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At First Things, they are also getting over Darwinism

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George Weigel

Responding to David Gelernter at Claremont Review of Books, George Weigel writes,

Gelernter is intrigued by “intelligent design” approaches to these evolutionary conundra but also suggests that, “as a theory,” intelligent design “would seem to have a long way to go.” But to dismiss intelligent design out of hand—to brand it piety masquerading as science—is, well, unscientific. The fossil record and molecular biology now suggest that Darwinian answers to the Big Questions constitute the real fundamentalism: a materialistic fideism that, however shaky in dealing with the facts, is nonetheless deeply entrenched in 21st-century imaginations. Thus, Gelernter asks whether today’s scientists will display Darwin’s own courage in risking cultural disdain by upsetting intellectual apple carts.

George Weigel, “Getting Beyond Darwin” at First Things

First, the  Hoover Institution. Then Powerline. Now First Things.

Here’s what’s different: In the past, all these think tanks seemed to bow to the idea that Darwinism was in some sense right even though it grossly mishandled the human story.

Maybe Darwinism got the world as a whole right. (Cosmic Darwinism?)

Or maybe it got the termites right, for example. But then, come to think of it, termite expert J. Scott Turner doesn’t think they got the termites right, to judge from his 2017 Purpose and Desire: What Makes Something “Alive” and Why Modern Darwinism Has Failed to Explain It.

Over the years, many of us found these many of these think tanks’ behavior frustrating—especially, their unwillingness to engage with the evidence, as opposed to conceding Darwinian talking points. But they seem to be getting past that phase now.

At some point, the question should become: Apart from their unquestioned capacity to generate pop science drivel and wreck the careers of serious science doubters, what exactly did the Darwinists get right that no one else did?

What, exactly, is the Darwinists’ unique contribution?

Further reading along these lines: Another Think Tank Now Openly Questions Darwinism So Power Line is interviewing J. Scott Turner, author of Purpose and Desire: What Makes Something “Alive” and Why Modern Darwinism Has Failed to Explain It. He’s not an “ID guy” but that doesn’t matter. His book’s title tells you what you need to know. He understands that something is wrong. And his insights into insects’ hive mind are a piece in the puzzle.

Hoover Institution interview with David Berlinski

Mathematicians challenge Darwinian Evolution

The College Fix LISTENS TO David Gelernter on Darwin! It’s almost as though people are “getting it” that Darwinism now functions as an intolerant secular religion. Evolution rolls on oblivious but here and there heads are getting cracked, so to speak, over the differences between what really happens and what Darwinians insist must happen.

