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'Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics': Supernatural Selection
The New York Times ^ | 14 April 2002 | JIM HOLT

Posted on 04/14/2002 12:31:25 AM PDT by sourcery

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April 14, 2002

'Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics': Supernatural Selection

By JIM HOLT

INTELLIGENT DESIGN CREATIONISM AND ITS CRITICS
Philosophical, Theological, and Scientific Perspectives.

Edited by Robert T. Pennock.
Illustrated. 805 pp. Cambridge, Mass.: A Bradford Book/The MIT Press. Cloth, $110. Paper, $45.



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In the last decade or so, creationism has grown sophisticated. Oh, the old-fashioned creationists are still around, especially in the Bible Belt. They're the ones who believe that the earth is only a few thousand years old, that God created it and all its inhabitants in six days and that fossils are a product of Noah's flood. In the early 1990's, however, a new breed of creationists appeared. These ''neo-creos,'' as they have been called, are no Dogpatch hayseeds. They have Ph.D.'s and occupy positions at some of the better universities. The case they make against Darwinism does not rest on the authority of Scripture; rather, it proceeds from premises that are scientific and philosophical, invoking esoteric ideas in molecular biology, information theory and the logic of hypothesis testing.

When the neo-creos go public -- as they did recently in a hearing before the Ohio Board of Education, which they were petitioning for equal time in the classroom with Darwinism -- they do not stake any obviously foolish claims. They concede that the earth is billions of years old, and that some evolution may have taken place once the basic biochemical structures were brought into being. What they deny is that the standard Darwinian theory, or any other ''naturalistic'' theory that confines itself to mindless, mechanical causes operating gradually over time, suffices to explain the whole of life. The biological world, they contend, is rife with evidence of intelligent design -- evidence that points with near certainty to the intervention of an Intelligent Designer.

''Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics'' is a great fat collection of essays, some three dozen in all, that examine this thesis from every imaginable angle. Its editor, the philosopher Robert T. Pennock, has himself written a book opposing the neo-creos (''Tower of Babel,'' 1999), and he admits that his selection here is stacked against them by about two to one. Yet most of the major proponents of intelligent design are represented: Phillip E. Johnson, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the father of the movement; the biochemist Michael J. Behe; the mathematician William A. Dembski; and the philosopher of logic Alvin Plantinga. They are given the chance not only to present their reasoning but also to defend it against their more prominent Darwinian critics, including the biologists Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins and the philosophers of science Philip Kitcher and Michael Ruse. The debate ranges freely over genetics, theology, the history of science and the theory of knowledge. The rhetoric is spirited, if sometimes barely civil, and the to-and-fro of ideas can be impressive.

Before we get to the scientific arguments of the neo-creos, a word should be said about their motivation. Just what do they have against Darwinism? Unlike the old-fashioned creationists, they are not especially worried about evolution conflicting with a literal reading of Genesis. Then why can't they join with the mainstream religions, which have made their peace with Darwinism? In 1996, for example, Pope John Paul II said that the theory of evolution had been ''proved true'' and asserted its consistency with Roman Catholic doctrine. Stephen Jay Gould, though agnostic himself, salutes the wisdom of this papal pronouncement, arguing that science and religion are ''nonoverlapping magisteria.'' But the neo-creos aren't buying this. They think that belief in Darwinism and belief in God are fundamentally incompatible. Here, ironically, they are in agreement with their more radical Darwinian opponents. Both extremes concur that evolution is, in the words of Phillip Johnson, ''a purposeless and undirected process that produced mankind accidentally'' and, as such, must be at odds with the idea of a purposeful Creator.

The neo-creos are right to think that evolution is not religiously neutral. If nothing else, it undercuts what has traditionally been the most powerful argument for God's existence, the ''argument from design.'' No longer is the God hypothesis required to explain the intricate complexity of the living world. Christian intellectuals who accept Darwinism insist that evolution still leaves ample scope for a Creator-God, one who got the universe rolling in just the right way so that, by sheer chemistry and physics, beings like us would inevitably appear without further supernatural meddling. Ernan McMullin, a philosopher of science at Notre Dame who also happens to be a Catholic priest, argues that the resources of God's original creation ''were sufficient for the generation of the successive orders of complexity that make up our world.'' (Another contributor wonders whether the creationist idea of divine action hasn't been ''unduly affected by the 'special effects' industry.'') But this deistic notion of God holds little appeal for the neo-creos. They remain vexed that, as Richard Dawkins pointedly observes, ''Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.''

