Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

In the Beginning…

Section 9.3 of my 2015 book In the Beginning and Other Essays on Intelligent Design summarizes the contents of the book in two paragraphs: Science has been so successful in explaining natural phenomena that the modern scientist is convinced that it can explain everything, and anything that challenges this assumption is simply ignored. It doesn’t matter that there were no natural causes before Nature came into existence, so he cannot hope to ever explain the sudden creation of time, space, matter and energy and our universe in the big bang. It doesn’t matter that quantum mechanics is based on a “principle of indeterminacy” that tells us that every “natural” phenomenon has a component that is forever beyond the ability of Read More ›

UD Newswatch: Epstein Suicide

After a reported suicide attempt July 23, disgraced millionnaire Jeffery Epstein is reported to have committed suicide in his cell in Manhattan, New York. Daily Mail’s bullet-point summary: Drudge “in red” headers list: I add, Sun Aug 11, a video: This comes just one day after May 3, 2016 testimony of Veronica Roberts Giuffre was unsealed. According to DM ” Giuffre alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell to have sex with and provide erotic massages for politicians and affluent businessmen.” (NB: For the record, she specifically denies being sexually involved with either former US President Clinton or present President Trump.) Roberts’ testimony on Miami Herald (warning, has graphic messages): A second victim Araoz (again, graphic): This disturbing Read More ›

Gunter Bechly on the media that teach nonsense about evolution

The media can’t really help teaching nonsense about evolution and they will definitely resist correction, putting it down to some dark creationist plot. That is because so much of it supports their worldview. Which may well reflect on their worldview. Read More ›

Time’s arrow, the design inference on FSCO/I and the one root of a complex world-order (–> Being, logic & first principles, 25)

On August 7th, News started a discussion on time’s arrow (which ties to the second law of thermodynamics). I found an interesting comment by FF: FF, 4: >> It’s always frustrating to read articles on time’s arrow or time travel. In one camp, we have the Star Trek physics fanatics who believe in time travel in any direction. In the other camp, we have those who believe only in travel toward the future. But both camps are wrong. It is logically impossible for time to change at all, in any direction. We are always in the present, a continually changing present. This is easy to prove. Changing time is self-referential. Changing time (time travel) would require a velocity in time Read More ›

Who knew bacteria could trap light without chlorophyll?

We are “trained,” if you like, to expect certain discoveries (dark matter, for example). Then we learn something significant that really surprises us and allows for new thinking about, for example, ecology. Read More ›

Nice to see Gunter Bechly’s name on a paper again

It’s not even just heroes we want to see vindicated but ordinary joes and jills who can go about their business while saying, “I see plenty wrong with the dominant theory today.” Physicists are allowed that but biologists aren’t. That’s because Darwinism functions very much as a religion for Darwinians. Read More ›

Rob Sheldon on the chances of the tardigrades (water bears) surviving the recent moon crash

Sheldon: Well, I do think that dormant tardigrades, which could survive for hundreds if not thousands of years in a "freeze-dried" state, can be revived when placed in water. If the spacecraft, Beresheet, had crashed with dormant tardigrades, then most definitely they are scattered about the surface of the Moon, waiting for their resurrection day in water. Read More ›

Researchers puzzle over a dolphin who adopted a baby melon-headed whale

People anxious to cram all animal behavior into a Darwinian mold neglect the fact that temperaments among animals differ greatly. If we observe animal behavior long enough, we will surely see many departures from what is supposed to happen according to the theory. The animal does not actually know the theory; she does what occurs to her at the time and her temperament is bound to play a role. Read More ›

Physicists need courage to confront the Collider dilemma, says boson pioneer

Could the great age of particle physics be coming to an end? That is, not so much a crisis as the beginning of a long, slow decline? That happened to science in many former civilizations. There were high points and then somehow things slowed down. How would we know? Read More ›