Intelligent Design The Future

Intelligently Designed Nanotechnology

Discovery Institute — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:57:15 GMT

As Casey Luskin reveals in this episode of ID the Future, eminent biologists have said that they must continually remind themselves that what they see in biology evolved, and was not designed. But now engineers are turning to biology to replace human technology because biological pathways provide superior solutions to biomedical-technological needs. Is this trend more consistent with an evolved biosphere, or an intelligent designed one? Listen to this podcast and decide for yourself.

Darwin's Predictions With Cornelius Hunter

Discovery Institute — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:03:01 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Cornelius Hunter is interviewed by Casey Luskin about his website, DarwinsPredictions.com, and his blog, Darwin's God. Listen in as Dr. Hunter examines the evidence of evolution's failure as a theory and answers the objections evolutionists raise to his arguments.

In a Charitable Mood: David Berlinski Reviews Richard Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth

Discovery Institute — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:11:17 GMT

How is Richard Dawkins like a squid? Find out on this episode of ID the Future as David Berlinski reviews The Greatest Show on Earth in an interview by Casey Luskin. What does this book recapture for Dawkins, and where does it fail? And how does Darwin's On the Origins of Species fit into all this? Tune in and find out.

The Real Frankenstein: Giovanni Aldini

Discovery Institute — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:20:28 GMT

On this special Halloween edition of ID the Future, John West shares the inspiration for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In his book, Darwin Day in America, West examines the experiments that Italian scientist Giovanni Aldini conducted on human corpses. His gruesome experiments provided the inspiration for Frankenstein and foreshadowed the rise of a virulent strain of materialism that attempted to use science to reduce human beings to mere matter in motion.

Darwinists Launch Cyber Attack on Intelligent Design Conference Website

Discovery Institute — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:18:36 GMT

Censorship has many forms. In this episode of ID the Future, Anika Smith talks to Shepherd Project Executive Director Craig Smith about how his organization recently became target the of malicious computer hackers in a coordinated attempt to suppress information about an upcoming conference on Darwin and intelligent design in Colorado. Why would Darwinists launch such a brazen attack? Why does intelligent design incite such hostility that its opponents won't countenance even allowing a conversation about it to take place? Listen in and learn how the modern day equivalent of book-burning is being used to suppress information about intelligent design.

David Berlinski and The Deniable Darwin

Discovery Institute — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:09:45 GMT

On today’s episode of ID the Future, mathematician and consummate skeptic David Berlinski shares with Discovery President Bruce Chapman about his award-winning essays from Commentary Magazine and the answers that are unacceptable to the scientific community. The essays first published in Commentary Magazine are now available in The Deniable Darwin & Other Essays, a new book published by Discovery Institute Press, where nothing is exempt from Berlinski’s famous skepticism, excluding neither Darwinism nor intelligent design from his critical eye. The 32 essays included in this volume span fifteen years of wit and insight. Visit the website at www.davidberlinski.org for more information.

The Origins of Intelligent Design: Countering Darwinist Urban Legends

Discovery Institute — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:05:30 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Robert Crowther takes aim at Darwinist misinformation about the origins of intelligent design. Crowther makes mincemeat of the assertion that the term “intelligent design” was fabricated following the 1987 Edwards v. Aguillard Supreme Court case, showing instead that the term is over 100 years old. He also targets the old Darwinist canard that terms like micro- and macro-evolution were made up by Darwin’s critics. For more information on the history of intelligent design, read CSC Senior Fellow Jonathan Witt’s "The Origin of Intelligent Design."

A Skeptic's Take on the New Atheists: An Interview With The Devil's Delusion Author David Berlinski

Discovery Institute — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:03:15 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, mathematician and skeptic David Berlinski explains in a conversation with Discovery President Bruce Chapman where he draws the line with the new atheists. There is a clear difference between a thoughtful secular Jew such as Dr. Berlinski and the new atheists such as Richard Dawkins. One is a truly cautious skeptic — the other maintains his dogmatic belief in Science, with a capital S. Nowhere is this illustrated more clearly than in Dr. Berlinski’s book, The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions, where he examines the issues that science claims to have solved. For more information, and to download a free discussion guide for the book, visit www.devilsdelusion.com.

How Information Theory Is Taking Intelligent Design Mainstream: An Interview With Dr. William Dembski

Discovery Institute — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:52:44 GMT

This episode of ID the Future continues Casey Luskin's interviews Dr. William Dembski on his new peer-reviewed paper, "Conservation of Information in Search: Measuring the Cost of Success," published in IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics A, Systems & Humans. How does this peer-reviewed scientific paper support intelligent design? Listen in as Dr. Dembski shares how his research tests evolutionary theory using information theory and the follow-up paper that he and fellow researcher Dr. Robert Marks are working on. For more information, read the paper at EvoInfo.org.

Dr. Michael Egnor's Brain Hypothesis

Discovery Institute — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:28:23 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Logan Gage interviews professor of neurosurgery at SUNY, Stony Brook Michael Egnor. Dr. Egnor discusses his current research into cerebral blood flow and the buffering of the brain from the force of blood pumped by the heart. Dr. Egnor's approach to this problem is that of an engineer, using the design inference to understand how the brain protects itself from the pulsatility of the arterial blood flow of the heart.

Information and Clear Accounting in Evolution: An Interview With Dr. William Dembski

Discovery Institute — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:45:52 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin interviews Dr. William Dembski on his new peer-reviewed paper, "Conservation of Information in Search: Measuring the Cost of Success," published in IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics A, Systems & Humans. Listen in as Dr. Dembski shares how his research provides accounting practices for checking out where the information in evolutionary processes is being inserted and expressed, thus holding evolutionists accountable to the fact that information is coming from an outside source. For more information, read the paper at EvoInfo.org.

Academic Freedom Action Alert

Discovery Institute — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:19:57 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features breaking news that could affect your freedom to present views that dissent from Darwin in a public place. CSC Associate Director John West explains in an interview with Anika Smith. Free speech on evolution is under attack in California, where censors have expelled the intelligent design documentary, Darwin's Dilemma, from the state science center. Make your voice heard and stand up for free speech by e-mailing the California State Science Center at 4info@cscmail.org and calling 323-724-3623 to respectfully urge the Center to allow Darwin's Dilemma to be screened, as they originally agreed. Stay tuned to Evolution News & Views as this story develops.

Abuses of Power in Science: An Interview With Darwin Skeptic David Berlinski

Discovery Institute — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:09:18 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, David Berlinski discusses the abuses of power that can – and often do – occur in the scientific community, and how our tax dollars fund them. Dr Berlinski is author of The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions is now available in paperback from Basic Books. Visit the website at www.devilsdelusion.com for more information and continuing updates from Dr. Berlinski.

Darwin Doubter David Berlinski Explains the Problem of Dissent in Science

Discovery Institute — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:29:12 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Discovery Institute President Bruce Chapman asks David Berlinski how to address the problem of dissent in science. The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions is now available in paperback from Basic Books. Visit the website at www.devilsdelusion.com for more information and continuing updates from Dr. Berlinski.

Darwin Skeptic David Berlinski on Peer-Review and the Scientific Bureaucracy

Discovery Institute — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:50:21 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, David Berlinski explains how peer-review REALLY works in a conversation with Discovery President Bruce Chapman. In addition, David Berlinski has comments on a recent investigation into the NSF at Evolution News & Views today. David Berlinski's book, The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions is now available in paperback.

"Science is an established church" says skeptic David Berlinski

Discovery Institute — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:57:05 GMT

Discovery Institute President Bruce Chapman talks with David Berlinski about the threatened establishment in science and the history of persecuted minority views, and Berlinski's own view that: “Science is an established church.” David Berlinski's book, The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions is now available in paperback.

An interview with Devil's Delusion author David Berlinski

Discovery Institute — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:25:54 GMT

David Berlinski has been accused of being many things, but speechless is not one of them. In this short interview clip he addresses a range of scientific and philosophical issues that he expanded on his book The Devil's Delusion, which has just this week been released in paperback from Basic Books. For more be sure to follow the current Q&A with David at Evolution News & Views.

An Atheist Considers the Scientific Arguments for Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:25:11 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin interviews atheist philosopher Bradley Monton on the scientific arguments for intelligent design and whether or not he finds them compelling, from design in biology to the fine-tuning of the laws of physics, and what he thinks about evolution and intelligent design in public education. Bradley J. Monton, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is author of the new book, Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design (Broadview Press, 2009). Listen to Part One and Part Two of this series.

Scientific Journals Are Haunted by Intelligent Design: Michael Behe on Irreducible Complexity and PNAS

Discovery Institute — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:30:24 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Anika Smith interviews Lehigh University professor Michael Behe about irreducible complexity and the way his critics have tried to address his idea... without actually having to address it. What happens when Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publishes a paper substituting reducible systems to test irreducible complexity? And what does it mean when prestigious journals try to refute your idea... and keep claiming to refute it without allowing you to respond? Listen in and discover what's at the root of all this Darwinian anxiety: the power of an idea. Click here to read Dr. Behe's response to PNAS.

An Atheist Discusses the Scientific Merits of Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:03:09 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, atheist philosopher Bradley Monton defends intelligent design as science, discussing methodological naturalism and the evidential force of ID with Casey Luskin. Listen in as Professor Monton shares how ID-critic Robert Pennock tried to intimidate him (and click here for more of that story). Bradley J. Monton, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is author of the new book, Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design (Broadview Press, 2009). Listen to Part One of this series.

Discovery Jeopardizes Darwinist Argument Against Cambrian Explosion

Discovery Institute — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:48:27 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin discusses how trails of microorganisms knock down a favorite Darwinist argument against the Cambrian explosion. Listen in as Luskin explains why Darwinists remain stuck — whether they like it or not — with a very explosive Cambrian explosion that isn't the mere artifact of an imperfect fossil record.

Behind the Scenes With Darwin's Dilemma: An Interview With Producer Lad Allen

Discovery Institute — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:25:07 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Anika Smith interviews Illustra Media producer Lad Allen on the new film out next week, Darwin's Dilemma. As the third film in the intelligent design trilogy from Illustra Media, Darwin's Dilemma represents a capstone for Allen, who traversed the globe to present the story of Darwin's journey to his theory of evolution and the Cambrian Explosion, the nagging problem for Darwin in the fossil record that has become a crisis for evolution today. Listen in as Lad Allen shares with us what it's like to shoot on location in four continents and work with scientists like Simon Conway Morris and Stephen Meyer.

Back to School With Real Science for Kids

Discovery Institute — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:15:46 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features part two of an interview with Dr. Rebecca Keller, who discusses the nature of science and interpretation and how it applies to science education. Her textbooks focus on the practice of science, and are available at Gravitas Publications. Dr. Keller holds a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from the University of New Mexico, spent years doing biochemical research on molecular machines, and is an outspoken proponent of teaching students about both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. She is also the CEO of Gravitas Publications, which publishes the Real Science for Kids textbook series, providing textbooks that equip children with the tools they need to become scientific thinkers.

Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:54:12 GMT

In this ID the Future podcast, Casey Luskin interviews Bradley J. Monton, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder, about his new book Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design (Broadview Press, 2009). As the book’s title suggests, Monton is an atheist who feels that some intelligent design (ID) arguments hold merit and are worth taking seriously. Listen to this podcast as Monton explains how ID-critics commonly dismiss the theory through fallacious objections that do not address the actual arguments of ID-proponents.

Hitler's Ethic and the Pursuit of Evolutionary Progress in Nazi Policy

Discovery Institute — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:27:17 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Logan Gage interviews historian Richard Weikart on his new book, Hitler’s Ethic: The Nazi Pursuit of Evolutionary Progress, and how Darwinism influenced and inspired much of Nazi ideology. Weikart’s provocative book, out tomorrow, argues that Hitler's immorality was not the result of ignoring or rejecting ethics, but rather came from embracing a coherent -- albeit pernicious -- ethic of improving the human race through "evolutionary progress." Directly inspired by Darwin's theory of evolution, this ethic underlay or influenced almost every major feature of Nazi policy: eugenics (i.e., measures to improved human heredity, including compulsory sterilization), euthanasia, racism, population expansion, offensive warfare, and racial extermination. By embracing this particular brand of ethics, Hitler perpetrated much greater evil than he would have had he been merely opportunistic or amoral.

Rebutting Methodological Materialism: Interview With Angus Menuge, Part Two

Discovery Institute — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:41:19 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Angus Menuge on his latest research, including his arguments rebutting methodological materialism, a defense of downward mental causation, and a non-materialist theory of information. Listen in as he shares from his experience debating PZ Myers on how neuroscience actually points to the existence of non-material causes.

Agents Under Fire: Part One With Angus Menuge

Discovery Institute — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:42:24 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Angus Menuge, professor of philosophy at Concordia University Wisconsin and author of Agents Under Fire, Materialism and the Rationality of Science. Dr. Menuge shares how he got involved in the debate over intelligent design and what made him a skeptic of Darwinian evolution. Listen in as Dr. Menuge explains what is necessary for the Darwinian account of evolutionary complex systems.

Evolution's Glass Ceiling

Discovery Institute — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:24:38 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, acclaimed author and Discovery Institute senior fellow David Klinghoffer takes a look at the academic freedom — or lack thereof — for scientists who support intelligent design, scientists who are forced to don disguises and go underground in order to protect their careers. This podcast is based on Mr. Klinghoffer's commentary in Townhall Magazine, "Evolution's Glass Ceiling."

Challenging Ideas Promotes Good Science Education

Discovery Institute — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:19:52 GMT

In this ID the Future Podcast, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Rebecca Keller, a signer of A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism, about her views on biological evolution. Dr. Keller holds a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from the University of New Mexico, spent many hears doing biochemical research on molecular machines, and is an outspoken proponent of teaching students about both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. She is also the CEO of Gravitas Publications, which publishes the Real Science for Kids textbook series, providing textbooks that teach kids objective science in the core disciplines of science.

