history of science

Revolutionary-Behe

Revolutionary

Revolutionary: Michael Behe and the Mystery of Molecular Machines tells the story of Michael Behe’s transformation from mild-mannered biochemist to orthodoxy-challenging revolutionary through the publication of his path-breaking book challenging Darwinian evolution, Darwin’s Black Box. It also explores the rise of the broader intelligent design movement in biology, the attempt to silence supporters of intelligent design in federal court, and the eventual Read More ›

A Cosmological Argument for God’s Existence, pt. 1

A Cosmological Argument for God’s Existence, pt. 1

In this special series of The John Ankerberg Show, Dr. Stephen Meyer presents a cosmological argument for God’s existence: the universe, space, and time all had a beginning, the universe has been fine-tuned for life, and every living cell contains the information and design necessary for life. In part 1, Dr. Meyer describes the development of a naturalistic view of Read More ›

Dr Stephen Meyer Testifies to the Texas State Board of Education about Evolution’s Weaknesses

Dr. Stephen Meyer Testifies to the Texas State Board of Education about Evolution’s Weaknesses

Dr. Stephen Meyer’s opening remarks to the Texas State Board of Education, where he testified in June 2009 in favor of keeping critical analysis of evolution in the Texas science standards. Listen in as Dr. Meyer explains some of the problems with Darwin’s theory, including the Cambrian Explosion.

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Single red tulip in a field of yellow tulips
Photo by Rupert Britton on Unsplash

Intelligent Design Is Peer-Reviewed, but Is Peer-Review a Requirement of Good Science?

As may be seen from our newly updated page listing Peer-Reviewed & Peer-Edited Scientific Publications Supporting the Theory of Intelligent Design, the ID movement has developed a diverse research program bearing fruit in the form of more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Beyond doubt, ID proponents have published a significant body of legitimate peer-reviewed research. In the past, critics charged Read More ›

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Gansos en la laguna

Sauce for the Goose

Judge Jones, in his Kitzmiller v. Dover opinion expressed an entrenched view common not only among members of the media and scientific establishment. But why isn’t the theory of intelligent design scientific? On what basis do critics of the theory make that claim? And is it justified? Read More ›
THE SCOPES INDICTMENT-Reah County Courthouse, Dayton, Tennessee,
THE SCOPES INDICTMENT-Reah County Courthouse, Dayton, Tennessee, the courtroom where the Scopes evolution case is being tried. (1925) - CPL Archives/Everett Collection
The Scopes Indictment, Reah County Courthouse (1925)

Debunking the Scopes ‘Monkey Trial’ Stereotype

Whenever a challenge to the truth of Darwinian evolution arises, the scientific establishment and its allies trot out the Scopes Monkey Trial. It is their position that if the scientific establishment has ratified a science textbook, such as the book from which Scopes taught evolution, the state should not engage in “censoring” the material in that book.

The Scopes Monkey Trial plays such a prominent role in the debate that I purchased a copy of the transcript; a copy of the textbook from which Scopes taught, A Civic Biology; and a copy of the companion lab guide to that textbook. Review of these source materials-very different from the biased picture presented in Inherit the Wind-was a real eye-opener.

In the Scopes trial, there was never any judgment or verdict that Darwinian evolution is true. The prosecution argued and the judge agreed that the Tennessee statute in question barred the teaching of the Darwinian theory even if it were true, so its truth was not an issue in the case. Nor, notably, was the truth of the theory of Darwinian evolution and the supposed evidence for it ever subjected to cross-examination. Scopes’ lawyers presented extensive written statements from seven scientists stating that Darwinian evolution is the correct explanation for the diversity of life on earth. The prosecution sought permission to cross-examine the five pro-Darwinian science experts whose statements had been read in open court, but Clarence Darrow and the other Scopes lawyers objected and the court refused to allow it.

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Photo by Louis Maniquet on Unsplash

A Scientific History and Philosophical Defense of the Theory of Intelligent Design

In December of 2004, the renowned British philosopher Antony Flew made worldwide news when he repudiated a lifelong commitment to atheism, citing, among other factors, evidence of intelligent design in the DNA molecule. In that same month, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit to prevent a Dover, Pennsylvania school district from informing its students that they could learn about the theory of intelligent design from a supplementary science textbook in their school library. The following February, The Wall Street Journal (Klinghoffer 2005) reported that an evolutionary biologist at the Smithsonian Institution with two doctorates had been punished for publishing a peer-reviewed scientific article making a case for intelligent design. Read More ›
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Fred Hoyle Telescope at St. John's College Cambridge
"Fred Hoyle's Telescope" by Paul Everest via @flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

A Brief History of Intelligent Design

Unfortunately, in his Kitzmiller v. Dover ruling, Judge Jones bought into the revisionist history of ID that claims ID is just repackaged creationism, and the Judge presented a sharply truncated and inaccurate view of the intellectual history of design. A correct history will make it clear that “intelligent design” was not a term invented to avoid the Edwards ruling, but Read More ›

The-History-of-Science-and-Religion-in-the-Western-Tradition

The History of Science and Religion in the Western Tradition

This comprehensive volume covers the history of science and religion in Western Civilization with dozens of contributions from leading scholars. Discovery Fellow Stephen C. Meyer authors the entry “The Demarcation of Science and Religion,” where he notes that some theologians have defined religion as the study of God through revelation, while science is the study of the natural world. Meyer Read More ›