To regain the advantage for religion, the neo-creos have devised a two-part strategy. First, they try to establish their intelligent-design theory as the only alternative to Darwinism for explaining life. (The content of intelligent design is deliberately left vague: it can mean either creation by the designing agent or purposefully ''guided'' evolution.) Then they proceed negatively, deploying various arguments to show that Darwinian mechanisms could not possibly do the trick. The logic of this strategy is impeccable: Either Darwinism or intelligent design. Not Darwinism. Therefore, intelligent design. Armed with that conclusion, they hope to pry scientifically minded people away from a purely secular worldview.

AT the moment, there is no serious scientific rival to Darwinism. Indeed, if the explanation for the origin and complexity of life must be sought in physical mechanisms, then an evolutionary theory of some sort would seem to be inevitable. But why, the neo-creos ask, should other sorts of explanations -- those positing intelligent causes, supernatural interventions -- be ruled out by fiat? To do so betrays a commitment to ''metaphysical naturalism,'' the doctrine that nature is a system of material causes and effects sealed off from outside influences; and that, they say, is a matter of faith, not proof. But the Darwinians have a devastating retort to the charge of metaphysical naturalism: nothing succeeds like success. As Michael Ruse points out, modern science's refusal to cry miracle when faced with explanatory difficulties has yielded ''fantastic dividends.'' Letting divine causes fill in wherever naturalistic ones are hard to find is not only bad theology -- it leaves you worshiping a ''God of the gaps'' -- but it is also a science-stopper.

Besides, the evidence for Darwinism looks awfully strong. Yes, there are internal disagreements over the mechanisms and tempo of evolution. But the core thesis that all living things have a common ancestry, long supported by the pattern of structural similarities among them and by the fossil record, has received stunning new confirmation from molecular genetics. Johnson does his lawyerly best to cast doubt on the evidence for common ancestry. However, the more tough-minded of the neo-creos are willing to accept the historical claim that organisms evolved from one another. They even acknowledge a role for the standard Darwinian mechanism (natural selection operating on random variation) in the process. To make good on the second part of their strategy, the Not Darwinism part, they instead try to show that for deeper reasons Darwinism is bound to fall short of telling the whole story. They have three main arguments, all of which seem clever at first blush.

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TOPICS: Philosophy
KEYWORDS: creationism; crevolist; evolution
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To: Virginia-American
"It's [Darwin-fish-with-legs] a scientific theory that's under political attack from people with another kind of fish on their car."

Now, now -- We mustn't have the Darwinist's "scientific theory"...sob...sniffle...be attack[ed]..."...by the "fish" people.

A case for the "hate crime" unit of your local ASPCA?

261 posted on 04/16/2002 4:41:56 PM PDT by F16Fighter
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To: BMCDA
What I found curious however, was that a guy from Europe compiled these pages since there doesn't seem to be a significant Creationist movement on the old continent.

They're rare. There are little insurgencies of evangelic fundamentalism here and there, and you do find Mormons and Jehova's witnesses here and there, but for the most part Europeans see religion as a private matter. They're also not so stressed and paranoid about competition to Christianity, I've guess that may be since they've see what happens when you get competitive.

Evolution is taught in schools, simply because that's where the current state of science is, and it's not argued over. They figure if current scientific knowledge changes, then they'll change the curriculum, not the other way around. Religion is also taught in public schools and no one has a problem with that either.

262 posted on 04/17/2002 3:41:25 AM PDT by Quila
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To: F16Fighter
The theories expounded on by Hunt are the subconscience's suseptibility to spiritual hijacking (so to speak) during drug induced trances OR hypnosis OR even meditative trances in the quest to "see God."

That could be interesting. I don't remember the scene from The Mummy though.

263 posted on 04/17/2002 3:43:33 AM PDT by Quila
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To: F16Fighter
While it is true many Catholic rites and "Christian" holidays are derived from pagan origins,

Not just the holidays, but many of the basic concepts of Christianity.

The subtle incursions and stealth subterfuge of the "occult" (aka Satan and his forces) not only through the Catholic Church, but through other "Christian" churches as well.

I'm sure not his church, of course.

How Satan's (if you happen to believe he exists) lies are being taught behind the academic respectability of Science

Standard theological attack on evolution I'm sure. We'll go back several hundred years and talk about more of Satan's lies being taught as science, like that everything doesn't revolve around the Earth.

