information is considered fundamental rather than matter, it dissolves the mind-body problem. He suggests that information is not constrained by the speed of light and can be exchanged through correlations, as seen in quantum mechanics. Dembski also discusses the concept of free will and how materialism denies its existence. He explores the idea of information as a fundamental concept in the natural world, analogous to energy, and discusses conservation of information and its relevance to Darwinian evolution. Dembski concludes by suggesting that an

William Dembski on Information and the Mind-Body Relationship

On this episode, host Michael Egnor speaks with Bill Dembski about the concept of information and its role in understanding the mind-body relationship. Dembski explains that information is a verb, representing the narrowing of possibilities and the constraining of contingency. He discusses how information can be understood in different contexts and how it relates to concepts such as meaning and communication. Dembski also introduces the concept of informational realism, which holds that information is the most fundamental aspect of reality. He argues that information is more real than matter and that even material entities disclose themselves informationally. Along the way, the interview touches on various philosophical perspectives, including idealism and Aristotelianism, and

William Dembski on Information and the Mind-Body Relationship

On this episode, host Michael Egnor speaks with Bill Dembski about the concept of information and its role in understanding the mind-body relationship. Dembski explains that information is a verb, representing the narrowing of possibilities and the constraining of contingency. He discusses how information can be understood in different contexts and how it relates to concepts such as meaning and communication. Dembski also introduces the concept of informational realism, which holds that information is the most fundamental aspect of reality. He argues that information is more real than matter and that even material entities disclose themselves informationally. Along the way, the interview touches on various philosophical perspectives, including idealism and Aristotelianism, and