Intelligent Design the Future
The ID The Future (IDTF) podcast carries on Discovery Institute's mission of exploring the issues central to evolution and intelligent design. IDTF is a short podcast providing you with the most current news and views on evolution and ID. IDTF delivers brief interviews with key scientists and scholars developing the theory of ID, as well as insightful commentary from Discovery Institute senior fellows and staff on the scientific, educational and legal aspects of the debate. Episode notes and archives available at idthefuture.com.
C. S. Lewis’s Prophetic Legacy on Scientism
What happens when science leaves human values behind? Or when governments become beholden to scientists? On this classic ID The Future out of the vault, we mark the 60th anniversary of the death of British writer C. S. Lewis as host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with Dr. John West about Lewis's prophetic warnings to us about science and scientism. Dr. West discusses what scientism is, what happens when science neglects deeper human truths, and how Lewis warned against the rise of technocracies. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.
Source
Casey Luskin: Theistic Evolution and the Limits of Neo-Darwinism
Did God use evolution to create life? On this ID The Future, we’re sharing the second half of a recent conversation with Dr. Casey Luskin that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast. Casey is critiquing theistic evolution, the view that God used evolutionary mechanisms to create life. In today's episode, he continues by next addressing the inadequacy of natural selection and random mutation to generate biological complexity. Luskin also points out that even non-ID scientists have expressed skepticism about the explanatory power of neo-Darwinism. All this makes it very hard to justify the position of theistic evolutionists, who cl...
Did God Use Evolution to Produce Life? Why Theistic Evolution Fails
Some people attempt to reconcile belief in God with the standard evolutionary account of life's origins by combining the two. Theistic evolution is the view that God used evolutionary mechanisms to create life. But does this view stand up to scrutiny? Today, Dr. Casey Luskin critiques this perspective in the first half of a conversation that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast. The conversation kicks off with some clarity over terms, including what is meant by “evolution.” The theistic evolution perspective, also sometimes called evolutionary creation, accepts the standard scientific evolutionary account—the same view held by atheists—and simply a...
Bayesian Probability and Intelligent Design: A Beginner’s Guide
If the phrase "Bayesian calculus" makes you run for the hills, you're not alone! Bayesian logic can sound intimidating at first, but if you give it a little time, you'll understand how useful it can be to evaluate the evidence for design in the natural world. On this ID The Future, Dr. Jonathan McLatchie gives us a beginner's guide to Bayesian thinking and teaches us how it can be used to build a strong cumulative case for intelligent design, as well as how we can use it in our everyday lives. Enjoying the podcast? Leave a written review at Apple...
Life’s Informational Discontinuities: Where Unintelligent Processes Fail
Here's an experienced scientist who thinks YOU should have the power to settle the question of design in nature, not the scientific experts. Why? Because the majority of scientific authorities are committed scientific materialists, a view that hinders unbiased scientific inquiry by forbidding explanations outside the material realm. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with recently retired bio-scientist Dr. Michael Kent. In Part 2, Dr. Kent continues to unpack the scientific discoveries of the last century that have changed the debate over design in nature and made materialism an increasingly irrational view of the history of...
Don’t Let Scientific Elites Settle the Question of Design in Nature For You.
What you believe about the origin of life and the universe affects everything you do. So it's crucial that you decide for yourself whether the design that's evident in nature is the product of a designer or the outcome of a blind, unguided process. Today on ID The Future, retired bioscientist Dr. Michael Kent explains how we can take back important scientific decisions that belong to us and not to a scientific elite largely guided by materialist assumptions. Kent also reviews some of the top evidence for intelligent design, including the revolutionary discoveries that the universe had a beginning and...
Why Scientific Materialism is No Match for Truth, Beauty, and Goodness
Is the world a good place? Is truth relative? Can beauty be defined? On this episode of ID the Future from the archive, host David Klinghoffer speaks with Dr. Ann Gauger, Director of Science Communication and a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, about her article “The Transcendental Treasury of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness” at Science & Culture Today. These abstract concepts don’t derive from the material world, yet we feel impoverished without them; they’re foundations of a life worth living. Materialistic evolutionary explanations for truth, beauty, and goodness are out there, but they fall flat...
