Intelligent Design | Page 228 | Discovery Institute

Hallstatt square in Austria Alps mountain

^{Nancy Pearcey
September 15, 2000
Intelligent Design}

A New Foundation for Positive Cultural Change

_{Nancy Pearcey
September 15, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Pinker argues that the fundamental premise of ethics has been disproved by science. "Ethical theory," he writes, "requires idealizations like free, sentient, rational, equivalent agents whose behavior is uncaused." Yet, "the world, as seen by science, does not really have uncaused events." Read More ›

^{Michael J. Behe
August 31, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Self-Organization and Irreducibly Complex Systems

_{Michael J. Behe
August 31, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Some biochemical systems require multiple, well-matched parts in order to function, and the removal of any of the parts eliminates the function. I have previously labeled such systems "irreducibly complex," and argued that they are stumbling blocks for Darwinian theory. Instead I proposed that they are best explained as the result of deliberate intelligent design. In a recent article Shanks and Joplin analyze and find wanting the use of irreducible complexity as a marker for intelligent design. Their primary counter-example is the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, a self-organizing system in which competing reaction pathways result in a chemical oscillator. In place of irreducible complexity they offer the idea of "redundant complexity," meaning that biochemical pathways overlap so that a loss of one or even several components can be accommodated without complete loss of function. Here I note that complexity is a quantitative property, so that conclusions we draw will be affected by how well-matched the components of a system are. I also show that not all biochemical systems are redundant. The origin of non-redundant systems requires a different explanation than redundant ones. Read More ›

3D rendering of abstract blocks of mathematical formulas located in the virtual space

^{Granville Sewell
August 30, 2000
Intelligent Design}

A Mathematician’s View of Evolution

_{Granville Sewell
August 30, 2000
Intelligent Design}

When Dr. Behe was at the University of Texas El Paso in May of 1997 to give an invited talk, I told him that I thought he would find more support for his ideas in mathematics, physics and computer science departments than in his own field. I know a good many mathematicians, physicists and computer scientists who, like me, are appalled that Darwin's explanation for the development of life is so widely accepted in the life sciences. Read More ›

^{Jonathan Wells
August 28, 2000
Intelligent Design}

An Evaluation of Ten Recent Biology Textbooks And Their Use of Selected Icons of Evolution Evaluated

_{Jonathan Wells
August 28, 2000
Intelligent Design}

An evaluation of ten textbooks. In general, an "A" requires full disclosure of the truth, discussion of relevant scientific controversies, and a recognition that Darwin's theory — like all scientific theories — might have to be revised or discarded if it doesn't fit the facts. An "F" indicates that the textbook uncritically relies on logical fallacy, dogmatically treats a theory as an unquestionable fact, or blatantly misrepresents published scientific evidence. Read More ›

^{Bruce Chapman and Jay W. Richards
August 26, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Scopes Trial Symbolism Holds Today

_{Bruce Chapman and Jay W. Richards
August 26, 2000
Intelligent Design}

If a deeply entrenched academic truth is challenged by new scientific insights and discoveries, should authorities allow classroom discussion of such challenges? That was the question many people believe was placed on the national stage by the famous Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. This week is the 75th anniversary of the famous trial over the freedom of a Read More ›

^{Roland F. Hirsch
August 21, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Analytical Science at the Center of Chemistry and Beyond its Frontier

_{Roland F. Hirsch
August 21, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Award Address American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Analytical Chemistry, Sponsored by Waters Corporation (Appendix on Natural Selection and References added September 26, 2000) Roland F. Hirsch, Medical Sciences Division, SC-73Office of Biological & Environmental ResearchOffice of ScienceU.S. Department of EnergyGermantown, Maryland 20874-1290 U.S.A. Introduction In accepting this award I would Read More ›

^{Robert J. Cihak and Michael Arnold Glueck
August 8, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Doing the DNA dance

_{Robert J. Cihak and Michael Arnold Glueck
August 8, 2000
Intelligent Design}

The uncoiling, unraveling and decoding of the DNA structure by the Humane Genome Project and the Celera Genomics Group is a magnificent scientific achievement and monumental medical milestone. But what does it really mean to the rest of us mortals? To begin with, it means much less than most people think, hope or worry. As diagnostic physicians, we've been trying to come up with a good analogy. Perhaps figuring out the sequence of the chemical elements in human DNA is like finding a huge pile of ancient document scraps in an unknown language and using computers to help sort out the correct order and position of the symbols. But even when sorted out, how could we figure out what the symbols mean? In DNA, scientists have figured out the ordering of the language symbols but don't know what most of the message means. Read More ›

^{Michael J. Behe
August 2, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Correspondence with Science Journals

_{Michael J. Behe
August 2, 2000
Intelligent Design}

I. Introduction Much of the material shown posted as “responses to critics” on this website was originally submitted to several science journals for consideration for publication. In every case it was turned down. Below I have included the correspondence between the journals and myself. Names of journals and individuals have been omitted. The take-home lesson I have learned is that, Read More ›

Virtualization of Understanding — Photo by agsandrew on Adobe Stock

^{Michael J. Behe
July 31, 2000
Intelligent Design}

Philosophical Objections to Intelligent Design

_{Michael J. Behe
July 31, 2000
Intelligent Design}

I. Is Intelligent Design Falsifiable? Some reviewers of Darwin’s Black Box (Behe 1996) have raised philosophical objections to intelligent design. I will discuss several of these over the next few sections, beginning with the question of falsifiability. To decide whether, or by what evidence, it is falsifiable, one first has to be sure what is meant by “intelligent design.” By Read More ›

^{Michael J. Behe
July 31, 2000
Intelligent Design, Research & Analysis}

In Defense of the Irreducibility of the Blood Clotting Cascade

_{Michael J. Behe
July 31, 2000
Intelligent Design, Research & Analysis}

In Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution I devoted a chapter to the mechanism of blood clotting, arguing that it is irreducibly complex and therefore a big problem for Darwinian evolution. Since my book came out, as far as I am aware there have been no papers published in the scientific literature giving a detailed scenario or experiments to show how natural selection could have built the system. However three scientists publishing outside science journals have attempted to respond. Read More ›