How demonic activities are presented as the path to "enlightenment though "alien" contacts and paranormal experiences

Now this one's strange. Wouldn't that sudden realization, that internal evidence that God exists talked about previously be a paranormal experience?

How pagan religions are being promoted through ecology (see Al Gore) and "we are one" philosophies

Pagan religions often have worship or appreciation of nature at their core, so it's logical that anyone else trying to save nature (however misguided the attempts are) must be pagan! Maybe logical in another reality.

How evil is being reinvented as good by psychology AND the legal system...

I can't think of any examples, but obviously anyone who disagrees with him must be evil.

Your guy is seriously paranoid. Might be a funny read.

264 posted on 04/17/2002 3:51:53 AM PDT by Quila
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To: Virginia-American
It's a scientific theory that's under political attack from people with another kind of fish on their cars. Think of the Darwin fish as a Sore-Loserman type parody.

Should we tell them of the pagan origins of their fish?

265 posted on 04/17/2002 3:53:05 AM PDT by Quila
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To: xzins
How about countless UFO sightings and suggestions throughout history? Seems like ETI still keeps an eye on us.

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us....." -- Calvin

266 posted on 04/17/2002 3:57:53 AM PDT by Quila
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To: Quila
chuckle.....avoid the humans; they foul up the neighborhood! What do you make of the huge UFO repository of information?
267 posted on 04/17/2002 4:22:09 AM PDT by xzins
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To: Virginia-American
It's a scientific theory that's under political attack from people with another kind of fish on their cars. Think of the Darwin fish as a Sore-Loserman type parody.

No, the Darwin fish shows that evolution is an ideology. An ideology which is opposed to and totally inimical to Christianity. Darwin is the atheists answer to the Bible. Such demonstrations are an irrational form of argument, totally inimical to the scientific spirit.

268 posted on 04/17/2002 4:28:59 AM PDT by gore3000
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To: Virginia-American
There is no argument that could in theory counter design; **Any (living) thing** could have been designed. What observation could show otherwise?

Easy, if it could be proved that certain traits, features, genes coevolved gradually from one species to another, it would disprove design. Of course, there is no evidence at all for coevolution. There is not even a theory for such a thing, but then, that is a problem for evolutionists, not for Christians. This is not an off-the-cuff statement either. It was well recognized by Darwin when he set the challenge:
If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down. "
Charles Darwin, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life", Chapter 6.

While evolutionists can scoff at design, it is not new. In fact, it was the theory of life which Darwin was opposing. He only succeeded thanks to tremendous scientific errors misstatements, and outright frauds. These have been disproven by real science subsequently and therefore it is only proper that design should become again the theory of life.

269 posted on 04/17/2002 4:46:24 AM PDT by gore3000
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To: gore3000
No, the Darwin fish shows that evolution is an ideology. An ideology which is opposed to and totally inimical to Christianity. Darwin is the atheists answer to the Bible. Such demonstrations are an irrational form of argument, totally inimical to the scientific spirit.

The Darwin Fish is simply a joke on creationists, nothing more important than other bumper stickers. You make the joke even more effective by taking it seriously. There's even a gefillte-fish parody of the Jesus fish you can get for your car, or a Jesus fish with a hook in its mouth.

270 posted on 04/17/2002 6:30:36 AM PDT by Quila
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To: Quila
"I don't remember the scene from the Mummy though."

As I recall from the movie, one of the first artifacts to be pried opened in the pyramid emitted some kind of caustic spray upon the "perpetrators".

271 posted on 04/17/2002 8:49:50 AM PDT by F16Fighter
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To: Quila
The "basic concepts of Christianity" is quite simple -- Belief in the salvation of one's immortal soul through the blood and sacrifice of a sin-less Jesus Christ as a redemption or "payment" of our earthly sins. Nothing at all "pagan" about it. And while the Bible does speak of man having "dominion" over planet earth, we are commanded to also be its "wards" and protectors. It someone chooses to worship Gaia and her trees (as does Al Gore), who can help him?

As for Hunt's church, he is a Bible (word of God) believing, uncompromising purist.

As far as your assertion of "standard theological attacks" upon evolution, apparently Oxford U. biologist Richard Dawkins should be refering to himself as Pastor Dawkins: "Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose...[Every cell either plant or animal, contains in it's nucleus] a digitally data base larger, in information content, than all 30 volumes of the Encycopedia Britannica put together."