Robert Marks Remembers ID and Tech Pioneer Walter Bradley
In 1984, three scientists dared to probe the mystery of life's origin by putting the prevailing theories of prebiotic and chemical evolution to the test. One of those men was engineer Walter Bradley. Today, Dr. Robert J. Marks joins host Andrew McDiarmid to share some of his personal anecdotes and professional insights about Dr. Bradley, a scientist, humanitarian, and trailblazer in the world of intelligent design who passed away this summer at the age of 81. A Distinguished Fellow of the Discovery Institute, Bradley taught mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University, Baylor University, and the Colorado School of Mines. His book...
Engineering on Steroids: The Incredible Design of the Human Body
Every day your body must solve hundreds of hard engineering problems simultaneously, or else you’ll die. These problems involve multiple coordinated, integrated systems that have to come online, not gradually, but all at once and at just the right time and place. Can an evolutionary process explain the development of these systems? You be the judge. On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Steve Laufmann, co-author with Dr. Howard Glicksman of the new book Your Amazing Body, a fresh, abridged version of their previous book Your Designed Body. In this discussion, Laufmann brings his engineering background to be...
Frightening Abuses of Science with Wesley J. Smith
Experiments on the living unborn. Organ harvesting. Reckless biotech. Radical environmentalism. These are not horror stories playing at your local movie theater. They're playing out in labs, hospitals, and institutes across America. On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with bioethicist Wesley J. Smith about frightening abuses of science being done in the name of progress. In this unnerving exchange, Smith discusses examples of biotechnology that are advancing faster than our ethical considerations, including synthetic human embryos, genetic engineering, and fetal farming. He unpacks recent attempts by environmental activists to give rights to non-living things like...
Neil Thomas: “This Darwinism Business, It’s Rubbish, Isn’t It?”
For decades, British professor and author Neil Thomas was a card-carrying Darwinist. It wasn't until after he retired from academia that he had the repose to think about things objectively. Then one day, in a scientific flash of inspiration, he came to the conclusion that the standard Darwinian story was "rubbish." In the second half of a conversation with Andrew McDiarmid, Thomas continues to explain why Darwinism fails as an adequate explanation for the history of life as he discusses his new book False Messiah: Darwinism As the God That Failed. Over two episodes, Thomas reveals the conceptual flaws and...
Neil Thomas on the Internal Flaws & Historical Roots of Darwinism
It might surprise you to learn that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection did not triumph on purely scientific grounds. There are other reasons beyond empirical science that gave it broad acceptance and enduring popularity. On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid unpacks those reasons as he begins a conversation with professor emeritus and author Neil Thomas about his new book False Messiah: Darwinism As the God That Failed. Over two episodes, Thomas discusses the conceptual flaws and historical roots of the theory, the responses of major early dissenters of the theory, and how modern science is...
Live Not By Lies: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Intelligent Design
When one person stands up to lies or oppression, others can become emboldened to do the same. On this classic episode of ID the Future, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor discusses his article about Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn, the great Soviet dissident and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, penned the short essay "Live Not By Lies" in 1974, just before he was arrested and exiled from Russia. It was his advice, or even strategy, for living under totalitarianism. Solzhenitsyn’s basic advice is simply not to participate with lies, and to refuse to speak what one does not believe. It’s unnervingly rele...
The Death of Materialism: Michel Bolloré on the Evidence for God in Science
What can science tell us about the existence of God? A lot more than you may think! Since the 16th century, a scientific worldview has been brewing called materialism that sought to explain all of life and the universe through unguided chance processes, and in doing so, ridding humanity of any need for God. But the worldview of materialism is increasingly at odds with the latest scientific discoveries of the last hundred years. On today's episode, join host Andrew McDiarmid as he continues his conversation with engineer Michel Bollore, co-author with Olivier Bonnassies of the book God: The Science, The...
The Scientific Discoveries That Make Materialism an Irrational Belief
Does God exist…or not? It’s a simple, compelling question. What can science tell us that would help us get an answer? For the last 150 years, many have assumed science has ejected God from the picture, a quaint relic of a less enlightened past. But what if that view has become a relic itself? Scientific discoveries of the last hundred years suggest there is bountiful evidence of intelligent design in nature, from the simplest living cells to distant galaxies. On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with computer engineer and businessman Michel-Yves Bolloré, who is co-au...
Can Genesis and Science Agree? A Classic Conversation with John Lennox
What happens when a world-class mathematician and Christian thinker takes on one of the most hotly debated questions of our time—can the book of Genesis be reconciled with modern science? In this episode of ID the Future out of our vault, host Jay Richards welcomes Oxford University’s Dr. John Lennox to discuss his book Seven Days That Divide the World. Lennox argues that science and faith are not enemies but allies in our quest for truth. He offers a careful reading of the Genesis creation account, showing that it need not be in conflict with what we learn from...
