Stephen Dilley

Stephen Dilley (PhD, philosophy) is the Academic Mentoring Centers Coordinator and a Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture. Prior to joining Discovery, Dr. Dilley was a professor for 14 years at St. Edward’s University (Austin, TX). He is the editor of Darwinian Evolution and Classical Liberalism (Lexington Books) and co-editor of Human Dignity in Bioethics (Routledge). He has published essays in the The British Journal for the History of Science, The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science, Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, and elsewhere.

Archives

Design Writ Large: CSC Fellows on “Science, Mathematics, and Technology”

_{Stephen Dilley
January 16, 2025}

Bill Dembski led by explaining rigorous means to detect design, including a refined understanding of specified complexity.

What Science Owes to Faith, Hope, and Love

_{Stephen Dilley
October 31, 2024}

It's a stretch to say that our ability to do realist science arose from a mindless process of evolution.

Gould’s Panda Argument Is a Problem for Atheistic and Agnostic Views

_{Stephen Dilley
April 15, 2024}

Contrary to conventional wisdom, then, Stephen Jay Gould’s panda argument does not provide evidence against intelligent design.

Does the Panda Argument Hurt the Case for Evolution?

_{Stephen Dilley
April 10, 2024}

Gould cannot have it both ways: either theology-laden arguments are legitimate within scientific discourse or not.

Does a Suboptimal Panda’s Thumb Fit Better with Evolution than with Intelligent Design?

_{Stephen Dilley
April 8, 2024}

Just how much does evolution expect suboptimal structures? And just how much does intelligent design expect optimal ones?

Gould’s God-Talk: Is the Panda’s Thumb Incompatible with ID?

_{Stephen Dilley
April 5, 2024}

Stephen Jay Gould was renowned as a paleontologist, not as a theologian. Yet perhaps his most iconic argument is theological in nature.

Is the Panda’s Thumb Suboptimal?

_{Stephen Dilley
April 4, 2024}

The basic argument is that “[o]dd arrangements and funny solutions” point to evolution whereas “ideal design” points to a “sensible God.”

The Panda’s Thumb: An Extraordinary Instance of Design?

_{Stephen Dilley
March 20, 2024}

Does the panda's thumb refute intelligent design? Or is it one of the most extraordinary manipulation systems in the mammalian world, as one respected study has found? On this ID The Future, host Casey Luskin speaks with philosopher Dr. Stephen Dilley about his recent paper evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the iconic panda's thumb argument for evolution.

Evolution Falsified? Rope Kojonen’s Achievement

_{Casey Luskin and Stephen Dilley
March 19, 2024}

If unguided evolution can account for the eye of an eagle, does it make any sense to say that intelligent design is also needed?

To Dance at Two Weddings: Rope Kojonen’s Evolutionary Quest

_{Stephen Dilley
February 27, 2024}

According to a proverb, you can’t dance at two weddings at the same time. Dr. Kojonen believes that you can.

The Scientific Problems with Kojonen’s Theistic Evolution Model

_{Stephen Dilley
February 26, 2024}

Can evolution and intelligent design work together in harmony? Or is that wishful thinking? On this ID The Future, host Casey Luskin concludes his conversation with philosopher Dr. Stephen Dilley about a recent proposal to marry mainstream evolutionary theory with a case for intelligent design. Dr. Dilley outlines the scientific problems with Kojonen's proposal and explains why it contradicts our natural intuition to detect design. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Be sure to catch Part 1, and look for more interviews with others on this topic soon.

Design-Assisted Evolution: A Response to Rope Kojonen

_{Stephen Dilley
February 21, 2024}

Can evolution and design be wedded in a happy marriage? On this ID The Future, host Casey Luskin kicks off a series of interviews responding to theologian Dr. Rope Kojonen's proposal that front-loaded design and a full-blooded evolutionary process worked together in harmony to produce the diversity of life we find on earth. Here, Luskin interviews Dr. Stephen Dilley, lead author of a comprehensive critique of Kojonen's model co-authored with Luskin, Brian Miller, and Emily Reeves published in the journal Religions. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 next!