Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 8, 2019
Categorized
Darwinism, Evolution, Intelligent Design
Tagged
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Stick insects’ “remarkable camouflage” postdates mammals and birds

Denyse O'Leary
October 8, 2019
Darwinism, Evolution, Intelligent Design
Of course, they don't come right out and say this but if the stick insects’ amazing camouflages developed after they started to be eaten by predatory mammals and birds, there was not as much time as was thought for the Darwinian claims. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 7, 2019
Categorized
Intelligent Design, Multiverse
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Multiverse is science based on zero evidence, science writer complains

Denyse O'Leary
October 7, 2019
Intelligent Design, Multiverse
Baggott, of course, also feels the need to take the ritual swipe at ID. He must do so because he is allowed to criticize crackpot cosmology provided that he holds to no thesis about the nature of nature that would impede its actual advance. He can regret it but he must not undermine it. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 7, 2019
Categorized
Education, Intelligent Design, Mathematics, science education

The war on math continues

Denyse O'Leary
October 7, 2019
Education, Intelligent Design, Mathematics, science education
Some of us remember back to when only the arts disciplines were being ruined. But yes, math can be ruined too. That will make it hard to talk to people about a lot of science stuff, including science controversies. But hey, they'll still have astrology. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 7, 2019
Categorized
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design
Tagged
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SETI aims to become more “respectable”

Denyse O'Leary
October 7, 2019
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design
And get government grants. The thing is, we do not actually have any evidence-based reason to believe that ET is out there. Why should government fund a search for ET as an alternative to, say, health care and affordable housing, for which we needn’t search very hard to see the need? Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 7, 2019
Categorized
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design

Once upon a time, Venus (might have) had life, say researchers

Denyse O'Leary
October 7, 2019
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design
The finding "flies in the face of conventional notions of habitability, which state that Venus’ orbit places it beyond the inner edge of our Sun’s habitable zone (HZ). Within this “Venus Zone”, according to conventional wisdom, a planet absorbs too much solar radiation to ever be able to maintain liquid water on its surface. But as Way indicated, their simulations all indicated otherwise." Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 6, 2019
Categorized
Intelligent Design, Philosophy, theism
Tagged
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In debating Jerry Coyne, Michael Egnor tries philosophy…

Denyse O'Leary
October 6, 2019
Intelligent Design, Philosophy, theism
Egnor: The Prime Mover argument is the most popular formal argument for the existence of God, and it is often misunderstood and, when understood, often misrepresented. Atheists, in my experience, never get it right. If they did, they wouldn’t be atheists. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 6, 2019
Categorized
Creationism, Culture, Intelligent Design, Religion, Science
Tagged
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Two contradictory figures for the age of the Earth can be true at the same time?

Denyse O'Leary
October 6, 2019
Creationism, Culture, Intelligent Design, Religion, Science
Many of us simply avoid getting involved except to try to blunt the persecution of unpopular views. For one thing, it isn’t self-evident that geologists are always right either. I regret the fact that scientists were once ridiculed for believing that the Earth has tectonic plates. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 6, 2019
Categorized
Intelligent Design, Naturalism, Philosophy, Physics
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Rob Sheldon: Why process philosophy won’t rescue naturalism

Denyse O'Leary
October 6, 2019
Intelligent Design, Naturalism, Philosophy, Physics
"Let me repeat. Physics doesn't change. And even when discussing the changes (like an oscillation), the physics of change doesn't change. Somebody is making a serious category error when the physics of change becomes the change of physics." Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 5, 2019
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Design, Science fiction
Tagged
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Before you turn it all over to AI: Why the Laws of Robotics fail

Denyse O'Leary
October 5, 2019
Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Design, Science fiction

Jonathan Bartlett, Eric Holloway, and Brendan Dixon explain: Prolific science and science fiction writer Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) developed the Three Laws of Robotics, in the hope of guarding against potentially dangerous artificial intelligence. They first appeared in his 1942 short story Runaround: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Asimov fans tell us that the laws were implicit in his earlier stories. A 0th law was added Read More ›