Cosmological Fine Tuning and the Multiverse Model

Discovery Institute — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:23:49 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Scott Chambers, who discusses his current research and his interest in the debate over evolution, which began in college and continues through this day. Dr. Chambers explains how the evidence for intelligent design from the fine-tuning of the universe and the fundamental constants of physics "smacks of design," and he addresses the multiverse hypothesis.

Is ID Creationism? William Dembski Answers Top Three Objections to ID

Discovery Institute — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:10:14 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin continues an interview with leading intelligent design theorist and CSC Senior Fellow William Dembski. Together, Dembski and Luskin address the three most common objections to design: that it is improper to infer design based on unlikely probabilities, that dysfunctional or suboptimal biological structures disprove that they were designed, and that intelligent design is nothing more than repacked creationism. Touching on such topics like pattern detection, design constraints, philosopher Immanuel Kant, and theology, Dembski shows that there are logical and reasonable answers to these objections and that intelligent design is a useful and scientific theory.

Special Video Podcast:DNA Evidence for Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:37:20 GMT

New Video Shows DNA Evidence for Intelligent Design Animation Gives Unique Look Inside the Cell A new video, Journey Inside The Cell, launched today at www.SignatureInTheCell.com dramatically illustrates the evidence for intelligent design within DNA, as described in Stephen C. Meyer’s book, Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design (HarperOne 2009). The original animation by Light Productions reveals in intricate detail how the digital information in DNA directs protein synthesis inside the cell, revealing a world of molecular machines and nano-processors communicating digital information. “This video is going to make things worse for critics of intelligent design,” Dr. Meyer explains. “They will have more difficulty convincing the public that their eyes are deceiving them when the evidence for design literally unfolds before them in this animation.” Narrated by Stephen Meyer, the video is a short tour of the molecular labyrinth, the cell’s sophisticated information-processing system, which not only produces machines, but also reproduces itself. You can view the video at www.signatureinthecell.com, www.intelligentdesign.org, or on Youtube. For copyright permissions, contact cscinfo@discovery.org.

Is the earth uniquely situated for scientific observation?

Discovery Institute — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:45:55 GMT

Do we live on a privileged planet? On this episode of ID The Future we have a short clip about the book The Privileged Planet. In the book, authors Jay Richards and Guillermo Gonzalez suggest that earth was designed for scientific discovery. They introduce a new idea that more than just being rare in the universe, the earth is ideally located for scientific observation.

The First Challenge to Darwin, the Preamble to Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:37:36 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews historian Michael Flannery for the final installment of this series on Alfred Russell Wallace and Flannery's new book, Alfred Russel Wallace's Theory of Intelligent Evolution: How Wallace's World of Life Challenged Darwinism. What was Wallace's theory of intelligent evolution, which Flannery describes as a preamble to intelligent design?

It should strike both ID proponents and critics alike as significant that first intelligent design challenge to Darwinism came in the form of intelligent evolution from the very man who is credited with the co-discovery of natural selection, and he issued this challenge on the basis of the limitations of the principle of utility.

Flannery's research on Alfred Russell Wallace illustrates how this debate is not evolution vs. creation, but Darwinism versus design. Michael Flannery is Professor and Associate Director for Historical Collections at the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has previously published on Alfred Russel Wallace in Forbes Magazine online, and his book is published by Erasmus Press. Click on the links below if you missed the first installments of this series: Part One Part Two Part Three

Double Ph.D. Scientist Calls for Scientific Integrity

Discovery Institute — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:16:27 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews scientist Donald Johnson about his new book, Probability’s Nature and Nature's Probability. Dr. Johnson calls for scientific integrity in the debate over evolution and intelligent design and discusses how information is transmitted in living systems. Donald E. Johnson holds Ph.D.s in Computer & Information Sciences from the University of Minnesota and in Chemistry from Michigan State University. He can be reached at his website, ScienceIntegrity.net.

Micro or Macro? Microbiologist Ralph Seelke on Evolution

Discovery Institute — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:02:23 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Rob Crowther interviews Dr. Ralph Seelke, who explains the differences between Micro- and Macro-evolution and shares about his current evolution research. Ralph Seelke received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in 1981, was a postdoctoral researcher at the Mayo Clinic until 1983, and has been an Associate Professor or Professor in the Department of Biology and Earth Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Superior since 1989. An authority on evolution’s capabilities and limitations in producing new functions in bacteria, Prof. Seelke co-authored the science textbook Explore Evolution.

Intelligent Evolution and Darwin's Rival

Discovery Institute — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:08:20 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin talks with historian Michael Flannery for the third and final installment of this series on Alfred Russell Wallace and Flannery's new book, Alfred Russel Wallace's Theory of Intelligent Evolution: How Wallace's World of Life Challenged Darwinism. Wallace lived a century ago — how is it fair to call Wallace a seminal figure for intelligent design? Listen in as Michael Flannery explains that while we cannot judge Wallace by the standards of today, we should view him as a man who took the latest ideas of science and drew “one fundamental conclusion: that certain features of the universe and of living thing are best explained by an intelligent cause and that an undirected natural selection was inadequate explanation for many key aspects of biological life." Flannery also discusses how Wallace most closely resembles ID theorist Michael Behe in his acceptance of common descent and skepticism that the Darwinian mechanisms of chance and utility are capable of explaining everything in nature. Michael Flannery is Professor and Associate Director for Historical Collections at the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has previously published on Alfred Russel Wallace in Forbes Magazine online, and his book is published by Erasmus Press. Click on the links below if you missed the first installments of this series: Part One Part Two

Doubting Darwin With Double Ph.D Scientist Donald Johnson

Discovery Institute — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:18:17 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Donald E. Johnson about Johnson’s journey from being an evolutionist to becoming a Darwin-skeptic and proponent of intelligent design. What stands in the way of many scientists accepting ID? Johnson explains the difficulty he faced as the logic of the design argument compelled him to take a more critical look at Darwin's theory. Donald E. Johnson, who holds two Ph.D.s, one Ph.D. in Computer & Information Sciences from the University of Minnesota and another Ph.D. in Chemistry from Michigan State University, is the recent author of the pro-ID book, Probability’s Nature and Nature's Probability.

Francis Collins: Consistent or not?

Discovery Institute — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:47:44 GMT

CSC’s Logan Gage offers an insightful review of new theistic evolutionist Francis Collins’ seminal book, The Language of God, and considers whether or not Collins is consistent in his thinking. Click here for more about Collins' views on evolution and intelligent design.

Historian Explodes Stereotypes About Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:37:34 GMT

This episode of ID the Future has the second installment of Casey Luskin’s interview of Michael A. Flannery, author of Alfred Russel Wallace's Theory of Intelligent Evolution: How Wallace's World of Life Challenged Darwinism (2009). In this podcast, historian Flannery explains how Wallace held views different from Darwin, and thus poses a challenge to modern ID-critics:

“You see, with Wallace they’re faced with a real problem, because with Wallace they’re faced in one individual someone who is non-Christian, non-creationist, a thorough evolutionist, who not only independently discovered natural selection but came to a view of nature imbued with intelligent design. So an unamended Wallace would really force the Darwinists to admit 3 important things. First, it’s absolutely possible to believe in evolution without subscribing to Darwinism. … Second, ID is not nor was it from the beginning creationist. And third, ID was derived from scientific observations more than a hundred years ago, drawn from Alfred Russel Wallace.”

Michael Flannery is Professor and Associate Director for Historical Collections at the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has previously published on Alfred Russel Wallace in Forbes Magazine online, and his book is published by Erasmus Press.

A Dissenter in Darwin's Shadow

Discovery Institute — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:13:32 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Michael A. Flannery, author of Alfred Russel Wallace's Theory of Intelligent Evolution: How Wallace's World of Life Challenged Darwinism (2009). Flannery’s book is published by Erasmus Press, and it explains how Alfred Russel Wallace, the 19th century naturalist who co-discovered with Charles Darwin the principle of natural selection, not only dissented from key aspects of Darwinism but held certain views that can be classified as intelligent design (ID). Flannery’s book shows that Wallace is a progenitor to modern ID who was neither a Christian nor a creationist, providing a historical disproof of many popular arguments against ID. In this first installment of the interview, Mr. Flannery discusses how Darwin's early training in materialist philosophy influenced his later scientific proposals. Mr. Flannery has previously published on Alfred Russel Wallace in Forbes Magazine online at Alfred Russel Wallace.

DNA, Signature in the Cell, and Francis Collins at the NIH

Discovery Institute — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:27:32 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features an interview with Stephen Meyer on the Sandy Rios show, where he answered questions about DNA, his new book, Signature in the Cell, and the recent appointment of Francis Collins to the NIH. For continuing updates on other interviews and appearances featuring Dr. Meyer, visit SignatureInTheCell.com.

Stephen C. Meyer Tackles the Question That Stumped Darwin

Discovery Institute — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:15:51 GMT

This episode of ID the Future feature CSC director Stephen C. Meyer on the Rick Hamada program, where he addresses the critical question that stumped Darwin: where did the first life come from? Listen in for Steve's answer, and be sure to check out SignatureIntheCell.com for the latest news and media appearances with Dr. Meyer.

Art and Intelligent Design: The Connections Between Nature and Human Design

Discovery Institute — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:26:42 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, medical illustrator and artist Jody Sjogren, tells her scientific journey from being a passive “go-with-the-flow” Darwinist to becoming a Darwin-skeptic as she learned about the workings of biology and human-designed machines and gained experience with the creative process. Sjogren graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology, and then from the Medical College of Georgia with a Master of Science degree in Medical Illustration. She also has a background in aviation. She now works as an artist with Metamorphosis Studios and contributes to IDarts.org, both of which feature her highly regarded art connecting biological avian flight with human-designed flight-machines.

Origin of Life Chemistry Shows Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:12:29 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Baylor University chemist Dr. Charles Garner on new findings in origin of life research and the plausibility of the chemical origin of life scenario. Listen in as Dr. Garner shows the speculation and imagination materialists employ to explain the origin of life. For more information, read some of Dr. Garner's comments here at Evolution News & Views.

Darwin's Tree of Life Splinters

Discovery Institute — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:18:49 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin takes a keen-eyed look at Darwin's tree of life and finds that common descent, far from being confirmed by the data, is actually contradicted by it, as New Scientist pointed out in a recent cover story, "Why Darwin was wrong about the tree of life." Listen in to learn how the data is challenging Darwinist assumptions, and check out "A Primer on the Tree of Life" for more information.

Founding Father Thomas Jefferson on Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:27:27 GMT

Critics of intelligent design sometimes claim they are defending the principles of American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson in trying to ban discussions of intelligent design. In the words of one writer, “Thomas Jefferson makes it quite clear that there was not a consensus of support among the authors of the Constitution... to support theological doctrines such as intelligent design.” But would Thomas Jefferson himself agree? In this special July 4th edition of ID the Future, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow John West explores the real views of Jefferson on intelligent design.

The Design Argument Is Unrefuted: Stephen Meyer Responds to Critics With Signature in the Cell

Discovery Institute — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:39:51 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future philosopher of science Stephen C. Meyer responds to critics of intelligent design, such as Richard Dawkins and his book, The God Delusion. How do critics of ID miss the point, and what are the questions they should be asking about intelligent design? Listen in to find out, and check out Dr. Meyer's new book, Signature in the Cell, where Dr. Meyer goes into more detail. Click here for Part 1 of this series. Click here for Part 2 of this series. Click here for Part 3 of this series.

DNA Evidence for Design: Stephen C. Meyer and Signature in the Cell, Part 3

Discovery Institute — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:00:50 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future CSC Director Stephen C. Meyer explains the problem that information presents to origin of life researchers within a naturalistic paradigm. Information within the cell presents a daunting challenge to Darwin’s theory -- and provides significant evidence for a signature of a designing intelligence, as Meyer explains in his new book. Listen in and check out Dr. Meyer's new book, Signature in the Cell, which shares the depth of Dr. Meyer's research into the origin of information and the digital code in DNA. Click here for Part 1 of this series. Click here for Part 2 of this series.

Delving Into Science at Cambridge: Stephen C. Meyer and Signature in the Cell, Part 2

Discovery Institute — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:33:03 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future philosopher of science Stephen C. Meyer continues the story of how he became involved in intelligent design, sharing some of what he studied while at Cambridge University. What methods do scientists use to study biological origins? Is there a distinctive method of historical scientific inquiry? Meyer set off to investigate not only the history of scientific ideas about the origin of life, but also questions about the definition of science and about how scientists study and reason about ancient events in the past. Listen in and learn, and check out Dr. Meyer's new book, Signature in the Cell, which tells more of the story, the culmination of over 20 years of study and research on the origins of life. Click here for Part 1 of this series.

The Making of an ID Theorist: Stephen C. Meyer and the Origin of Life

Discovery Institute — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:03:58 GMT

This episode of ID the Future tells the story of how philosopher of science Stephen C. Meyer first began his quest for the origin of life. How did one of the architects of the intelligent design movement move from the oilfields of Texas to the study halls of Cambridge to pursue the mystery of where biological information originated? Listen in and find out. The new book, Signature in the Cell, tells the rest of the story, the culmination of over 20 years of study and research on the origins of life.

Matter and the Mind: Part Three With UK Darwin-Doubter James LeFanu

Discovery Institute — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:36:41 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features the third and final part of Casey Luskin's interview with James LeFanu, author of Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves, which discusses the problems for the materialist account of the human mind. How do we get from the electrochemical activity of the brain to the richness of the human mind? Listen in as Dr. LeFanu summarizes the five things that material science can’t tell us about the non-material mind. Listen to part one of the interview here. Listen to part two of the interview here. To learn more about Dr. LeFanu, visit his website here or read a recent review of his book at Evolution News & Views.