I will not cite "Pastors" Behe, Colin Patterson, Klaus Dose, Sir Fred Hoyle and other prominent scientists who are either flabbergasted by their collegues blind obsessions, or the overwhelming and obvious evidence of a complicated "intelligent design" of life, as opposed to a random ultimate lottery.

Hmmm -- as for "paranormal activities? Both Hunt and the Bible freely admit to both malevolent AND benevolent versions. Read the book and discover ALL the machinations and dynamics....

Bon appitite my friend.

272 posted on 04/17/2002 9:29:36 AM PDT by F16Fighter
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To: Quila
"Should we tell them [Christians] of the pagan origins of their fish?"

LOL -- this I've got to hear...

273 posted on 04/17/2002 9:31:57 AM PDT by F16Fighter
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To: steve-b
You wrote: *I am mature enough to recognize that my "wants" do not necessarily coincide with reality.* I'm sorry, mine do.
274 posted on 04/17/2002 11:10:29 AM PDT by Chico
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To: F16Fighter
The "basic concepts of Christianity" is quite simple -- Belief in the salvation of one's immortal soul through the blood and sacrifice of a sin-less Jesus Christ as a redemption or "payment" of our earthly sins. Nothing at all "pagan" about it.

Almost no religion is developed in a vacuum, and the Mediterranean region was a hotbed of religions before and during Christ's time. Ideas such as a virgin mother, physical incarnation of the god as a pure being, the god dying and being resurrected, a betrayer close at hand, etc., had already been done.

275 posted on 04/17/2002 11:37:56 PM PDT by Quila
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To: F16Fighter
Hit submit too soon.

As for Hunt's church, he is a Bible (word of God) believing, uncompromising purist.

That's scary. His equivalents on the Muslim side are causing a lot of trouble right now.

apparently Oxford U. biologist Richard Dawkins should be refering to himself as Pastor Dawkins

I haven't read his book, so I can't comment on it. But from what I have read, while I'd like to see the material, I am kind of hesitant to give money to someone like this. From my point of view, I might as well be buying a book from Mullah Omar.

276 posted on 04/17/2002 11:44:43 PM PDT by Quila
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To: F16Fighter
LOL -- this I've got to hear...

By Christ's time, the fish had been in use for over a thousand years as a symbol for the Great Mother Goddess in many pagan religions. The whole represents the goddess' vulva (put it on it's end) and therefore fertility, good harvests, etc., while the two crescents used to draw it represent the moon, very important to pagans.

The cross, or versions of it, also had earlier origins with the Assyrians and Egyptians.

Come to think of it, this symbol-hijacking has a more modern incarnation. Hitler used the swastika, long a religious symbol usually connotating peace and love and other good things, for his Nazis. And the pentagram used to mean something good to Christians and Jews.

277 posted on 04/17/2002 11:53:39 PM PDT by Quila
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To: Quila
"Ideas such as the virgin mother, physical incarnation of the god as a pure being, the god dying and being resurrected, a betrayer close at hand, etc., had already been done."

By what historical source may I check out your "ideas"?

What's extremely interesting is the fact that the Bible had prophecied all the events you've referred to hundreds of years earlier, then fullfilled all them -- complete with eye witnesses...

Now if you are looking for CNN or Fox News to have also witnessed such events, and interviewed said "witnesses", it must be admitted they weren't a source.

278 posted on 04/18/2002 8:23:12 AM PDT by F16Fighter
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To: Quila
"That's scary. [the fact that Dave Hunt is a Bible-believing purist]. His equivalents on the Muslim side are causing a lot of trouble right now."

Come on "Q" -- hyperbole of this magnitude is not only what's "scary", but absurdly unfounded, and you know it.

279 posted on 04/18/2002 8:33:01 AM PDT by F16Fighter
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To: Quila
The "Christian Fish" was used as a "secret" symbol for believer during the times of persecution derived from Christ's commandment to be "Fisher's of Men."

Now while pagan worshippers for thousands of years prior to this manifestation may have used a fish as a symbol of "fertility", and the Ancients the Cross (merely the same two bi-secting lines I used as a child to create the "symbol" of an airplane), what matters is the emblematic connotation for what has been the last two-thousand years of such symbols.

It is also interesting to note so powerful are the Christian "symbols", that forces antagonistic to their connotations use the subverted versions to psychologically "help" those who are diametrically opposed to such Christian belief (upside-down crosses, reverse-reading of Scripture, Darwin Fish, etc.)

280 posted on 04/18/2002 9:11:37 AM PDT by F16Fighter
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