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Comments
Atheistic materialists are the most intellectually and integrity challenged people who have ever lived.ET
August 24, 2019
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DF
I appreciate you calling me “mentally challenged”.
My apologies. It was a poor choice of words. I should have said “intellectually challenged”.Brother Brian
August 24, 2019
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Brother Brian @ 27 writes:
If it is just accommodation for the mentally challenged, I can respect it.
I appreciate you calling me "mentally challenged".DebianFanatic
August 24, 2019
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Can you provide specific examples where I have been hostile to ID?
Your willful ignorance is such an example...ET
August 23, 2019
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Andrew, not responding may simply mean that I am not around. And, like many, I only review the list of recent comments to see if I want to comment. But have a good weekend. I spent last weekend marrying off our last kid. This weekend will be spent recovering.Brother Brian
August 23, 2019
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BB, I'm not going to (at the moment) comb through the comments for an example. For the moment I'll just say that not responding or responding obtusely is hostility in my book. I think this is what you do sometimes. Anyway, everyone have a good weekend. I usually dont hang out around here on weekends. ;) Andrewasauber
August 23, 2019
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Andrew
The question for BB is why Christians (or Atheists?) make him so muddleheaded and hostile to ID?
Can you provide specific examples where I have been hostile to ID? Questioning it and being hostile towards it are not the same thing.Brother Brian
August 23, 2019
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Andrew
Thank you. I have found that only a small part of the people I encounter would even care to engage on topics like Evolution, ID or Creationism. Only a few people I know even care.
I care. I have a huge amount of respect for religion and the good that they do. I may not believe that their deity exists but that is secondary. The only thing I take exception to is when people think that their religious beliefs (specifically in how they treat others) is beyond questioning. If you feel that your religious beliefs can’t be questioned, then you are not engaging in honest discussion. And I am talking about the generic “you”, not you in particular.Brother Brian
August 23, 2019
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The question for BB is why Christians (or Atheists?) make him so muddleheaded and hostile to ID? Andrewasauber
August 23, 2019
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YEC has more going for it than blind watchmaker evolution. That alone should tell you something. So if there is anything that has sound science against it, it is blind watchmaker evolution.
ET is a YEC.
Brother Brian is a pathological liar. I have never accepted a 6,000 year old earth. I have never accepted a 6,000-12,000 year old earth. Brother Brian is a willfully ignorant troll and a pathological liar. Two of the many reasons no one takes it seriously. :razz:ET
August 23, 2019
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"I will have to defer to you on this." BB, Thank you. I have found that only a small part of the people I encounter would even care to engage on topics like Evolution, ID or Creationism. Only a few people I know even care. Andrewasauber
August 23, 2019
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Andrew
But seriously, I don’t know many YEC’s nor have I had much interaction with anyone I knew was a YEC.
ET is a YEC. But I can forgive you for not knowing this because nobody takes him seriously.
OTOH, in my Catholic circles there are plenty of TE’s obtuse enough and loud enough to provoke responses.
Not being a Catholic, I will have to defer to you on this.Brother Brian
August 23, 2019
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"I don’t see the same animosity by ID proponents against Young Earth Creationists" BB, Maybe because YEC's are nicer? ;) But seriously, I don't know many YEC's nor have I had much interaction with anyone I knew was a YEC. I guess they don't make themselves apparent enough (at least in my circle of awareness), to compel me to address what they claim. OTOH, in my Catholic circles there are plenty of TE's obtuse enough and loud enough to provoke responses. Andrewasauber
August 23, 2019
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Andrew
ID is concerned with science. TE is not. There’s nothing else for you to grasp if you cant understand that.
I accept that you may believe this, but I don’t see the same animosity by ID proponents against Young Earth Creationists. If there is one view for which the science is soundly against, YEC is it. Yet, they are still welcome under the ID umbrella. Why is that? If it is just accommodation for the mentally challenged, I can respect it.Brother Brian
August 23, 2019
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When personhood is understood, AAronS, then the human, even the mammalian will, will be undestood, even our pets being somehwat more than machines, robots, etc. For the Christian, free will, somewhat paradoxicaly, depends on God's grace, otherwise it will become the sport of the demonic realm and its denizens. The divine, thoough partial witholding of such supernatural grace need not reflect adversely on the victim, its being a means of spiritual trial and subsequent growth. Indeed, it is interesting that the Gospel story of the possessed man and the Gadarene swine, rather than signifying Jesus' condemnation of the possessed man, indicates the contrary. Perhaps, had he not been tormented by the devils, but found them useful and congenial company, he would have appeared a very suave and successful citizen.Axel
August 23, 2019
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BB, ID is concerned with science. TE is not. There's nothing else for you to grasp if you cant understand that. Andrewasauber
August 23, 2019
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Andrew
TE is a political position. People who claim it think it makes them appear to be the reasonable balance between two opposing forces, when in fact it makes them look like they don’t know what’s going on at all.