Rediscovering the Mystery of Ourselves: Part Two With Science Writer James LeFanu

Discovery Institute — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:48:11 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features part two of Casey Luskin's interview with James LeFanu, author of Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves. According to Dr. LeFanu, one of the problems with Darwin’s theory and where it stands today is that it presupposes that the argument is closed, draining interest and fascination from the question of our origins. Dr. LeFanu discusses the problems with the Darwinian explanation for the evolution of the eye and how the development of genetics has brought our attention to the deep inscrutability of the nature of genetic structures and the origin of life. Can natural selection acting on random mutations account for these features? Listen in as Dr. LeFanu explains how science is on the cusp of this intriguing moment, rediscovering the mystery of ourselves. Listen to part one of the interview here. To learn more about Dr. LeFanu, visit his website here or read a recent review of his book at Evolution News & Views.

Darwin Doubting in the UK: Columnist, Doctor and Author James LeFanu

Discovery Institute — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:16:36 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features part one of Casey Luskin's interview with James LeFanu, author of Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves. Dr. LeFanu shares his perspective as someone who straddles two worlds, encountering science on a micro level in his practice as a medical doctor, and reflecting on the broader aspects of science and medicine as an author and columnist for the UK's Daily Telegraph. Dr. LeFanu explains why he doubts the too-simplistic Darwinian account, where the "facade of knowing" is daily challenged by the inescapable complexity of life. To learn more about Dr. LeFanu, visit his website here or read a recent review of his book at Evolution News & Views.

PSSI International Adventures With Darwinists in Spain, Part Two

Discovery Institute — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:02:34 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin continues his interview with Rich Akin, the founder and CEO of Physicians and Surgeons for Scientific Integrity (PSSI) International. Dr. Akin shares stories from his adventures in Spain, where PSSI International stirred up trouble with Darwinists and caused a tempest that is still raging today. For background information on Dr. Akin's stories, click here.

Physicians and Surgeons for Scientific Integrity, Part One

Discovery Institute — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:54:53 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin interviews Rich Akin from Physicians and Surgeons for Scientific Integrity, who shares why he founded the organization for Darwin-doubting doctors and the misinformation about his organization on Wikipedia. Listen in as Dr. Akin explains more about PSSI International. If you are a physician or surgeon who dissents from Darwinism, please consider joining PSSI International here.

When Athens Met Jerusalem With John Mark Reynolds

Discovery Institute — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:01:36 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Logan Gage interviews CSC Fellow John Mark Reynolds, author of the new book, When Athens Met Jerusalem: An Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought, an introduction to classical and Christian thought. Listen in as Dr. Reynolds explains the role that classical and Christian thought played in the development of modern science and examines some of the design thinking of ancient philosophers.

Benjamin Wiker on Darwin, the Man and the Myth

Discovery Institute — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:15:01 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Logan Gage interviews Dr. Benjamin Wiker, author of The Darwin Myth: The Life and Lies of Charles Darwin. What were Darwin's actual religious and philosophical views? Are atheists abusing Darwin's theory when they say Darwinism supports their atheist belief? Listen in as Dr. Wiker answers and explains the natural outgrowth of Social Darwinism from Darwin's theory. Listen to previous IDTF episodes featuring Dr. Wiker here and here.

The Line Through the Heart: Natural Law and J. Budziszewski

Discovery Institute — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:17:00 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Logan Gage interviews CSC fellow J. Budziszewski on his new book, The Line Through the Heart: Natural Law as Fact, Theory, and Sign of Contradiction. What is Natural Law? Listen in as Dr. Budziszewski explains how humans as rational creatures differ from animals driven by instinct, and the evidence for "a deep structure to the human moral intellect" or design in Natural Law.

New Atheists, New Theistic Evolutionists, and Who Is Right? FaithandEvolution.org

Discovery Institute — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:19:29 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features Anika Smith interviewing CSC associate director John West on the launch of the new website, FaithandEvolution.org, bringing clarity to the conversation between the new atheists such as Richard Dawkins and the new theistic evolutionists like Francis Collins. Is faith in God compatible with Darwinian evolution? Who is right, and why does it matter? Listen in, and check out FaithandEvolution.org.

Response to the YouTube Challenge to Discovery Institute

Discovery Institute — Fri, 22 May 2009 23:17:02 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin takes a look at a recent "challenge" issued via YouTube to Discovery Institute, asking the question, Does any critic out there understand intelligent design? Is there genetic evidence for intelligent design? Tune in and find out. Click here to read more.

Case Closed: Guillermo Dekat Reviews Science's Blind Spot

Discovery Institute — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:14:40 GMT

Click here to listen. In today’s episode of ID The Future, CSC legal intern Guillermo Dekat reviews Cornelius G. Hunter’s book Science’s Blind Spot. In law, Dekat explains, people harmed by a product are entitled to damages if they can prove the product is defective. If dogmatic science is a product under investigation, he continues, then Hunter’s work in Blind Spot proves its defects. Dekat charts Hunter’s arguments about science’s "theological naturalism" and provides an overview of the other points made by the author.

Socratic Method: Short Stories and James Hoskins

Discovery Institute — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:12:13 GMT

Today on ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews James Hoskins about his latest creative writing endeavors. Hoskins, a philosophy major at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, has written several pieces based on the debate between ID and Darwinian evolution, including one that pits Socrates and imaginary materialist Hector Dawkins against each other as they argue over the scientific merit of ID. Hoskins also reads excerpts from some of his stories, and describes the inspiration behind them. Hoskins' work, including his Debate Between Socrates and Hector Dawkins, can be downloaded from ID Arts here.

The Dark Darwinian History of Eugenics

Discovery Institute — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:22:32 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, John West takes a look at the eugenics movement of the early twentieth century and how it drew direct inspiration from Darwinian biology and the writings of Charles Darwin himself. The eugenics movement was no fringe effort, but was the view of mainstream science and espoused by those at Harvard, Princeton, and the National Academy of Science. For more, visit the website of Dr. West's book, Darwin Day in America.

Intelligent Design 101: Casey Luskin on Human Chromosomal Fusion

Discovery Institute — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:39:38 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, Casey Luskin continues the series begun in the previous podcast (Intelligent Design 101: State of the Debate), rebutting an argument for common ancestry between humans and chimpanzees in Dr. Francis Collins' book The Language of God. Taken from a recently finished appendix to Intelligent Design 101: Leading Experts Explain the Key Issues, Luskin responds to the notion that similar chromosomal structure between the two species is proof of a common lineage by saying plainly that the discovery is equally compatible with a theory of common design.

Swine Flu and the Edge of Evolution

Discovery Institute — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:28:23 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin takes a look at the swine flu virus and what it tells us about evolution and how the limits of evolution help us combat dangerous viruses.

Intelligent Design 101: State of the Debate

Discovery Institute — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:21:35 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin announces the release of Intelligent Design 101: Leading Experts Explain the Key Issues, an anthology that tackles intelligent design from scientific, philosophical, and legal perspectives. Luskin shares from an insightful new essay by Phillip Johnson about the state of the debate over intelligent design and evolution.

The New Spontaneous Generationists

Discovery Institute — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:11:12 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Anika Smith interviews writer Robert Deyes on The New Spontaneous Generationists, who argue that "matter and energy somehow self-originated into complex forms without outside intelligence." While we may have moved beyond expecting rats to materialize from garbage heaps and maggots from decaying meat, materialists today are trying to simulate the origin of first life without intelligent agency -- and they're failing. Listen in to learn why, and read Deyes' article at ARN's ID Report for more.

Is the Panda's Thumb Really Proof of Evolution?

Discovery Institute — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:31:39 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future we’re highlighting a short clip of senior fellow Dr. Paul Nelson describing his meeting with the late, famous defender of Darwinism, Stephen J. Gould, and whether or not the Panda's Thumb is obviously proof of evolution.

Academic Freedom Action Alert

Discovery Institute — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:12:53 GMT

When elected officials take a stand for academic freedom, they become targets for the Darwin lobby. Because of his leadership and support for critical thinking on evolution, Texas State Board of Education Chair Don McLeroy has been targeted by Darwin's defenders in the Texas Senate who want to remove him from his position. Less than a month ago, the Texas Board adopted landmark science standards that will protect teachers who want to let students evaluate and critique the evidence for Darwinian evolution. Now Darwinists are trying to convince the state Senate to block McLeroy's reappointment as Board Chair. "Supporting those, like Don McLeroy, who take a stand for academic freedom to question evolution at personal cost is one of the most important and effective things citizens can do," said CSC Associate Director John West. "It sends a message to elected officials that expelling leaders like Dr. McLeroy because of their stance on Darwin's theory is simply not acceptable." Here's one thing you can do to help: E-mail the chairman of the Senate Nominating Committee, Mike Jackson, at MIKE.JACKSON@SENATE.STATE.TX.US and tell him you support Dr. McLeroy as Chair of the State Board of Education. Be sure to e-mail the other committee members as well at these addresses: KEVIN.ELTIFE@SENATE.STATE.TX.US, GLENN.HEGAR@SENATE.STATE.TX.US, JANE.NELSON@SENATE.STATE.TX.US, ROBERT.NICHOLS@SENATE.STATE.TX.US, ELIOT.SHAPLEIGH@SENATE.STATE.TX.US, KIRK.WATSON@SENATE.STATE.TX.US. We've included a sample letter below:

Dear [Committee Member], I support Don McLeroy as Chair of the State Board of Education, and I urge you to confirm the governor's nomination and bring it before the Senate for a vote. Don McLeroy is a proven leader in education for Texas students. It is reprehensible that he has been targeted for removal because he has dared to question evolution and encouraged young minds to remain open to critical examination of Darwin's theory. It is for this reason that Darwin's defenders are trying to expel Dr. McLeroy from his role as SBOE Chair, and I hope that you will hear those of us who stand by Dr. McLeroy and support him against this political bullying by Darwinist groups. Sincerely, [Your Name]

Please stand with Don McLeroy and support academic freedom in Texas. Tell your friends and family, and let's show the Darwin-lobby that they cannot expel critical thinking from the science classroom.

Evidence for Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:42:19 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin responds to emails from students who want to know the scientific evidence for intelligent design. What do we really mean when we say that evolution is a scientific theory? Is there a positive case to be made for ID? Listen in and find out. For more information, check out The Positive Case for Design.

Deconstructing Dawkins

Discovery Institute — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:19:22 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Logan Paul Gage reviews Alister McGrath's The Dawkins Delusion, the first book-length critique of Richard Dawkins' infamous The God Delusion. Listen in as Gage explains where McGrath succeeds in writing "with a scholarly care and graciousness," but fails to address Darwinism, assuming instead that theism is compatible with Darwin's theory. Full text of Gage's review is available here.

Dr. Jonathan Wells on The Language of God

Discovery Institute — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:26:53 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Logan Gage interviews Dr. Jonathan Wells on his recent review of Francis Collins' The Language of God, addressing questions of common ancestry, mistaken definitions of intelligent design, and Collins' use of so-called "junk"-DNA to advance a "Darwin-of-the-gaps" argument.

Exposing Darwinist Ronald Wetherington’s Bluffs About Human Evolution

Discovery Institute — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:17:19 GMT

This episode of ID the Future explores the many holes in SMU professor Ronald Wetherington's testimony before the Texas State Board of Education. Listen in as Casey Luskin explains why Wetherington -- and anyone else who claims that there are "no gaps" in the fossil record or "no lack of transitional fossils" in human evolution -- overstates his case. For more rebutting Ronald Wetherington's testimony, click here.

Calling Darwinist David Hillis' Bluffs Before the Texas State Board of Education

Discovery Institute — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:28:36 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin exposes the many bluffs and blunders of Darwinist David Hillis, who testified before the Texas State Board of Education with the outlandish claim that there's "overwhelming agreement" on the Tree of Life -- the same day that New Scientist published "Why Darwin was wrong about the tree of life." Listen in as IDTF calls Hillis' bluff. Click here to read more

Predictions from an Intelligent Design Perspective: Conversation with Biologist Luman Wing, Part 3

Discovery Institute — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:01:48 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, biologist Luman Wing explains to Casey Luskin about the predictions of an intelligent design perspective in biology. Wing discusses junk-DNA, the irreducible complexity of the blood clotting cascade, and the implications of ID and Darwinism on personalized medicine. Dr. Luman Wing is a signer of A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism.

ID The Future: From Darwinist to Darwin Doubter

Discovery Institute — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:45:59 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future a chemist explains how he went from being a Darwinist to becoming a Darwin skeptic.

Dr. Charles Garner on Chirality and Origin of Life Research

Discovery Institute — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:17:19 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Charles Garner in Austin, TX, where they both were for the Board of Education hearings last week. Listen in as Dr. Garner explains his research in chemistry, particularly the chirality of molecules and the importance of homochirality to origin of life research.

Systems Biology and Intelligent Design: Conversation with Biologist Luman Wing, Part 2

Discovery Institute — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:13:27 GMT

In this ID the Future podcast, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Luman Wing, a signer of the Dissent From Darwinism list. Dr. Wing discusses his support for systems biology and the reasons he thinks this approach to biology lends support to the theory of intelligent design.

Texas Board Hears From Scientists Who Favor Teaching Strengths and Weaknesses of Evolution

Discovery Institute — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:43:11 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, John West reports on the Texas State Board of Education hearings where scientists, teachers and students gathered to testify before the Board. One side focused on touting their own religious beliefs and criticizing the religious beliefs of others, while the other side focused on science, education, and academic freedom. Listen to the testimony of scientists down in Texas and learn what the debate over how to teach evolution is really all about. For continuing updates on the Texas science standards, visit Evolution News & Views.

"Junk-RNA" Meeting Same End as "Junk-DNA"

Discovery Institute — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:48:39 GMT

What will Darwinists do now? On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin examines a new paper published in Nature which threatens the Darwinian "junk-RNA" paradigm. Listen in as Luskin explains how we're still waiting for Darwinists to let go of their precious "junk" arguments for blind evolution and common descent. For more information, go here.

Questioning Darwinian Dogma: Conversation with Biologist Luman Wing, Part 1

Discovery Institute — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:43:21 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Luman Wing, a signer of the Dissent from Darwinism statement who has spent many years working in biotechnology. Dr. Wing recounts his observations as an undergraduate studying under Dr. Dean Kenyon at San Francisco State University at the time that Dr. Kenyon underwent his intellectual de-conversion from Darwinism, and rescinded his textbook promoting the natural chemical origin of life.