Dr. Howard Glicksman: Why Evolution Fails to Explain Life’s Design
In a universe of non-living space and matter, life is incredibly rare. And in order to stay alive, humans and other organisms have to overcome a myriad of engineering challenges. Just how is this done? And more to the point, is an evolutionary process capable of producing the solutions to these many challenges? On today's episode, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with Dr. Howard Glicksman, co-author with engineer Steve Laufmann of the new book Your Amazing Body. The book explores some of your body’s greatest marvels, including how your hearing and vision work, how you coordinate your movements, an...
Do or Die: How Life’s Engineering Keeps Us Alive
Is the human body a cosmic accident, or is it the handiwork of a master engineer? Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with physician Dr. Howard Glicksman, co-author with engineer Steve Laufmann of the new book Your Amazing Body, a fresh, abridged version of their previous book Your Designed Body. In Part 1 of the conversation, Dr. Glicksman begins by contrasting unguided material causes (Darwinism) with intentional intelligent causes, emphasizing that intelligent design better explains the intricate, interdependent coherence found within the human body. He argues that Darwinian evolution only describes how life looks, failing...
How Faith Can Improve Rigor and Creativity in Scientific Research
On this episode of ID The Future out of our archive, plant geneticist Richard Buggs speaks to the hosts of the Table Talk podcast about the long-standing claim that science and religion are at odds. The myth that science and religion are incompatible, also known as the warfare myth, was conjured by materialists bent on propagating a Darwinian view of life. But in reality, many of the giants of the scientific revolution, including Newton, Kepler, Boyle, and others, were inspired to do great science because of their faith, not in spite of it. The faith Dr. Buggs examples turns out...
Attorney Barry Arrington on Materialism, Morality, and Objective Rights
How is the job of a scientist similar to the job of an attorney? And how do you define evidence? On this ID The Future, host Casey Luskin continues his conversation with attorney and former Colorado House of Representatives member Barry Arrington about the arguments for intelligent design marshaled in Arrington’s book Unforgetting God. In this concluding segment, Arrington and Luskin review common objections to intelligent design and discuss the larger philosophical, cultural, and legal implications of the debate over intelligent design and materialism.
Source
An Experienced Attorney Evaluates the Evidence for Intelligent Design
Attorneys are skilled in evaluating evidence for claims and making complex ideas easier to understand, two skills that come in handy when assessing scientific theories as well. Today, Dr. Casey Luskin begins a conversation with attorney and former Colorado House of Representatives member Barry Arrington to discuss the evidence for intelligent design and his new book Unforgetting God. In Part 1 of the conversation, Arrington lays out several key arguments for intelligent design and assesses their evidential strength. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.
Source
Douglas Axe: We Have an Eye For Detecting Design
On this classic episode of ID the Future, host Eric Metaxas continues his conversation with biologist and professor Dr. Douglas Axe. The subject is Axe’s book Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life is Designed and his account of how he lost his position at a Cambridge research lab because of the implications of his research findings. Axe discusses the polarized atmosphere in science today, driven by an unreasonable commitment to materialism. Axe also talks about the reliability of our built-in design intuition and the implications of living in a designed universe. This is Part 2 of a two-episode in...
How to Train Up a New Generation of James Clerk Maxwells
Is it possible to produce mathematicians today of the same caliber as greats like Sir Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell? How can we help young people develop a genuine interest in mathematics, including its history, applications, and philosophy? Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with mathematics educator, curriculum designer, and medical physicist Amos Tarfa. In Part 1, Amos profiled 19th century Scottish mathematician and physicist James Clerk Maxwell to help us better understand the great scientist’s contributions and how they relate to today’s debate over evolution and intelligent design. Here in Part 2, Amos tell...
Faith and Reason: A Profile of Mathematician James Clerk Maxwell
He's one of the most significant scientists of the 19th century, and his work laid the foundation for modern physics, quantum mechanics, and relativity. Scottish physicist and mathematician James Clerk Maxwell is a pivotal figure in the history of modern science, and his scientific study was inspired by the belief that the works of nature reflect the work of a designing intelligence. Today, my guest is mathematics educator, curriculum designer, and medical physicist Amos Tarfa, who helps us profile Maxwell to better understand the great scientist’s contributions and lasting influence. Tarfa also unpacks how Maxwell harmonized his faith in Go...
