Monday 22 November 2004

Debunking Intelligent Design Creationism

Debunking Intelligent Design Creationism
Excellent review article by Paul R. Gross:
Not one of the ID claims is sustained, let alone proven, in the massive output of ID to date. Most of the claims are shown to be simply bad science. The expository style of WIDF is for the most part respectful of the authors and claims analyzed. It is therefore very remarkable that those
presumably qualified ID authors should have committed themselves, and to some extent their academic careers, to a relentless, public elaboration of soft claims, bad arguments, and plain mistakes. One can only guess that they are driven by motivation and sincere feelings other than simple dedication to doing the best possible science.
Read the whole review. I haven't read Why Intelligent Design Fails, so I can't recommend it; instead, I'd happily lend anyone my copy of Robert T. Pennock's brilliant Tower of Babel: The Evidence Against the New Creationism, which is the most readable, sustained demolition of contemporary creationism I've come across.

I've come across more theologians who don't "get" evolution, or who simply don't recognise that ID isn't a legitimate scientific option, than I care to admit. One of the many pet academic projects I'd love to pursue, but readily admit I'll probably never get around to now, would focus on "mainstream" Christian theology's failure to recognise that creationism is a real threat, because of its resentment of the atheism of many prominent evolutionists - I heard one Church of England bishop say in a seminar I attended, "I've got nothing against evolution, but Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett just go too far".

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