Cesare Lombroso and the Rise of Darwinian Criminal Justice

Discovery Institute — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:42:36 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, John West shares from his book, Darwin Day in America, about Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso and the New School of Criminal Anthropology. Lombroso and his disciples contended that criminal behavior could be explained largely as a throwback to earlier stages of Darwinian evolution. Listen in as West illustrates the consequences of applying Darwin's theory to criminal justice.

Academic Freedom Update: Where Are We in 2009?

Discovery Institute — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:20:24 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin gives listeners an update on what’s going on with academic freedom legislation around America. Academic freedom bills submitted in five states already this year, including Oklahoma, Iowa, New Mexico, Missouri and Alabama. Listen in to today’s podcast as Luskin explains how Darwinist opposition to the bills is showing why academic freedom legislation is necessary to protect teachers from a climate of intimidation. Learn more and sign the Academic Freedom Petition at , and stay tuned to ID the Future and Evolution News & Views for continuing updates.

Why Specified Complexity Cannot Be Purchased Without Intelligence

Discovery Institute — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:19:26 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC's Robert Crowther highlights one of the foundational books of the theory of intelligent design. No Free Lunch, the sequel to mathematician and CSC senior fellow William Dembski’s Cambridge University Press book The Design Inference, explores key questions about the origin of specified complexity. No Free Lunch demonstrates that design theory shows great promise of providing insight in the field of evolutionary computation.

Darwin, Intelligent Design, and Freedom of Discovery on Evolutionists' Holy Day

Discovery Institute — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:39:59 GMT

In this podcast, CSC 's Casey Luskin presents his piece from the U.S. News and World Report titled, “Darwin, Intelligent Design, and Freedom of Discovery on Evolutionists' Holy Day.” Luskin describes how many modern day evolutionists reject Charles Darwin’s call for academic freedom in the debate over evolution. The op-ed also recounts a recent incident where Ben Stein, star of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, was himself “expelled” from the University of Vermont due to his views on evolution. The original article can be read here.

Darwinian Economics: Capitalism or Marxism?

Discovery Institute — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:04:39 GMT

Does Darwinism lend support more naturally to a capitalist moral-economic perspective or to a Marxist one? On this episode of ID the Future, CSC scholar David Klinghoffer explores the deep Darwinian roots of Communism, arguing that, while Marx had already begun sketching the outlines of his ideas before Darwin published the Origin of Species, he is fairly called a Darwinist, and the men who translated Marxism into practical political terms in the form of Soviet terror were evolutionary thinkers, just as they themselves claimed to be. Listen in to learn more, and read more about Darwinism & Communism at Evolution News & Views: Darwinism & Communism, Part I Darwinism & Communism, Part II Darwinism & Communism, Part III

Defending Critical Analysis in Cross-Examination: Dr. Stephen Meyer Answers Questions in Texas

Discovery Institute — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:55:02 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features Dr. Stephen Meyer responding to his critics during a questioning period before the Texas State Board of Education last month. Listen in as philosopher of science Meyer cuts through the rhetorical strategies in this debate and exposes the strengths and weaknesses of the Darwinist position, rebutting the misinformation about Discovery Institute’s education policy and laying out the legitimate scientific dissent from Darwin.

Chemist Charles Garner on Chemical Evolution

Discovery Institute — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:42:34 GMT

On this ID the Future podcast, Chemistry Professor Charles Garner from Baylor University testifies before the Texas State Board of Education about the need to teach students about both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolution. Dr. Garner specifically focuses on chemical evolution, emphasizing some of the scientific weaknesses in theories of a natural chemical origin of life, and encourages that evidence to be taught in Texas science classrooms.

200 Years After Darwin -- What Didn't Darwin Know?

Discovery Institute — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:00:48 GMT

This special video episode of ID the Future celebrates Darwin Day with a look back at the man and his theory by three scientists and scholars who join in the scientific dissent from evolution. Biologist Jonathan Wells, author and M.D. Geoffrey Simmons, and molecular biologist Douglas Axe shed light on the problems with Darwin's theory as they share what led each of them to their skepticism. Jonathan Wells first became skeptical of Darwin's mechanism of natural selection, but it was in his studies in embryology that he became skeptical of common ancestry. Dr. Wells takes a historical look at the impact of Darwin's theory and discusses how unnecessary it is for modern science. Geoffrey Simmons, M.D., explains how he became a Darwin skeptic after looking at the evidence and finding the evidence for evolution lacking. And Molecular biologist Douglas Axe from Biologic Institute explains the problems genetic mutations pose for Darwin's theory. Listen in to their stories and appreciate again the scientific evidence against Darwin's theory.

Biologist Ralph Seelke Speaks Out in Support of Teaching the Controversy

Discovery Institute — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:26:53 GMT

Biologist Ralph Seelke is one of the scientists who aren’t supposed to exist -- he’s skeptical of Darwin’s theory of evolution. As a professor at University of Wisconsin-Superior, Dr. Seelke tests what evolution can actually do. In January, Dr. Seelke testified about his research before the Texas Board of Education, and this episode of ID the Future features audio from his presentation. Listen in and learn why scientists support teaching the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory.

Another Scientist Dissents From Darwinism: Dr. Mauricio Alcocer Ruthling

Discovery Institute — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:10:11 GMT

In this ID the Future podcast, Casey Luskin interviews Scientific Dissent From Darwinism signer, biologist Mauricio Alcocer Ruthling, about scientific problems with evolution. Dr. Alcocer Ruthling received his Ph.D. in plant science from the University of Idaho and is now Director of Graduate Studies at the Universidad Autónoma in Guadalajara, Mexico. Dr. Alcocer Ruthling has studied the importance of fitness costs to the use of herbicides and explains why fitness costs demonstrate the existence of genetic barriers to evolution.

Well-Informed: Dr. Robert Marks and the Evolutionary Informatics Lab

Discovery Institute — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:34:45 GMT

In today’s episode of ID The Future, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Robert Marks about his work in evolutionary informatics at Baylor University. Marks explains that evolutionary informatics seeks to emulate evolution on a computer, allowing for new engineering designs to be developed. Unlike Darwinian evolution, this process does not advance gradually, and requires a certain amount of external information to be fed into the computer before the process can begin; in other words, the systems must be designed before the evolution can begin. This contrast fueled Marks’ interest in intelligent design, and has led him to critically analyze a number of evolutionary computer programs that claim to prove Darwin’s theories. About Dr. Marks Dr. Marks is Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is also one of the founders of the Evolutionary Informatics Lab. His research and teaching focuses on computational intelligence, including fuzzy systems and neural networks. Dr. Marks’ upcoming Handbook of Fourier Analysis will be released through the Oxford Press. Marks also co-wrote Neural Smithing: Supervised Learning in Feedforward Artificial Neural Networks with Russell Reed. For more information on evolutionary computing and Dr. Marks’ work, please visit the Evolutionary Informatics Lab homepage. Editor's Note: After this podcast first aired, Dr. Marks' website, originally hosted by Baylor University, was taken down in an act of censorship by his university. You can read the story here, and watch part of it in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

Evolution Has Weaknesses: Dr. Meyer Testifies in Texas

Discovery Institute — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:03:48 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features CSC director Dr. Stephen Meyer’s opening remarks to the Texas State Board of Education, where he testified last week 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. For more information and continuing updates about the controversy in Texas, visit Evolution News & Views.

Texas Board Chair Gives a Science Lesson

Discovery Institute — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:17:28 GMT

Last week, the Texas State Board of Education met to consider a draft of their new science standards. At the meeting, the Board’s Chair, Dr. Don McLeroy did a remarkable thing – he gave the rest of the Board a science lesson, which began when McLeroy proposed a new standard regarding evolution. Listen in to this episode of ID the Future as Dr. McLeroy lays out a compelling case for the existence of scientific controversies over evolution.

Question Everything: An Interview with Author Gordy Slack

Discovery Institute — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:25:07 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin talks with Gordy Slack, author of The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA. Slack shares his personal views on intelligent design and the socio-political implications of the ID-evolution debate. Luskin’s interview with Slack is illuminating and thought-provoking as they compare their experience at the infamous Dover trial, and while they disagree on the issues, this remains a fruitful dialogue worth listening to. Some of Mr. Slack's incorrect claims are refuted in a long-standing response to the "Wedge Document" from the Discovery Institute, entitled “The ‘Wedge Document’: ‘So What?’." Gordy Slack has written for Mother Jones and Salon.com, among others. He was formerly the associate editor of California Wild, a natural history magazine. Slack has written several books in addition to The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything, including Faith and Science.

The Curious Case of the Evolving Dr. Schafersman

Discovery Institute — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:39:21 GMT

Who’s really trying to dumb down how evolution is presented in schools today? This episode of ID the Future takes a look at the curious case of the evolving Dr. Steven Schafersman and what we can learn from it about current debates over teaching evolution. Listen in as CSC Associate Director John West traces the changing rhetoric of Dr. Schafersman of the misnomered “Texas Citizens for Better Science,” and the next time you hear a Darwinist claim that there are no scientific controversies over evolution, remember the case of the evolving Dr. Schafersman.

Why Consensus Doesn't Count

Discovery Institute — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:00:05 GMT

Darwinists often point out that Darwin’s theory is supported by a majority of scientists and so only the evidence that supports the theory should be presented to students. On this episode of ID The Future, CSC’s John West explains that when it comes to setting public policy, dissenting views on science can be critically important and should be encouraged.

Academic Freedom Day -- What Can You Do?

Discovery Institute — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:14:13 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future we take a look at the need for academic freedom on evolution. As Darwinists around the world gear up for Darwin Day 2009, we hope they remember Darwin's own words on the need for free scientific inquiry: "A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.” Listen in to find out how you can mark the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth by standing up for academic freedom on evolution and celebrating Academic Freedom Day. For more information and resources on how you can help, check out www.academicfreedomday.com.

Intelligent Design Doesn't Go There: Opposing Views, Part 4

Discovery Institute — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:22:05 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin makes the case that intelligent design has scientific merit because it is does not try to address religious questions about the supernatural. ID limits its claims to what can be scientifically inferred from the empirical domain, setting it apart from creationism. Listen in as Luskin shows how ID is a legitimate scientific alternative to neo-Darwinism that has key differences from creationism. This podcast is taken from a series of articles published at OpposingViews.com and can be read here.

The Making of a Darwin Dissenter Part II

Discovery Institute — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:58:25 GMT

On this second of a two part ID The Future, CSC's Casey Luskin continues his discussion with CSC Fellow Dr. Geoffrey Simmons about evolution and vestigial organs. What makes a doctor skeptical of Darwinian evolution? How can doctors express their scientific dissent from Darwinism? Listen in as Dr. Simmons shares from his knowledge in the medical field. Dr. Simmons is a licensed and practicing physician in Eugene, OR, and the author of the books What Darwin Didn't Know (2004) and Billions of Missing Links (2007). For more reasons why doctors doubt Darwin, check out Dr. Simmons' Amazon blog.

Intelligent Design's Implications Don't Discredit Its Scientific Merit: Opposing Views, Part 3

Discovery Institute — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:15:57 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin explains why any philosophical implications of intelligent design, or any religious motives, beliefs, and affiliations of ID proponents, do not disqualify ID from having scientific merit. This podcast is taken from a series of articles published at OpposingViews.com and can be read here.

Top 10 Darwin and Design Resources from 2008

Discovery Institute — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:22:19 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Kevin Wirth and Dennis Wagner of Access Research Network (ARN) on their top ten Darwin and Design resources from 2008. Listen in as they take a look back on the year that brought us ID in a video game, books by both agnostics and theists supporting design, and the number 1 political documentary of 2008. To read more about ARN's Top 10 Resources for 2008, click here.

Intelligent Design's Scientific Merit in Paleontology: Opposing Views, Part 2

Discovery Institute — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:46:19 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin explores intelligent design's scientific merit in paleontology. While many of our listeners may be familiar with the evidence for ID in biology, the fossil record shows us that there's a strong argument for intelligent design worth examining in paleontology, as well. Listen in to learn more. This podcast is taken from a series of articles published at OpposingViews.com and can be read here.

The Scientific Merit of Intelligent Design: Opposing Views, Part 1

Discovery Institute — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:40:56 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin explains the scientific merit of intelligent design. Is ID testable? How do pro-ID biologists apply intelligent design to biology? What does it mean that ID is an historical science? Listen in and hear the enumerated reasons why ID is science. This podcast is taken from a series of articles published at OpposingViews.com and can be read here.

The Making of a Darwin Dissenter

Discovery Institute — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:28:01 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, CSC's Casey Luskin interviews CSC Fellow Dr. Geoffrey Simmons on what makes him skeptical Darwinian evolution. Dr. Simmons has a BS in biology; coursework completed for MS in microbiology, University of Illinois; an M.D., University of Illinois Medical School; Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine, LAC-USC Medical Center; Boarded in Internal Medicine since 1974. He is a licensed and practicing physician in Eugene, OR, and the author of the books What Darwin Didn't Know (2004) and Billions of Missing Links (2007).

Biomimetics and the Positive Implications for Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:14:12 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin looks at Biomimetics, a new movement in science that adapts designs from nature to solve problems in engineering, materials science, medicine, and other fields. While engineers and other researchers turn to nature for guidance and inspiration in producing human technology, the positive implications for intelligent design grow. Should scientists consider the possibility that biological systems, which outperform human technology, were intelligently designed? Listen in and find out. For more information on Biomimetics, check out Biologic Institute's blog here. For the National Geographic article Luskin cites, click here.

The Story of Jesse Kilgore and the Consequences of Teaching One Side

Discovery Institute — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:47:48 GMT

This episode of ID the Future tells the story of Jesse Kilgore, a college student whose loss of faith and subsequent suicide has been linked to his biology class and Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. After his professor challenged him to read the anti-theistic book and rule out the possibility of God’s existence in light of the evidence for evolution, Jesse experienced a crisis of faith. Now his father is arguing for academic freedom for intelligent design and critiques of Darwin’s theory. Listen in as he and others explain how Jesse was affected by reading this book. The tragedy of Jesse Kilgore’s death affects all of us. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who knew and loved him.

