[Right Wing Professor]

In examining processes we use Dembski's explanatory filter to determine design.

By all means expound on what Dembski's 'explanatory filter', is and show an example of it being used successfully elsewhere in the mathematical literature.

In determining design, we are concerned about knowing the possible explanations for a pattern. This is part of the "side information" that Dr. Dembski talks about.

Dembski claims design can be detected by means of 'complex specified information'. Specified information is information which follws a pattern which we specify right now; not a means by which that information could have arisen. Of course, I disagree that we can possibly specify a pattern that could not have arisen by thermodynamic processes regardless of mechanism, unless formation of that pattern violates the Second Law; and in fact the entropy of life is quite small.

You seem to think that it is impossible to determine if artifacts are natural or man-made?

If they have 'made in Japan' stamped on them, certainly. You have a fossil with 'made by God, 4004 BC' engraved on the inside of the skull?

Less flippantly, I see nothing in the natural worlds that impels me to believe it could not have been created by natural processes.

Do you think there is no scientific basis for determining intelligent life?What do you think about the SETI projects?

Not as easy as it might seem. You are familiar, of course, with the Turing test?

[nasamn777]

By all means expound on what Dembski's 'explanatory filter', is and show an example of it being used successfully elsewhere in the mathematical literature.

Give the ID crowd time to do it. I predict that over time ID will be developed into a whole new field.

Specified information is information which follows a pattern which we specify right now; not a means by which that information could have arisen.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Maybe you could explain further. Using Dembski's filter we must eliminate known natural process that may explain the origin of the pattern. A probability can be determined using the physics. Most problems would contain both chance and necessity. Using the physics one could develop a probability. For example, if we found a mosaic made out of stones we could use Dembski's method to determine if the object was designed or the result of natural processes. The information would be related to the pattern. We would have to establish that the probability was less than the universal probability bound 1e-150.