My book The End of Christianity: Finding a Good God in an Evil World is due out November 1, 2009, but likely will be available early September. It is my response to the neo-atheism of Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett, etc. For the introductory material to this book, including the first chapter, go here. For the Read More…
Month: May 2009
Ida? I dunno. I wish I had bet a whack on the pop science press dumping all over that fossil?
Holy kazoo! Even Nature isn’t buying the hype about the “missing link”? How soon can we get “evolutionary psychology” be relegated to the tabs and the funny papers? A hyped-up fossil find highlights the potential dangers of publicity machines. Last week’s publication of paper describing a 47-million-year-old fossil primate with a remarkable degree of preservation Read More…
Uncommon Descent Contest 4: Can we save physics by dumping the Copernican principle?
In “Does Dark Energy Really Exist? Or does Earth occupy a very unusual place in the universe?” physicist Timothy Clifton and astrophysicist Pedro G. Ferreira argue just that: If we give up the Copernican principle, we do not need dark energy to explain the composition of the universe.(Scientific American, March 23, 2009) Copernican principle? Dark Read More…
The Politics of Evolution in Texas
Interesting brief article in the Dallas Morning News about Don McLeroy, head of the Texas State Board of Education: Texas Senate rejects confirmation of conservative education board chief Don McLeroy 12:00 AM CDT on Friday, May 29, 2009 By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News tstutz+@dallasnews.com AUSTIN – The Senate rejected Republican Don McLeroy’s Read More…
Steve Meyer interview concerning his new book
This Sunday, May 30, Wilberforce Forum will feature a special online radio program featuring Dr. Stephen C. Meyer, Director and Senior Fellow of the Center for Science and Culture. He’ll be discussing his new book, Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, demonstrating that the digital code embedded in DNA points Read More…
Origin of life: Speculation rents the “science” costume – leaves without head
In Probability’s nature and nature’s probability: A call to scientific integrity, information scientist Donald E. Johnson tackles, among other things, the origin of life. Johnson takes on the aimless speculation that characterizes so much consensus science today on such issues: … one should not be able to get away with stating “it is possible that Read More…
Designing Networks of Genes…..
I just picked up this article at PhysOrg.com. The kinds of things that scientists are up to these days are quite interesting. Here’s a sample: Researchers design and build networks of genes, splicing them into bacterial genomes to run specific tasks or manufacture desired molecules – a process akin to installing biological computer software. Though Read More…
SETI with a Twist — The Search for Intelligence Continues
Normally one would expect a story such as this one to be in the National Enquirer. However, in this case, the story presents some interesting features which may have ramifications for the scientific application of ID. In this case, the Russian scientist is claiming that back in 1908 an ET deliberately flew their spacecraft into Read More…
FaithandEvolution.Org
[This just in:] New Website on Faith and Evolution Explores if the Two are Friends or Foes? Find out at FaithandEvolution.Org SEATTLE – In recent years, debates over faith and evolution have continued to intensify. On the one hand, “new atheists” like Richard Dawkins have insisted that Darwinian evolution makes it possible to be an Read More…
ID’s Anglo-American Enlightenment Roots
This from a course to be taught in the fall at Rutgers. I’m a big fan of the Scottish common sense realists (especially Thomas Reid) and will be publishing an anthology later this year collecting together writings of Hume, Reid, and Paley on natural theology. Professor Gregory Jackson Seminar: The Anglo-American Enlightenment (350:629) Tuesdays – Read More…
He who knows something gains respect. He who knows everything …
Well, the Canadian Science Writers’ Association conference at Science North in Sudbury wrapped up yesterday, and today I got a chance to tour SNOLAB, the underground neutrino detector in the active Creighton Mine, which is currently retooling for SNO Plus, the hunt for dark matter. Just for now: The Solar Neutrino Observatory (SNO) Lab is Read More…
Science writing: There are not – repeat, NOT – two sides to the story
Particle physicist Lawrence M. Krauss* addressed the gathering at the Canadian Science Writers’ Association conference at Science North in Sudbury, May 24, 2009. I made some notes of his remarks in a darkened cave, the Inco Cave at Science North, though I do not have a transcript. His talk was billed Star Trek Physics, and Read More…
“Ilities” – Judging Architecture and Design
Sometimes we seek to infer from a design what its requirements might have been, and in ID thought this question comes up. As a practitioner in the architecture of large scale computer environments (the composite set of applications, databases, and communications networks) in major enterprises, I wonder if some of the principles my profession uses Read More…
Contest Question 2 : Winner announced
The winner of the # 2 Question: “Why does Earth’s unique situation for science discovery threaten many?” is Bruce David. For a free copy of The Privileged Planet DVD, Bruce David needs to send a snail address to me at oleary@sympatico.ca. He will not be added to a mailing list. I do not have a Read More…
Another important unexpected role for junk DNA
Darwinian “Scientists have called it “junk DNA.” They have long been perplexed by these extensive strands of genetic material that dominate the genome but seem to lack specific functions. Why would nature (or an Intelligent Designer) force the genome to carry so much excess baggage?” As predicted by Intelligent Design theorists “researchers from Princeton and Read More…