New Discovery Jeopardizes Darwinist Argument Against Cambrian Explosion

Discovery Institute — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:37:24 GMT

Materialist Science Fiction at a Public Library

Discovery Institute — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:55:20 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin examines the lame materialist science fiction being promoted to students at a local public library. With wild speculations on the existence of life outside our planet based on the idea that life just takes a "bing" and some interstellar chemicals, this book should be not on reference shelves, but in the science fiction section. Listen in as Luskin lays a Dewey decimal smackdown on Life on Other Planets.

Feathered Dinosaurs or Flightless Birds?

Discovery Institute — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:30:00 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin examines the latest fossil evidence of so-called feathered dinosaur fossil. While the mainstream media trumpets these finds as conclusive evidence in the case for evolution, Luskin explores whether the “feathered dinos” might actually be secondarily flightless birds. Have Darwinists interpreted the evidence to fit the data, or to fit their evolutionary paradigm? Listen in and find out. For more information on today’s topic, click here.

Dawkins' Anti-Religious Crusade

Discovery Institute — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:45:25 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC's Casey Luskin examines Richard Dawkins' crusade against religion and what it might mean for the teaching of evolution in schools. Why did Michael Ruse write to Dawkins and tell him that he was an "absolute disaster in the fight against intelligent design"? Listen in and find out.

Animal Minds, Materialism, and Francis Crick

Discovery Institute — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:06:37 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and UCLA psychiatrist Jeffrey Schwartz join Casey Luskin for a discussion of materialism and its effect on modern science. Listen in to a conversation that begins with the question of whether animals have souls and turns to a lively discussion of Francis Crick and the way his materialist ideology blinded him to the implications of his own scientific discovery.

Mind-Brain Interaction and Science Fiction

Discovery Institute — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:59:54 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and UCLA psychiatristJeffrey Schwartz on the interaction between the mind and the brain in science fiction. Could the mind really be an illusion from a computer program, like in The Matrix? Listen in as Drs. Egnor and Schwartz explain how materialist fictions ultimately beg the question.

Mind over Matter: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and the Implications for Materialism

Discovery Institute — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:01:02 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, UCLA psychiatrist Jeffrey Schwartz shares with Casey Luskin about his research on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). What does neuroscience tell us about the relationship between the mind and the brain? Schwartz explains in his book, The Mind and the Brain, that patients treated for OCD actually had the power to change the neural pathways in their brains by the power of their minds. What does this mean for materialism in medicine? Listen in and discover the real-world implications in this debate.

Materialism and Human Dignity

Discovery Institute — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:46:37 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Michael Egnor, professor of neurosurgery at SUNY, Stony Brook, on the relationship between the mind and the brain. Listen in as Dr. Egnor explains how a materialist understanding of the mind undermines human dignity, affecting bioethics, criminal law, and ultimately how we treat one another as human beings.

Report From the Texas State Board of Education Hearings

Discovery Institute — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:23:13 GMT

In this ID the Future podcast, Casey Luskin interviews Jonathan Saenz, Esq., Director of Legislative Affairs & Attorney at the Free Market Foundation in Austin Texas. Mr. Saenz attended this week’s recent meeting of the Texas State Board of Education where members of the public expressed their views on whether Texas public schools should teach students about both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolution. Mr. Saenz recounts the predictably false and fallacious arguments made by many Darwinists who tried to convince the Texas State Board of Education to dumb-down evolution education. For continuing updates on the situation in Texas, stay tuned to Evolution News & Views.

Atheist Philosopher of Physics Bradley Monton on Intelligent Design Debate, Part Five

Discovery Institute — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:36:28 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features the last in a series of interviews with atheist philosopher of physics Bradley Monton. Professor Monton's perspective enriches and expands the debate over intelligent design, as he discusses whether an ID proponent can be an atheist, the scientific evidence for intelligent design, and the importance of the argument from cosmology. Professor Monton also shares his experience dealing with Robert Pennock, a Darwinist philosopher of science who had an interesting response when Monton published a paper on the Dover decision, critiquing Pennock. Monton breaks this story for the first time in this interview, but the full tale is told in his forthcoming book, Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design, (Broadview Press, 2009).

Atheist Philosopher of Physics Bradley Monton on Intelligent Design Debate, Part Four

Discovery Institute — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:11:14 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, atheist philosopher of science Bradley Monton turns the tables on Casey Luskin, putting the question to him about the Dover trial. What is the story of Discovery Institute's involvement in that infamous case? Listen in as Professor Monton asks good questions and gets good answers.

Atheist Philosopher of Physics Bradley Monton on Intelligent Design Debate, Part Three

Discovery Institute — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:56:03 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin continues his interview with atheist philosopher of science Bradley Monton. Professor Monton discusses his role in "The Great Debate on Intelligent Design" last weekend. Interestingly, the two presenters on the pro-ID side, including Prof. Monton, were non-theists. Listen is as Prof. Monton shows that the debate over intelligent design is far more nuanced than most portray it.

The Importance of Being Human

Discovery Institute — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:05:44 GMT

This episode of ID the Future we're highlighting a new podcast by Discovery Institute senior fellow Wesley J. Smith, called What It Means to Be Human. Why is human exceptionalism is so important for universal human rights? Smith defines human exceptionalism and explains that there is a war being waged against unique human worth on many fronts, from personhood theory and the animal liberation movement to radical environmentalism and philosophical materialism. Very powerful forces have dedicated themselves to convincing us that we really aren't all that important. Smith examines these attacks and shows why human exceptionalism must be defended for the sake of human rights everywhere. Mr. Smith has written extensively on human exceptionalism and bioethics, garnering him the Human Life Foundation’s 2008 Great Defender of Human Life Award in October. For more information on Discovery Institute's program in Human Rights and Bioethics, go here.

Atheist Philosopher of Physics Bradley Monton on Intelligent Design Debate, Part Two

Discovery Institute — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:14 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features the second part of Casey Luskin's interview with atheist philosopher of physics Bradley Monton. Prof. Monton shares his experience in the debate over intelligent design and discusses the Dover decision, rebutting trial witness Robert Pennock. Prof. Monton has a unique perspective of the debate over intelligent design as an atheist who is trying to elevate the debate. In 2006, he authored a paper on Judge Jones' Kitzmiller ruling, "Is Intelligent Design Science? Dissecting the Dover Decision."

Atheist Philosopher of Physics Bradley Monton on Intelligent Design Debate, Part One

Discovery Institute — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:09:04 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features part one of Casey Luskin's interview with atheist philosopher of physics Bradley Monton, author of a new book on intelligent design. Prof. Monton has a unique perspective of the debate over intelligent design as an atheist who is trying to elevate the debate. Professor Monton is debating intelligent design and the existence of God this weekend in Fort Worth, TX. Click here for more information.

The Real Frankenstein: Giovanni Aldini

Discovery Institute — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:15:55 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, John West shares the inspiration for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In his book, Darwin Day in America, West examines the experiments Italian scientist Giovanni Aldini conducted on human corpses. His gruesome work provided the inspiration for Frankenstein and foreshadowed the rise of a virulent strain of materialism that attempted to use science to reduce human beings to mere matter in motion.

Rehabilitating the Miller-Urey Experiment?

Discovery Institute — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:50:32 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin examines a new claim by origin of life theorists who seek to rehabilitate the now-discredited Miller-Urey experiment. If life didn't originate in a "vast primordial soup," did volcanoes perhaps play a role? Listen in as Luskin explains how far "plausible prebiotic conditions" are from making life. For more information, read Luskin's article at Evolution News & Views.

Controversy or Hypocrisy? Science Standards, Textbooks, and Texas

Discovery Institute — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:01:50 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Anika Smith interviews Casey Luskin about the controversy over science standards currently brewing in Texas. Why is a group of Darwinists up in arms about the experts selected to review the state's science standards? Luskin exposes the truth behind the Darwinists' claims and finds more than a little hypocrisy in their attacks on textbook authors Stephen Meyer and Ralph Seelke. Read Discovery Institute's news release about the bogus controversy here. For continuing coverage of the situation with science standards in Texas, stay tuned to Evolution News & Views.

Ben Stein Responds to Critics of Expelled

Discovery Institute — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:02:30 GMT

Today on ID the Future we feature a special video podcast highlighting the new Expelled DVD, out next week. To celebrate, we're giving away 10 free copies of the movie at Evolution News & Views. What did the critics think of Expelled, how did audiences respond to the film in theaters, and what does Ben Stein have to say about it? Watch this podcast and find out.

A Darwinian Case for Capitalism?

Discovery Institute — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:09:19 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features an excerpt of a lecture by CSC Senior Fellow John West on Darwinism and capitalism. Most people associate "social Darwinism" with the ruthless capitalists of the Gilded Age, but West debunks that cultural icon, drawing the connection between Thomas Malthus and Darwin and examining the implications of zero-sum economics in Malthusian theory. Can conservatives appeal to Darwin's theory to defend capitalism? What about the so-called undesigned "spontaneous order" some conservatives argue is present in free market economics? Listen in to find out. For more on Darwin and capitalism, check out West's book, Darwin's Conservatives: The Misguided Quest.

How Michael Behe Came to Doubt Darwin's Theory

Discovery Institute — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:49:02 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features a clip from national radio host Michael Medved's intriguing interview with CSC senior fellow and biochemist Michael Behe. How did Behe, author of Darwin's Black Box and The Edge of Evolution first come to doubt Darwin's theory? Listen in and find out.

Scientific Revolutions and Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:11:25 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC senior fellow and biologist Jonathan Wells joins Casey Luskin to discuss the scientific revolution over intelligent design. Why are some scientists intolerant of new theories? Why do Darwinists refuse to admit any evidence that contradicts Darwin's theory? Listen in as Wells explains why the clash over intelligent design is so sharp, and why he believes intelligent design will win in the end.

Intelligent Design, Science, and Kitzmiller: Steve Fuller on Naturalism

Discovery Institute — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:36:07 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features Casey Luskin's third and final interview with Dr. Steve Fuller, professor of sociology at University of Warwick. Here Fuller discusses his role as an expert witness in the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial, where he rebutted the claim that science is committed to naturalism. Fuller shares how his interest in intelligent design grew out of his research as a historian and philosopher of science into the "demarcation problem" — what is the difference between science and non-science? Open about his personal background as a secular humanist, Fuller's defense of intelligent design as science is robust and thought-provoking. Listen in as he explains why the progress of science is dependent on people who are willing and able to think outside the box of naturalism.

Dissent Over Descent: Interview with Steve Fuller

Discovery Institute — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:21:31 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin is again joined by University of Warwick sociologist Steve Fuller, the author of the recent book, Dissent Over Descent. Highlighting topics from his book, Fuller explains the nature and problem of a scientific consensus on controversial topics, argues that intelligent design is not anti-science (just anti-establishment), criticizes Kenneth Miller’s intelligently designed experiments that supposedly show “natural” selection, and predicts that, as biological study continues to become more like an engineering project, it will be harder for scientists to deny that life is intelligently designed. Listen as Fuller addresses why there is, in fact, dissent over descent.

Billions of Missing Links: A Rational Look at the Mysteries that Evolution Can't Explain

Discovery Institute — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:58:22 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC's Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Geoffrey Simmons, author of the book Billions of Missing Links. In the book Simmons shows that as modern science has progressed from the visible to the invisible (microscopic, submicroscopic, genetic, biochemical and genetic) the numbers of missing links have skyrocketed. Every "link" discovered brings many more questions (missing links) than answers. Listen to hear more about science’s missing links, and click here to visit Simmons’ Amazon blog on the subject.

Expelled in England: Steve Fuller Shares View on Education Director’s Resignation

Discovery Institute — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:31:00 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin is joined by Dr. Steve Fuller, a professor of sociology at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Dr. Fuller shares his perspective on the recent forced resignation of the former Director of Education at the Royal Society, Michael Reiss. Reiss is an ordained Anglican Priest, has a doctorate in biology, is currently a professor of science education at the Institute of Education at the University of London, and is widely regarded and respected as an expert in science education. Reiss stepped down from his position as Director of Education due to the controversy over his recently expressed opinions on creationism in the classroom. Listen as Dr. Fuller shares his belief that Reiss was forced to step down merely because he refused to say that creationism was false.

Physicist and Bioengineer Discusses His Doubts About Darwin

Discovery Institute — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:47:06 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Bert Massie a physicist who worked for many years on the Dept of Defense’s Star Wars project, and for the past dozen years has worked in biotechnology, developing methods of scanning the retinas of infants to test for blindness. Massie explains how it is that after his extensive education and his career in science he has become a skeptic of Darwin, and discusses the evidence for intelligent design in physics, chemistry, and biology. Dr. Massie earned his Ph.D. in Physics from UCLA, and is a signer of the Dissent from Darwinism list. If you have a Ph.D. in engineering, mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, or one of the other natural sciences, and you agree with the following statement, "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged," then please contact us at cscinfo@discovery.org.

The Limits to Biological Change: An Interview with Ray Bohlin

Discovery Institute — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:49:40 GMT

In this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Anika Smith interviews CSC Fellow Ray Bohlin. Ray Bohlin earned his Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology from the University of Texas at Dallas and is the current Presidents of Probe Ministries. During his academic studies Bohlin developed doubts about evolution that he then explored in his book The Natural Limits to Biological Change, written in 1984. Listen as he explains his skepticism of evolution and offers advice for emerging scientific doubters of Darwin.

Rodney LeVake: Expelled Science Teacher, Part 2

Discovery Institute — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:53:49 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin continues an interview with Rodney LeVake, the plaintiff in the Academic Freedom court case LeVake vs. Independent School District #656. LeVake, a former high school biology teacher, informally expressed doubts about evolution to a colleague who then reported him to the principal. LeVake ended up losing his biology position, not because he taught creationism or intelligent design, but because he committed a thought crime by doubting Darwinism. Listen as LeVake continues his story, explaining the law suit and what happened afterwards.

