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The Armadillo and the SSE Hydro in Panoramic View
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Distinguished Glasgow Surgeon David Galloway Dissects Darwinism

Series
ID the Future
Guest
David Galloway
Duration
00:16:47
Download
Audio File (13.5 mb)

On this ID The Future, enjoy the concluding half of a remarkable and candid discussion on the limits of Darwinian evolution and the arguments for intelligent design. The conversation, recorded in 2019, is hosted by Peter Robinson for his program Uncommon Knowledge, and features philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer, mathematician and author Dr. David Berlinski, and Yale Professor of Computer Science Dr. David Gelernter.

In Part 2, the focus turns from the inadequacies of Darwin’s theory of evolution to the merits of intelligent design. Although all three men are in solid agreement that Darwinian evolution fails, they differ on the question of intelligent design. Berlinski’s attitude towards intelligent design is “warm but distant.” For Gelernter, questions of human suffering and the purposes of an intelligent designer give him pause: “I don’t look at the world as we know it as more likely the result of intelligence than random playing around,” Gelernter says. “There are wonderful things, but on the whole, I’d fail this world if I were grading it.”

Dr. Meyer, on the other hand, sees a powerful signal of design in the world, even as he acknowledges the suffering in it. He sees evidence of both aboriginal design as well as decay, which aligns not only with the scientific principle of entropy but also with the theology of a fallen world. This leads the conversation to the topic of consciousness, and finally to the search for new mechanisms to replace neo-Darwinism. 

We are grateful to the producers of Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson, a production of The Hoover Institution at Stanford University, for permission to share this interview on ID The Future.

This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

Dig Deeper

  • Read the essay by Dr. Gelernter that inspired this conversation: Giving Up Darwin

David Galloway

Professor David Galloway, MD DSc FRCS FRCP FACS FACP, is a surgeon based in the West of Scotland and an alumnus of the University of Glasgow. His clinical training involved working in hospitals in Glasgow, London, and New York City. His postgraduate academic work was focused on cancer research and, in particular, aspects of cell division and how it can be influenced by various environmental and dietary factors. He developed an academic surgical practice in Glasgow focusing on surgical oncology and metabolic surgery. Since 2014 he has provided intermittent surgical support to Chitokoloki, a Christian Mission Hospital in rural Zambia and now holds registration with the Health Professions Council of Zambia. Galloway is former President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and an Honorary Professor of Surgery, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow. He is married to Christine and they have two daughters and three grandchildren. He is a keen golfer and an avid reader of popular science, philosophy of science and religion, and current affairs. He is also in demand as a speaker on aspects of Christianity and apologetics.
Tags
Copernicus
Darwinism
David Galloway
evolution
Intelligent Design
John Lennox
Neo-Darwinism
Royal Society of London
scientific paradigms