I see it more as a philosophical position rather than a political one, but that is just semantics. But that still doesn’t answer the question of why ID supporters are so opposed to TE. TE still requires the input of an intelligent agent. Since ID doesn’t take a stance on when or how intelligent interaction takes place, why is this so antithetical to ID?Brother Brian
August 23, 2019
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Andrew
Don’t take it too hard, but there are a lot of things you don’t understand.
I fully admit that.Brother Brian
August 23, 2019
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TE is a political position. People who claim it think it makes them appear to be the reasonable balance between two opposing forces, when in fact it makes them look like they don't know what's going on at all. Andrewasauber
August 23, 2019
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Theistic evolutionists deny that design can be empirically detected. And yet they don't have a mechanism capable of producing what we observe. But yet they call that science!ET
August 23, 2019
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Brother Brain:
I have never understood why the ID crowd is so upset with TE.
That is because you are ignorant of both ID and TE.
TE, after all, is ID.
And yet they deny that.
Where it differs from the rest of ID is that it actually attempts to propose where and when ID comes/came into play
No, they don't. Look at Joshua Swamidass- a TE who denies ID. He is unaware that mainstream biology promotes evolution by means of blind and mindless processes. He is also unaware that ID is not anti-evolution.ET
August 23, 2019
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Showing up on the Daily Wire today as well. https://www.dailywire.com/news/50912/watch-renowned-yale-prof-leaves-darwinism-says-amanda-prestigiacomoPhinehas
August 23, 2019
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"I have never understood why the ID crowd is so upset with TE" BB, Don't take it too hard, but there are a lot of things you don't understand. Andrewasauber
August 23, 2019
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I have never understood why the ID crowd is so upset with TE. TE, after all, is ID. Where it differs from the rest of ID is that it actually attempts to propose where and when ID comes/came into play. I think it is wrong but at least it is making an attempt.Brother Brian
August 23, 2019
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And if anybody picks up what I dropped on free will and investigate said feel free to shoot me an email and let me know what you think about it ajayman30@yahoo.comAaronS1978
August 23, 2019
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@johnnyb Agreed one of the things that I was offering asked of me by a lot of my friends who had questions about both boys what was the difference between TE and ID And to be honest with you ID had more of a difference One being it doesn’t necessarily have to be god that design things, But that was my main problem with TE, There really is no difference it just seems to be a submission and a way to not say ID By the way I don’t think aliens designed us I was just using that as an example but you can be a committed ID and that is a legitimate reason whyAaronS1978
August 23, 2019
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@johnnyb Agreed one of the things that I was offering asked of me by a lot of my friends who had questions about both boys what was the difference between TE and ID And to be honest with you ID had more of a difference One being it doesn’t necessarily have to be god that design things, But that was my main problem with TE, There really is no difference it just seems to be a submission and a way to not say ID By the way I don’t think aliens designed us I was just using that as an example but you can be a committed ID and that is a legitimate reason whyAaronS1978
August 23, 2019
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AaronS1978 - The biggest problem with Theistic Evolution is its ambiguity. It winds up being a term that people can hide behind in order to avoid confrontation, or avoid having to actually state one's actual thoughts. It is true that most of the people who use the label TE are Darwinian, and the "theistic" part is mostly just a paper-thin veneer. Most of the TEs who are non-Darwinian identify with the ID movement (which I think really is the proper identification). Some TEs have gone to "third way" evolution, which, at least to me, seems like "ID but I don't want to say ID out loud" with some "ID includes people I don't want to hang out with" thrown in. If you are a TE who thinks that God did something at some time, but that something is undetectable, then I have never seen a proposal that puts any real distance between this opinion and "Darwin + pietistic storytelling". If you think that this prior action of God is detectable, then I have not seen a proposal that would distinguish this stance from ID (though it could include *additional* elements - ID is pretty minimalistic).johnnyb
August 23, 2019
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I’m sorry this is off-topic but I am glad for the change at first things. I always kind of felt that theistic evolution, even though I don’t entirely disagree with it, was kind of a way of giving up and submitting to Darwinian correctness But here’s my off-topic thing I don’t know how to submit this to the site for investigation so I’m gonna post it here http://m.nautil.us/blog/can-neuroscience-understand-free-will Again I apologize there are a couple of studies in here that this guy is claiming or showing that free wills at minimum physical and damageable also for anybody that is interested there is a movement currently a philosophers and scientists that I’ve already raise $7 million to figure out whether we have free will or not Anyways if anybody can give this a look and some feedback that be great I have to keep my eye out for stuff like this and I apologize for posting here I don’t know how to send it inAaronS1978
August 23, 2019
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I have to sit for my portrait on Tuesday, but I'll be free after that.Upright BiPed
August 23, 2019
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