Rodney LeVake: Expelled Science Teacher, Part 1

Discovery Institute — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:19:00 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin interviews Rodney LeVake, the plaintiff in the Academic Freedom court case LeVake vs. Independent School District #656. LeVake, a former high school biology teacher, informally expressed doubts about evolution to a colleague who then reported him to the principal. LeVake ended up losing his biology position, not because he taught creationism or intelligent design, but merely because he expressed reservations about evolution to a colleague. Listen as he tells his story of clear academic persecution.

The Argument for Design in Cosmology

Discovery Institute — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:20:42 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC Research Director Bruce Gordon speaks with Casey Luskin about the evidence for cosmic fine-tuning. With this technical discussion, Dr. Gordon explains some of theoretical and mathematical problems with attempts to dodge the evidence for cosmic fine-tuning such as the “multiverse” hypothesis and string theory. Dr. Gordon explains that, in the end, these objections to cosmic design amount to thinly veiled materialist philosophy that are rife with logical contradictions and a fundamental in ability to explain why something, rather than “absolute nothing,” exists.

The Universe: Meaningful or Meaningless?

Discovery Institute — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:28:43 GMT

Is the universe meaningless as many modern scientists would have us believe? In this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Robert Crowther reads the prologue from A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature, a book aimed at counteracting this unfortunately pervasive western view. Written by authors Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt, A Meaningful World seeks to act as an “antidote” for the “poison” of the relativism and meaninglessness supposedly existing in our world and proven by science. Listen as Crowther reads from the book’s prologue, telling the tale of an alien park ranger determined to figure out why, in an age of prosperity, humans have lost meaning in their lives.

Modeling Evolution with Stylus: Part Two

Discovery Institute — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:24:52 GMT

In this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin is joined again by Brendan Dixon, a programmer with the Biologic Institute who recently coauthored a paper on his co-developed program, Stylus. Dixon continues the two-part interview by sharing how Stylus was developed, what the authors hope is accomplished by using the program, and where others can take a look at the code itself to understand and see what the authors have done. Listen as Dixon further explains how Stylus can help us better understand the strengths and limits of evolution.

Modeling Evolution with Stylus

Discovery Institute — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:41:36 GMT

In this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin is joined by Brendan Dixon, a programmer with the Biologic Institute who recently coauthored a paper on his co-developed program, Stylus. Dixon explains that Stylus is a computer program that is designed to simulate evolutionary processes in proteins. It tests and applies the principles of evolution to determine what evolution can yield, what problems it can solve, and to determine what evolution can and cannot do. Using digital organisms, the program assesses protein fitness due to simulated gene mutation and based on similarities to Chinese characters. Will evolution prove capable of explaining life on earth? Listen as Dixon explains in more detail how Stylus can help us better understand and possibly answer that question.

Irreducibly Complex: Behe on the Bacterial Flagellum

Discovery Institute — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:22:24 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin interviews Senior Fellow Michael Behe, the well known author of Darwin’s Black Box, and more recently, The Edge of Evolution. Behe shares his work on the bacterial flagellar motor and explains why, in his view, the flagellum is irreducibly complex. Behe also examines the two currently proposed evolutionary explanations for the assembly of the flagellum, co-option and homology, showing why both proposals fall short in uncovering the origins of this molecular machine.

Rebutting Methodological Materialism: Interview With Angus Menuge, Part Two

Discovery Institute — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:23:07 GMT

Agents Under Fire: Part One With Angus Menuge

Discovery Institute — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:36:10 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Angus Menuge, professor of philosophy at Concordia University Wisconsin and author of Agents Under Fire, Materialism and the Rationality of Science. Dr. Menuge shares how he got involved in the debate over intelligent design and evolution and what made him a skeptic of Darwinian evolution. Listen in as Dr. Menuge explains what is necessary for the Darwinian account of evolutionary complex systems.

Does Evolution Have Any Practical Benefits for Science?

Discovery Institute — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:39:31 GMT

Does evolution have any practical benefits for science? In this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin reveals that the answer, surprisingly, is no. Listen as Luskin discusses past biological discoveries, reviews recent surveys of biologists, and quotes several scientists, including noted Professor of Biology and intelligent design critic Jerry Coyne. All three sources agree: the theory of evolution has yielded few practical benefits for scientific discovery.

Why Do Some Scientists Oppose ID?

Discovery Institute — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:50:20 GMT

In this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin explains why many scientists oppose intelligent design. He argues that most of the objections to ID rest on false caricatures and misunderstandings of the theory. Is ID just a negative argument against evolution? Does ID necessarily appeal to a God-of-the-Gaps? Is ID an attempt to disguise theology as science? Listen as Casey addresses these questions and shows how ID is a positive and scientific argument that infers the best explanation: intelligent design.

Are Humans Biological Accidents?

Discovery Institute — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:38:14 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, Senior Fellow Jonathan Wells counters the Darwinian claim that humans are accidents of biology and the result of unguided natural processes like natural selection and survival of the fittest. Listen as Wells explains why Darwinism is a materialist creation myth that three-quarters of Americans are correct in rejecting.

Three Things to Know about Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:49:45 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features an excerpt from Dr. John West’s opening comments at “Evolution and Intelligent Design: An Exchange,” a panel at a recent conference sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council. Here Dr. West outlines the three most important things people should know about the intelligent design and evolution debate.

Is ID Creationism? William Dembski Answers Top Three Objections to ID

Discovery Institute — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:52:26 GMT

William Dembski on the Origin of Life, Early Church Fathers, and Understanding ID

Discovery Institute — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:01:33 GMT

On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews leading intelligent design theorist and CSC Senior Fellow William Dembski. A mathematician and philosopher, Dr. Dembski is also a prolific writer with 3 books forthcoming this year: •Understanding Intelligent Design: Everything You Need to Know in Plain Language, a user-friendly take on ID written with students in mind. •The Patristic Understanding of Creation: An Anthology of Writings from the Church Fathers on Creation and Design, a thorough survey of the writings of the early Church theologians who were challenged by ancient Greeks who believed in an eternal world. •How to be an Intellectually Fulfilled Atheist (Or Not), co-authored with Jonathan Wells, explains how materialistic approaches to the origin of life have failed. If we still have the origin of life problem, can one be an intellectually fulfilled atheist? Would the early church fathers accept theistic evolution? What should pro-ID students do to get involved? Tune in and find out.

Seeing Spots: Dr. Cornelius Hunter and Science's Blind Spot

Discovery Institute — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:53:34 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, Casey Luskin speaks with biophysicist and author Cornelius Hunter about naturalism, the dogma of evolution, and his new book Science’s Blind Spot. According to Hunter, naturalism predominates in modern science and is assumed to be capable of explaining every phenomenon in the universe. Hunter traces the historical development of this mindset, and investigates the usefulness and limitations of naturalistic science. He also analyzes the interface between naturalism and Darwinian evolution. About Dr. Cornelius G. Hunter Dr. Hunter is an engineer and biophysicist. He received his doctorate in biophysics and computational biology from the University of Illinois. Hunter has authored three books related to science, theology, and philosophy: his most recent book, Science’s Blind Spot: The Unseen Religion of Scientific Naturalism; Darwin’s God: Evolution and the Problem of Evil; and Darwin’s Proof: The Triumph of Religion over Science. All three of his books can be purchased through Amazon.com.

The Mystery of Life's Origin: An Interview with Dr. Charles Thaxton, Part Two

Discovery Institute — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:42:02 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features part two of an interview with Dr. Charles Thaxton, one of the first intelligent design scientists in the modern ID movement. Critics of intelligent design often try to frame ID as a political response to court rulings striking down the teaching of creationism. Today origin of life theorist and chemist Charles Thaxton tells the true history of intelligent design as a modern scientific movement fueled by new discoveries and critical examination of the evidence by open minds. Listen in as Dr. Thaxton explains what led him to ID and tells the story behind Of Pandas and People, the textbook that so disturbed Eugenie Scott because "it looks legitimate!" Charles Thaxton is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Scientific Affiliation and a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemistry.

Neo-Darwinism's Homology Problem

Discovery Institute — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:08:33 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future we feature a short clip about homology -- the idea that there is structural identity and similarity of parts in distinct species such as the pentadactyl plan of the human hand, the wing of a bird, and the flipper of a seal. Scientists such as David Berlinski, Paul Nelson and Stephen Meyer argue that Neo-Darwinism explains some of the facts of homology but leaves many significant anomalies unexplained. Want to know more about homology? Go here.

The Mystery of Life's Origin: An Interview with Dr. Charles Thaxton, Part One

Discovery Institute — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:34:06 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features part one of an interview by Casey Luskin with CSC Fellow Charles Thaxton, co-author of The Mystery of Life's Origin (1984), a foundational work for the intelligent design movement. Listen in as Dr. Thaxton takes us back to the first stirrings of the modern intelligent design movement and discusses the chemical challenge to naturalistic origin of life theories. Charles Thaxton is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Scientific Affiliation and a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemistry.

Intelligent Design Goes to Vegas

Discovery Institute — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:47:07 GMT

This episode of ID the Future features remarks by Stephen Meyer at Freedomfest conference in Las Vegas. What do intelligent design, evolution, information and purple people eaters all have in common? Well, they all took front stage at Freedomfest in Las Vegas last week when ID proponents Stephen Meyer and George Gilder squared off against Darwinists Michael Shermer and Ronald Bailey in debating whether there is scientific evidence for intelligent design in nature. Listen in as Stephen Meyer shares his opening remarks for the crowd.

Evolutionary Economics?

Discovery Institute — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:32:47 GMT

On this video episode of IDTF, Senior Fellow Dr. John West takes a look at free market economics and business. It is often claimed that the free market operates like biological natural selection because the best ideas and products survive while others die out. However, West argues that the success of products and ideas is the result of intelligent decisions in designing products and developing new ideas. To mix economics and evolution together is to misunderstand both.

Who Designed the Designer?

Discovery Institute — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:52:20 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future we have a short clip of Dr. Jay Richards, discussing the question who designed the designer? Critics of intelligent design theory often throw this question out thinking to highlight a weakness in ID. Richards shows that the theory’s inability to identify the designer is not a weakness, but a strength. ID does not identify the designer is because ID limits its claims to those which can be established by empirical evidence. As CSC Senior Fellow Dr. Michael Behe puts it: " [A] scientific argument for design in biology does not reach that far. Thus while I argue for design, the question of the identity of the designer is left open."

PBS' Think Tank Video Explaining Differences Between Intelligent Design and Creationism

Discovery Institute — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:21:02 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future we are highlighting a second short clip from PBS' Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg that features CSC Director Dr. Stephen Meyer explaining the differences between intelligent design, evolution and creationism.

Atheist Antithesis

Discovery Institute — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:42:16 GMT

In this episode of IDTF, CSC’s Logan Gage discusses the “new” atheists’ approach to religion as a byproduct of evolution. Citing new research which shows that some religious beliefs and ways of processing are innate and are thus not accumulated by experience, Gage explains why the “new” atheists’ views are unfairly biased against religious beliefs and why they are ultimately self defeating.

Another Look at The Devil’s Delusion

Discovery Institute — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:08:29 GMT

In this episode of IDTF CSC’s Logan Gage takes another look at David Berlinski’s The Devil’s Delusion. Gage reviews the book and examines how Berlinski masterfully takes apart the arrogant claims of the new atheists and then calls capital ‘S’ Science --which has supposedly proven there is no God-- back to earth.

Thomas Jefferson and Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:23:52 GMT

Critics of intelligent design sometimes claim they are defending the principles of American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson in trying to ban discussions of intelligent design. In the words of one writer, “Thomas Jefferson makes it quite clear that there was not a consensus of support among the authors of the Constitution... to support theological doctrines such as intelligent design.” But would Thomas Jefferson himself agree? In this special July 4th edition of ID the Future, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow John West explores the real views of Jefferson on intelligent design.

Alfred Russel Wallace: Champion of Natural Selection or Intelligent Design?

Discovery Institute — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:31:49 GMT

Many credit Alfred Russel Wallace, who along with Darwin co-presented the theory of natural selection in letters to the Linnean Society of London, 150 years ago this year. But few seem to remember that, contrary to Darwin, Wallace actually believed that it was possible to detect design in nature. So, what would modern Darwin defenders make of Wallace today?

The Current State of Origins of Life Research

Discovery Institute — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:18:55 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future we feature a short series of comments from Dr. Ed Pelzer on the status of current theories of origin of life research. Dr. Pelzer holds a PhD in oceanography from Scripps Oceanographic Institution at UCSD, and was a researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for over twenty years. These comments are from the new documentary film Teaching Origins Objectively available through the Intelligent Design Network.

ID and the Arts, Part II

Discovery Institute — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:21:19 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future, Dennis Wagner of ARN discusses how ID inspires the arts and the specific material on idarts.org. This is part two of a series on idarts.org,/b>, a website which pushes the frontier for ID theory and opens the discussion for design to the metaphysical and philosophical questions raised by ID.

Intelligent Design and the Arts

Discovery Institute — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:13:59 GMT
On this episode of ID The Future we have Dennis Wagner, executive director of the Access Research Network. Dennis discusses the launch of ARN's new website on intelligent design and the arts, www.idarts.org. Dennis explains how artists such as Jody Sjogren reflect the greater design of the universe in their work. IDarts includes examples from literature, poetry, music, theater, film and painting to explore this exciting new movement.

Guillermo Gonzalez Interview

Discovery Institute — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:33:39 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez joins Casey Luskin for an interview, discussing the Copernican Principle and his latest research on extrasolar planets. Is our place in the universe special or purposeful? Listen in as Dr. Gonzalez answers that question and shares his future research plans.

