A fierce argument has been raging over at Barry Arrington’s post, A dog is a chien is a perro is a hund, over whether the genetic code is really a semiotic code, or whether “code” is merely a scientific term of convenience in this case. In this post, I hope to clarify the issues and sharpen the discussion between the two sides. Let’s begin with Barry Arrington’s argument: An arrangement of signs is arbitrary when the identical purpose could be accomplished through a different arrangement of signs if the rules of the semiotic code were different… Here’s an example of an arbitrary arrangement of signs: DOG. This is the arrangement of signs English speakers use when they intend to represent Read More ›

Here (The Allgemeiner,, June 12, 2011). A good question, say many. Long gone are the days when Eldredge and Steve Gould hung out together, scoffing at Darwin dogma. It all got kind of dangerous later so …, but we digress.

Reb Moshe’s big thing is logic:

Please focus on this crucial distinction. Logic is not science. Logic is a commodity which cannot be hoarded or monopolized by any particular occupation or profession. Logic is an intellectual tool available equally to both scientist and non-scientist. If the issue at hand is not a question of scientific data or knowledge itself, but a logical comparison, deduction, or conclusion involving scientific data or knowledge, scientific credentials are for the most part irrelevant.

Commenting on Eldredge’s position, he homes in on the critical question: Is Eldredge in fact an utterly convinced Darwin believer? Is there truly a great long beard growing around his heart? Well, the Reb certainly doesn’t put it quite like that; he observes: Read More ›

Some wonder. A friend of Uncommon Descent wrote recently to say that

In a lecture (November 2008) at Case Western University, prominent origin of life researcher Robert Hazen, author of Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life’s Origin, essentially admits that the burden of proof is on those who oppose ID, not those who propose it.

Some attribute such admissions to the dead stall of origin of life research for 150 years – except that popular media perpetually conflate bright ideas with concrete findings.

Here are some quotations from the transcript: Read More ›

Denton Bible Church, in Denton, TX, will be hosting the “2010 On Guard Christian Apologetics Conference” on November the 5th and 6th.

Denton Bible Church is delighted to bring a powerhouse group of speakers to the Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton area for this year’s apologetics conference entitled, “On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision.” The name of this year’s conference is taken from the title of one of William Lane Craig’s newest books addressing the subject of apologetics in the local church. We have invited some of the greatest defenders of the Christian faith to speak at this year’s conference on a wide variety of subjects including the historical reliability of the New Testament, the evidence for the resurrection, scientific challenges to the theory of Evolution, and the battle of Worldviews.

Speakers include William Lane Craig, J. P. Moreland, Sean McDowell, Paul Nelson (whose address is titled “The Power and Promise of Intelligent Design in Biology”), Mike Licona, Craig Hazen,  and others.

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< This book takes a look at the rivalry in science today surrounding attempts to discover the elusive process of evolution. In one camp are the faithful followers of the long-standing theory of natural selection promulgated by Charles Darwin more than 150 years ago. This “survival of the fittest” theory, according to author Suzan Mazur, is no longer the scientific cornerstone of biology and has been challenged for decades. In the other camp are those challengers who want to steer evolutionary science in a more honest, scientifically accurate direction. However, the Darwinian theory has become a political powerhouse brand that is hard to unseat because of the money and power associated with it. The Altenberg 16 is about a group Read More ›

Lecture by Kirk Durston,  Biophysics PhD candidate, University of Guelph [youtube XWi9TMwPthE nolink] Click here to read the Szostak paper referred to in the video.  HT to UD subscriber bornagain77 for the video and the link to the paper.

Lee Strobel and “The Case for a Creator” Thursday, December 7th 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. FREE EVENT! FREE DVD! Biola University 13800 Biola Ave La Mirada CA 90639 Map to Biola: http://biola.edu/about/map_directions.cfm FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED! Come early. Bring your friends and carpool. We are expecting a full house so please come early to ensure a seat and a parking spot. There will be parking attendants to guide you. Witness the launch of a much anticipated new DVD product based on Lee Strobel’s best selling book. Hear from scholars who are helping to win the debate over Darwinism in our time. –Dr. Jay Richards –Dr. Steve Meyer –Dr. J.P. Moreland –Dr. John Bloom –Dr. William Lane Craig –Dr. Jonathan Wells Read More ›

Want to hobnob with Lee Strobel, Craig Hazen, Jay Richards, JP Moreland, John Bloom, William Lane Craig, Jonathan Wells, Steve Meyer and Michael Behe on December 7? There is no charge and attendees will be offered a free copy of the new Illustra Media DVD, The Case For A Creator. Contact: 1-888-332-4652 http://www.biola.edu/academics/scs/apologetics/events.cfm#formation I’ll be there.

December 2, 2005, the day after Eugenie Scott gave a talk Why Scientists Reject ID at GMU under the Provost’s sponsorship, I was providently invited to have tea with the Provost and had the opportunity to give him the pro-ID side of the story before a public gathering of Asian students. I presented a copy of Privileged Planet to him.
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