Darwinian Evolution is Being Overhyped as the Cornerstone of the Biological Sciences

Discovery Institute — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:12:43 GMT
Robert Crowther On this episode of ID The Future the CSC's Robert Crowther explores the growing number of claims that Darwinian evolution is the foundation of biology, the backbone of science, and the source for many new biodiscoveries. Are the assertions true? Is evolution the cornerstone of the biological sciences? Let's find out.

David DeWolf on the Louisiana Academic Freedom Bill

Discovery Institute — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:16:10 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Robert Crowther interviews Discovery Institute senior fellow David DeWolf, a leading expert on the legalities of teaching evolution who helped shape the sample academic freedom legislation available at www.AcademicFreedomPetition.com. Dr. DeWolf explains the idea behind the academic freedom bill currently moving forward in Louisiana and what it means to teach the controversy over evolution. Should teachers have the freedom to treat Darwinism as an open and interesting question? Listen in and decide for yourself.

New Textbook Promotes Better Teaching of Evolution

Discovery Institute — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:01:02 GMT
With the recent news coverage on teaching strengths and weaknesses, we thought it worth taking a look at a science textbook that teaches the whole story on evolution. This episode of ID the Future examines the new textbook Explore Evolution: Arguments For and Against Neo-Darwinism. This is the first biology textbook to present the scientific evidence both for and against key aspects of Darwinian evolution. Explore Evolution promotes inquiry-based learning, encouraging students to participate in the process of discovery, deliberation, and argument that scientists use to form their theories. For more information, visit the textbook website at www.exploreevolution.com. Listen as CSC’s Rob Crowther explains what makes this new science textbook so revolutionary.

Science or Politics: A Look at the AAAS Statement on Expelled

Discovery Institute — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:59:06 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin examines how the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has attacked Expelled, getting involved in movie criticism and religion promotion. With example after example, Luskin shows how the AAAS has admitted then denied intolerance towards scientists who dissent from Darwinism, prompting the question: is this about science or is it about politics? Listen in and judge for yourself.

Louisiana, Circadian Rhythms, and Darwin in Biology: An Interview with Biology Professor Wade Warren

Discovery Institute — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:08:50 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin reports from Baton Rouge, LA, with Louisiana College professor of biology Wade Warren, who recently testified in favor of the Louisiana Academic Freedom bill. Dr. Warren discusses his research on circadian rhythms and his skepticism of Darwin as a professional biologist, explaining why he supports academic freedom for teachers and sharing his own story of what happened when he tried to question Darwin as a graduate student.

Testifying Against Academic Freedom in Louisiana

Discovery Institute — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:28:14 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin continues his review of the recent academic freedom bill hearings in Louisiana. Of particular interest this time is Dr. Barbara Forrest, a professor of philosophy with an undeniable distaste for anything critical of Darwinism, who, in her testimony, demonstrated a deep disdain for the Discovery Institute and its insidious conspiracy to undermine American science education. Too bad, as Luskin puts it, her claims are “exceedingly and demonstrably wrong.” And so, pointing out her flaws one-by-one, Luskin sets the record straight on the so-called conspiracy.

Testifying for Academic Freedom in Louisiana

Discovery Institute — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:03:45 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin gives his account of the hearings in Louisiana last week, where a bill supporting the rights of teachers to teach the controversy passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Education. Listen in as professional biologists, legal experts, and educators weigh in on the need to protect academic freedom in the debate over evolution.

Dr. Caroline Crocker on Academic Freedom and Dissent From Darwinism

Discovery Institute — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:09:26 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin reports from Baton Rouge, LA with Dr. Caroline Crocker, who recently testified in favor of academic freedom before the House Education Committee. Listen as Dr. Crocker shares why she thinks evolution academic freedom bill's like the one proposed in Louisiana and other states is so important for scientists who are pressured to "toe the line" on evolution, and for protecting free scientific inquiry.

We Apologize for Delays in Podcasts Due to Technical Problems

Discovery Institute — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:22:43 GMT
Since coming online in May 2006, ID The Future has tried to keep to a consistent production schedule. However, in the past few days you will have noticed a lack of new material and problems in accessing past episodes. Podomatic, the company hosting our podcast has had a serious technical problem of their own that has resulted in our being unable to upload or distribute any new IDTF episodes. Hopefully, we will be back online soon. Thank you for your patience and continued support.

Teaching Kids the Controversy

Discovery Institute — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:24:17 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future we interview Dr. Rebecca Keller, who discusses the nature of science and interpretation and how it applies to science education. Dr. Keller holds a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from the University of New Mexico, spent many years doing biochemical research on molecular machines and is an outspoken proponent of teaching students about both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. As the CEO of Gravitas Publications , she publishes the Real Science for Kids textbook series, providing textbooks that teach kids objectivity and critical analysis in the core disciplines of science. For more information, visit Gravitas Publications.

Challenge Assumptions: Revisiting an Interview With Dr. Keller

Discovery Institute — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:25:07 GMT
In this ID the Future Podcast, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Rebecca Keller, a signer of the Dissent from Darwinism list, about her views on biological evolution. Dr. Keller holds a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from the University of New Mexico, spent many years doing biochemical research on molecular machines, and is an outspoken proponent of teaching students about both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. She is also the CEO of Gravitas Publications , which publishes the Real Science for Kids textbook series, providing textbooks that teach kids objective science in the core disciplines of science.

10 Books That Screwed Up the World: Part 2

Discovery Institute — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:54:04 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Benjamin Wiker continues the discussion begun in the last podcast. Continuing through his survey of his new book, 10 Books That Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn't Help, Dr. Wiker sets his sights on Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man and its clear connections to the ideologies of Friedrich Nietzsche, Adolf Hitler, and Margaret Sanger. Spotlighting Darwin's own words in context, Wiker demonstrates how the reprehensible philosophies of these three figures were the direct descendants of Darwin's own thoughts.

10 Books That Screwed up the World: Part 1

Discovery Institute — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:05:13 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Dr. Benjamin Wiker discusses his new book, 10 Books That Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn't Help. In this first of a two-part series, Wiker starts his skim through the book's list of the ten philosophical works most responsible for cultural decay. Those on the docket today are Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the two philosophers, according to Wiker, whose irresponsible inversions of morality have served as the foundation for our culture's increasingly animalistic notions of human identity, purpose, and relationship.

Science Lab Explores New Intelligent Design Research

Discovery Institute — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:07:03 GMT
On this Episode of ID the Future, Anika Smith reports on the CSC-supported, independent research facility, Biologic Institute. Headed by Dr. Douglas Axe, Biologic's purpose is to scientifically put the claims of Neo-Darwinian evolution and intelligent design to the test in a laboratory setting. Work is already well under way, with Discovery Institute Fellows conducting biological studies to test each theory's assumptions from an unapologetically ID frame of reference. This should prove to be a huge addition to the cause of intelligent design.

Academic Freedom Bills Spread

Discovery Institute — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:35:34 GMT
On this episode of ID The Future, Anika Smith reports on the nationwide movement in support of academic freedom with updates on legislation currently being considered in five U.S. states that will allow teachers room to teach the controversy surrounding evolutionary theory. With a bill quickly gaining ground in Michigan this week, continued vehemence for and against the film Expelled: No Intelligence allowed, and a growing list of Academic Freedom Petition supporters, the movement has clearly lost none of its momentum.

Question Darwin and Face the Consequences

Discovery Institute — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:01:04 GMT
What happens when a professor decides to present students with evidence that challenges Darwin's theory? Find out on this episode of ID the Future, where we've highlighted comments from biochemist Nancy Bryson, a professor who knows firsthand the importance of academic freedom on college campuses. Dr. Bryson was removed from her position as head of the division of natural sciences at Mississippi University for Women when she presented criticisms of evolution to a group of honor students. Listen as she recounts the chilling effect the university's censors' actions had on academic freedom and students' ability to question and engage in their material.

Be a Real Skeptic: Casey Luskin Rebuts Michael Shermer

Discovery Institute — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:53 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin responds systematically to Michael Shermer's recent critique of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Shermer, founder of The Skeptic Society and editor of Skeptic magazine, denies the film's claims that scientists Richard Sternberg and Guillermo Gonzalez were unfairly persecuted for their support of intelligent design. After a careful review of the documented facts, Luskin proves the accuracy of the film and concludes that Shermer ought to try truly being a skeptic by doubting and investigating all parties equally. To read Casey Luskin’s complete rebuttal to Michael Shermer, click here. For more information on the debates surrounding Expelled, click here.

Dr. David Berlinski Gets Expelled

Discovery Institute — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:26:27 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Dr. David Berlinski shares with Casey Luskin about his star turn in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and the controversy surrounding the film, which opens today. Listen in as Dr. Berlinski explains the connection between Darwin and Hitler and his predictions for evolutionary biology, and be sure to go see him this weekend in Ben Stein's Expelled.

David Berlinski on "The Devil's Delusion"

Discovery Institute — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:23:01 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Discovery Institute senior fellow David Berlinski shares about his new book The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions. Are the new atheists really new? Has anyone provided scientific proof of God's nonexistence (or existence)? What is the source of militant atheism? Listen in as Dr. Berlinski explains his new book, and be sure to catch him in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed this Friday.

Summer Seminars on Intelligent Design Train Young Scientists and Scholars

Discovery Institute — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:53:35 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Anika Smith reports on Discovery Institute's newly expanded summer seminars on intelligent design. In 2007, the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture launched its Summer Seminar on intelligent design — an intensive mentoring program for college students to gain exposure to the science of intelligent design first hand from researchers and scientists. The 2008 summer seminars on intelligent design will cultivate new leaders in the intelligent design movement among the next generation. Applications to the summer seminars will be accepted until April 30, 2008. For more information, or to apply, click here.

FreeGonzalez.com and Academic Freedom for Guillermo Gonzalez

Discovery Institute — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:02:33 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin interviews Iowa State University alumnus Dave Eaton on FreeGonzalez.com, a new organization created by ISU alumni concerned about supporting renowned astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez, who was recently denied tenure at ISU. Dave Eaton explains how FreeGonzalez.com came about and why it’s necessary to support scientists such as Dr. Gonzalez who have been expelled. FreeGonzalez.com is dedicated to telling the story of Dr. Gonzalez’s struggle for academic freedom and to providing the financial resources to support his continuing research.

Intelligent Design 101: Casey Luskin on Human Chromosomal Fusion

Discovery Institute — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:01:03 GMT
On this episode of ID The Future, Casey Luskin continues the series begun in the previous podcast (Intelligent Design 101: State of the Debate), rebutting an argument for common ancestry between humans and chimpanzees in Dr. Francis Collins' book The Language of God. Taken from a recently finished appendix to Intelligent Design 101: Leading Experts Explain Key Issues, Luskin responds to the notion that similar chromosomal structure between the two species is proof of a common lineage by saying plainly that the discovery is equally compatible with a theory of common design.

Intelligent Design 101: State of the Debate

Discovery Institute — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:55:26 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin announces the release of Intelligent Design 101: Leading Experts Explain the Key Issues, a new anthology that tackles intelligent design from scientific, philosophical, and legal perspectives. Luskin shares from an insightful new essay by Phillip Johnson about the state of the debate over intelligent design and evolution.

Dr. Jonathan Wells Reviews The Language of God

Discovery Institute — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:17:26 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future Logan Gage interviews Dr. Jonathan Wells on his recent review of Francis Collins' The Language of God, addressing questions of common ancestry, mistaken definitions of intelligent design, and Collins' use of so-called "junk"-DNA to advance a "Darwin-of-the-gaps" argument.

Darwinism and the War on Traditional Christianity

Discovery Institute — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:43:20 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Jonathan Wells discusses Darwinism's war on traditional Christianity with Casey Luskin. Listen in as Dr. Wells explains how Darwinism became a weapon of materialist philosophy to discredit traditional Christianity.

Dr. Michael Egnor's Brain Hypothesis

Discovery Institute — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:20:27 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Logan Gage interviews professor of neurosurgery at SUNY, Stony Brook Michael Egnor. Dr. Egnor discusses his current research into cerebral blood flow and the buffering of the brain from the force of blood pumped by the heart. Dr. Egnor's approach to this problem is that of an engineer, using the design inference to understand how the brain protects itself from the pulsatility of the arterial blood flow of the heart.

Florida Teacher Speaks Out in Support of Academic Freedom Act

Discovery Institute — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:20:35 GMT

On this episode of ID The Future you will hear from Robin Brown a Florida school teacher who is supporting the Academic Freedom Act recently introduced in the state legislature. Robin spoke at a press conference about the legislation which also included Discovery Institute's Casey Luskin and star of the coming film Expelled, Ben Stein. If you'd like to hear for yourself what was said at the press conference in support of Florida's proposed Academic Freedom Act in Tallahassee you can download an MP3 part 1 here and part 2 here. Part 1 features a number of speakers including Rep. Hays describing his bill. Part 2 features CSC's Casey Luskin and Ben Stein at the end, among others.)

The Mind-Body Problem and Promissory Materialism

Discovery Institute — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:02:12 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, CSC's Logan Gage interviews professor of neurosurgery at SUNY, Stony Brook Michael Egnor on the mind-body problem and promissory materialism. Dr. Egnor explains how materialism has not been able to answer the "hard problem of consciousness." Instead, as promissory materialism, it claims that materialism as a theory will eventually be able to explain what it has yet to explain at all.

Anti-Academic Freedom Activists Push to Censor Science Education in Florida

Discovery Institute — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:17:52 GMT
This episode of ID the Future features breaking news from the battle over science education in Florida, where anti-academic freedom activists are pushing to censor science education. Casey Luskin explains what SB 2692, the Academic Freedom Act, really entails and why it's important to sign the petition at www.academicfreedompetition.com.

Extrasolar Planets, the Copernican Principle, and Expelled: An Interview with Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, Part 1

Discovery Institute — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:14:43 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez joins Casey Luskin for an interview, delightfully holding forth on the Copernican Principle and his latest research regarding extrasolar planets. Listen in as Dr. Gonzalez also shares about his experience being interviewed for the upcoming film, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed."

Does Darwinism Have Any Impact on Modern Medical Science?

Discovery Institute — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:34:55 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin takes a look at the medical field and how it relates to Darwinism. Is Darwinian evolutionary theory a big part of how doctors think and the way they practice medicine?. According to Professor of Neurosurgery, Dr. Michael Egnor, the answer is no. The modern practice of medicine does not rely at all on neo-Darwinism. In the past, especially in the early 20th century, explains Egnor, the medical field did get a large dose of Darwinism, most noticeably in the area of eugenics. Egnor goes on to show that there has been, however, no contribution by applying Darwinian evolutionary theory to modern medicine or medical research aside from eugenics.

Evolution's Glass Ceiling

Discovery Institute — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:31:47 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, acclaimed author and Discovery Institute senior fellow David Klinghoffer takes a look at the academic freedom — or lack thereof — for scientists who support intelligent design, scientists who are forced to don disguises and go underground in order to protect their careers. This podcast is based on Mr. Klinghoffer's commentary in Townhall Magazine, "Evolution's Glass Ceiling.

How Does a Brain Surgeon Become a Darwin Skeptic?

Discovery Institute — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:01:51 GMT
On this episode of ID The Future Dr. Michael Egnor, professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics at State University of New York, Stony Brook, tells his story of how he became a full-blown skeptic of Darwinian evolution. Dr. Egnor explains how he originally had internal doubt about the ability of Darwinism to produce new biological information. These doubts were then brought directly to the surface when he read books by leading ID-theorists like William Dembski and Michael Behe.

Thoughts: On Critical Analysis and the Classroom

Discovery Institute — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:13:45 GMT
Why is the science establishment against critical analysis? As Rob Crowther explains in this episode of ID the Future, if students are to learn science, and not dogma, they must be free to analyze the evidence-- both for and against evolution.

The Design of Life: What the Evidence of Biological Systems Reveals

Discovery Institute — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:56:44 GMT
In this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin discusses The Design of Life: Discovering Signs of Intelligence in Biological Systems with author Dr. William Dembski. Is design in nature just an "illusion", as Richard Dawkins proclaims? In this latest publication, Dembski and co-author Dr. Jonathan Wells show the answer is "no". Biologists have and continue to use the assumption of design successfully, precisely because design in biology is not an illusion but real.

Intelligently Designed Nanotech

Discovery Institute — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:18:16 GMT
As Casey Luskin reveals in this episode of ID the Future, eminent biologists have said that they must continually remind themselves that what they see in biology evolved, and was not designed. But now engineers are turning to biology to replace human technology because biological pathways provide superior solutions to biomedical-technological needs. Is this trend more consistent with an evolved biosphere, or an intelligent designed one? Listen to this podcast and decide for yourself.

Nature Spreads the Evolution Word

Discovery Institute — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:50:47 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin examines a recent editorial by Nature magazine praising the NAS booklet on "Science, Evolution, and Creationism." Luskin argues that Nature's rhetorical and political defense of evolution has increased to the point that it threatens the prestige of science in society and endangering the academic freedom of scientists who dissent from Darwinism.

Support Scientists, Teachers and Students -- Sign the Academic Freedom Petition

Discovery Institute — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:38:38 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Rob Crowther and Casey Luskin discuss the new website Discovery Institute launched in cooperation with Motive Marketing last week, www.AcademicFreedomPetition.com. AcademicFreedomPetition.com is where you can show your support for the rights of teachers and students to learn all about evolution, and to protect the freedom of scientists to research alternative scientific theories such as intelligent design. Supporters of academic freedom can go to www.academicfreedompetition.com to sign the Academic Freedom Petition and stand up for science.

Darwin Day Lecture: Proselytizing for Darwin's God in the Classroom

Discovery Institute — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:29:57 GMT
For years, supporters of Darwin's theory claimed to oppose teaching religion in the nation's science classrooms. But just in time for Darwin Day 2008, leading evolution proponents including the National Academy of Sciences, the Public Broadcasting Service, and the National Center for Science Education have been cynically promoting religious instruction in schools as a way of defusing opposition to Darwinian evolution. Dr. John West, author of Darwin Day in America, discusses Darwinists latest efforts to insert religion into the classroom.

Darwin Day Lecture: Proselytizing for Darwin's God in the Classroom

Discovery Institute — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:16:22 GMT
For years, supporters of Darwin's theory claimed to oppose teaching religion in the nation's science classrooms. But just in time for Darwin Day 2008, leading evolution proponents including the National Academy of Sciences, the Public Broadcasting Service, and the National Center for Science Education have been cynically promoting religious instruction in schools as a way of defusing opposition to Darwinian evolution. Dr. John West, author of Darwin Day in America, discusses Darwinists latest efforts to insert religion into the classroom.

Salvo Magazine on Intelligent Design

Discovery Institute — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:49:38 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Bobby Maddex on Salvo Magazine's latest issue, which features a primer on intelligent design. Several luminaries in the ID community contributed to this issue, including Caroline Crocker, Larry Caldwell, Mike Egnor, Casey Luskin, Jay Richards, Denyse O’Leary, William Dembski, and many more. Bobby Maddex is the editor of Salvo Magazine.

Teach Critiques of Darwin in Florida

Discovery Institute — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:49:10 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Fred Cutting, a member of the Framers' Committee for Florida's new science standards who recently submitted a minority report suggesting that the new standards encourage students to "learn why some scientists give scientific critiques of standard models of neo-Darwinian evolution." Mr. Cutting is a retired engineer who recently published an editorial in the The Tallahassee Democrat, "Teach Critiques of Darwin, Too."

Behind the Scenes with Expelled Associate Producer

Discovery Institute — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:39:42 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future Rob Crowther interviews Expelled Associate Producer Mark Mathis. Mathis was involved with Expelled early on, interviewing many of the scientists in the film. Listen in as he shares his experiences with ID the Future.

Deconstructing Dawkins

Discovery Institute — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:14:28 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Logan Paul Gage reviews Alister McGrath's The Dawkins Delusion, the first book-length critique of Richard Dawkins' infamous The God Delusion. Listen in as Gage explains where McGrath succeeds in writing "with a scholarly care and graciousness," but fails to address Darwinism, assuming instead that theism is compatible with Darwin's theory. Full text of Gage's review is available here.

Predictions from an Intelligent Design Perspective: Conversation with Biologist Luman Wing, Part 3

Discovery Institute — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:24:07 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, biologist Luman Wing explains to Casey Luskin about the predictions of an intelligent design perspective in biology. Wing discusses junk-DNA, the irreducible complexity of the blood clotting cascade, and the implications of ID and Darwinism on personalized medicine. Dr. Luman Wing is a signer of the Dissent from Darwinism list.

Systems Biology and Intelligent Design: Conversation with Biologist Luman Wing, Part 2

Discovery Institute — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:36:13 GMT
In this ID the Future podcast, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Luman Wing, a signer of the Dissent From Darwinism list. Dr. Wing discusses his support for systems biology and the reasons he thinks this approach to biology lends support to the theory of intelligent design.

The History of the NAS Report on Evolution

Discovery Institute — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:14:51 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Anika Smith interviews CSC program officer Casey Luskin on the history of the National Academy of Sciences report, titled "Science, Evolution, and Creationism." Luskin takes us back to the first two editions of this booklet, tracing the evolution of this document by the NAS's design.

Questioning Darwinian Dogma: Conversation with Biologist Luman Wing, Part 1

Discovery Institute — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:28:55 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Luman Wing, a signer of the Dissent from Darwinism list who has spent many years working in biotechnology. Dr. Wing recounts his observations as an undergraduate studying under Dr. Dean Kenyon at San Francisco State University at the time that Dr. Kenyon underwent his intellectual de-conversion from Darwinism, and rescinded his textbook promoting the natural chemical origin of life.

The Top Ten News Stories of 2007, Part 2

Discovery Institute — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:23:56 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin interviews Dennis Wagner and Kevin Wirth of the Access Research Network on their Top Ten News Stories of 2007. In this segment, they discuss some of the scientific discoveries of 2007 that debunk common Darwinist myths and the ongoing academic persecution of supporters of intelligent design. See ARN.org for details.

The Top Ten News Stories of 2007

Discovery Institute — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:29:48 GMT
In this ID the Future Podcast, CSC’s Casey Luskin interviews Dennis Wagner and Kevin Wirth of the Access Research Network discussing their Top Ten News Stories of 2007. In this segment, they discuss some of the scientific discoveries of 2007 that posed challenges to evolution but supported intelligent design. See ARN.org for details.

A Critical Look at the National Academy of Sciences Report on Evolution

Discovery Institute — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:51:31 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, CSC policy analyst Anika Smith takes a critical look at the National Academy of Sciences report on evolution, published last week. The report, titled "Science, Evolution, and Creationism," manages to celebrate evolution as an unassailable truth, completely misrepresent intelligent design, and rehash the same standard Darwinist arguments which have been refuted by critical scientists time and again. For more detailed analysis on the NAS report, visit Evolution News & Views.

God, Science & Presidential Politics

Discovery Institute — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:29:36 GMT
CSC senior fellow and author of Darwin Day in America, Dr. John West, reports that to the dismay of many, religion is becoming one of the defining issues of the presidential election campaign. From the scrutiny of Mike Huckabee's views about evolution and Mitt Romney's Mormonism on the Republican side, to unseemly e-mails questioning the religious upbringing of Barack Obama among Democrats, religious faith is once again front and center in electoral politics.

God, Science and Presidential Politics

Discovery Institute — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:20:32 GMT
According the CSC senior fellow John West author of Darwin Day in America, to the dismay of many, religion is becoming one of the defining issues of the presidential election campaign. From the scrutiny of Mike Huckabee's views about evolution and Mitt Romney's Mormonism on the Republican side, to unseemly e-mails questioning the religious upbringing of Barack Obama among Democrats, religious faith is once again front and center in electoral politics. West looks at this interesting interesection of policy and politics.

Micro or Macro? Microbiologist Ralph Seelke on Evolution

Discovery Institute — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:49:31 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Rob Crowther interviews Dr. Ralph Seelke, who explains the differences between Micro- and Macro-evolution and shares about his current evolution research. Ralph Seelke received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in 1981, was a postdoctoral researcher at the Mayo Clinic until 1983, and has been an Associate Professor or Professor in the Department of Biology and Earth Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Superior since 1989. An authority on evolution’s capabilities and limitations in producing new functions in bacteria, Prof. Seelke recently co-authored the science textbook Explore Evolution.

Texas Darwinists Oppose Critical Thinking

Discovery Institute — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:32:29 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future Casey Luskin explains how Texas Darwinists would rather impose dogmatism on evolution education than adopt an inquiry-based approach to science education.

Biologist vs. Biologist from PBS's Uncommon Knowledge

Discovery Institute — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:16:01 GMT
On this episode of ID The Future we're featuring a short segment from a debate between CSC senior fellow and biologist, Jonathan Wells, and Massimo Pigliucci, Professor of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook that appeared on PBS on the program, Uncommon Knowledge. In this segment, moderated by Peter Robinson, they discuss whether or not intelligent design is science and what exactly is the definition of science. You can watch or listen to the full debate at the Uncommon Knowledge website.

The Dark Darwinian History of Eugenics

Discovery Institute — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 01:05:58 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, John West takes a look at the eugenics movement of the early twentieth century and how it drew direct inspiration from Darwinian biology and the writings of Charles Darwin himself. The eugenics movement was no fringe effort, but was the view of mainstream science and espoused by those at Harvard, Princeton, and the National Academy of Science. For more, visit the website of Dr. West's new book, Darwin Day in America.

ISU Tenuregate: It Was Always about ID

Discovery Institute — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:24:43 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, CSC policy analyst Anika Smith looks at the story behind the Guillermo Gonzalez tenure case at Iowa State University. Emails obtained with a public records request by Discovery Institute revealed a concerted effort to force astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez out of ISU for one reason: his support of intelligent design.

Is there a double standardwhen it comes to intelligent design and testability?

Discovery Institute — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:22:00 GMT
When ID skeptics object to the arguments of ID proponents that the incredible fine tuning of the universe is evidence for design they often turn to speculating about an infinite number of universes in which ours just happened to win the cosmic lottery and evolve to sustain life. Is that hypothesis testable? Is it science? CSC’s Casey Luskin explores whether or not there is a double standard in the wider scientific community when it comes to intelligent design and testability.

The Big Bang vs. The Static Universe: Is It the End of Cosmology?

Discovery Institute — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:04:33 GMT
On this episode of ID The Future, CSC’s Casey Luskin interviews noted astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez about a recent cosmology article by Lawrence M. Krauss and Robert J. Scherrer (Case Western Reserve University, and Vanderbilt University respectively) titled The Return of a Static Universe and the End of Cosmology. The paper is inviting a great deal of comment since it deals with the debate over the big bang and the static universe, and says extrapolating forward in time, in the future we will be incapable of determining the true nature of the universe. According to Dr. Gonzalez the authors are saying that future observers will mistakenly believe they are living in a static universe since current measurement tools will not be available to them. At some point in the future the measurements we are able to make today will not be able to be made because of natural changes in the universe. This coincides with Gonzales’ Privileged Planet hypothesis which in part says that not only are we in the right place in the universe to make important scientific discoveries, we are also in the right time in the universe.

Darwinian Hiring Practices?

Discovery Institute — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:12:33 GMT
On this episode of ID The Future CSC's Dr. West explores how early 20th century Darwinists encouraged employee selection be based on natural selection. He explains how even skin color, nose size and digestive system could help employers understand potential employees moral stature and working capabilities. For more visit the website for Dr. West’s new book Darwin Day in America.

Interview with National Academy of Sciences Member Philip Skell, Part Three

Discovery Institute — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:18:09 GMT
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews National Academy of Sciences member Phillip Skell on his advice for young scientists who may be Darwin-skeptics. Dr. Skell has been outspoken in his stand for academic freedom and against intolerance. Philip S. Skell is Emeritus Evan Pugh Professor at Pennsylvania State University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Skell is a signer of Discovery Institute’s “Dissent from Darwinism” list.