Douglas Axe on the Human Element in Science
On this episode of ID the Future selected out of our vault, host Eric Metaxas begins a conversation with biologist and professor Dr. Douglas Axe on The Eric Metaxas show. Axe is the Maxwell Professor of Molecular Biology at Biola University, the founding Director of Biologic Institute, the founding Editor of BIO-Complexity, and the author of Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life is Designed. In Part 1, Dr. Axe shares how he lost his research position in Cambridge during a season of political controversy over Darwinian evolution in the UK. He also shares what he learned from his experiments...
Irreducible Complexity: Michael Behe Breaks Down a Key ID Concept
Could you explain irreducible complexity to a friend? How about firing off three reasons you believe it to be true? You never know when you'll be asked to explain your scientific worldview to a family member, friend, or associate. The real question: are you ready? On this ID The Future, we get another chance to learn from biochemist Dr. Michael Behe. Here, Dr. Behe discusses his journey into the field of biochemistry, his key concept of irreducible complexity, and the distinctions between intelligent design and creationism. The conversation also explores scientific and philosophical objections to intelligent design, the implications of...
Evolution News Evolves: Introducing Science and Culture Today
For over 20 years, Evolution News has offered readers exclusive daily news and commentary on the evidence for intelligent design and the debate over evolution. Now, with a fresh design, a broader vision, and new name, Evolution News has become Science and Culture Today. On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid discusses the rebrand with two key architects of the new website, Discovery Institute's Director of Communications Rob Crowther and our Director of Media & Brand Nathan Jacobson. Discussion covers the history of the site from its beginnings in 2004 to the rationale and features of the new site, along...
How Modern Physics Reveals Purpose in the Universe
Scientists agree that our universe is finely tuned for the existence of life. But is the fine-tuning a happy accident or the result of foresight? On this ID The Future, host Brian Miller continues his conversation with Rabbi Elie Feder and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast. In the conclusion to their discussion, Feder and Zimmer explain why the cosmological constant is one of their favorite examples of fine-tuning. They also share the importance of exploring the teleological causes, or purposes, of natural phenomena. Using modern physics, say Feder and Zimmer, an objective justification for the...
Why Evolutionary Psychology Can’t Explain Heroism
If evolutionary psychology explains every complex human behavior as well as its opposite, does it really explain anything? Today, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with geologist and attorney Dr. Casey Luskin about which scientific theory of origins best explains human altruism, cooperation, and morality. McDiarmid recently engaged in some lively discussion under his recent article exploring scientific worldview in the Marvel universe. Specifically, some readers claimed evolution can explain human kindness, heroism, and teamwork. So McDiarmid turned to Luskin, who has spent time researching human origins as well as attempts to explain the origin of human behaviors. Here in...
Which Origins Theory Better Explains Altruism and Morality?
Do evolutionary models adequately account for the reality of human altruism, moral conviction, and cooperation? Does intelligent design offer a better explanation? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins discussing these questions and more with geologist and attorney Casey Luskin. McDiarmid's recent article exploring scientific worldview in the Marvel universe generated some lively back-and-forth in the comments section, particularly about whether evolutionary processes could account for humans looking out for other humans. Luskin tackles the question head-on, putting it in the larger context of evolutionary psychology's penchant for explaining every possible human behavior through the lens of a...
Physics to God: Rational Arguments for Design in the Universe
Do you recognize the number 1/137.035999206? It might seem arbitrary, but if the fine structure constant were any higher or lower than it is, you might not exist! On this episode of ID The Future, host Brian Miller kicks off an engaging conversation with Rabbi Elie Feder and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast. Feder has a PhD in mathematics and has published articles on graph theory. Zimmer has training in physics, and has studied mathematics, philosophy, and psychology. In Part 1 of a two-part discussion, Feder and Zimmer share their background and the inspiration for their podcast...
Evolution’s Stubborn Icons: Peppered Moths and Miller-Urey Still Shambling Along
By now, you might think that the icons of evolution that Dr. Jonathan Wells wrote about 24 years ago have been put out of our misery. And indeed, much has changed, and these icons have even less ground to stand on than they did back then. But they don’t call them icons for nothing! Whatever else they are, they’re stubborn, and it’s not uncommon to see evidence of them still popping up in popular science articles, cartoons, movies, and even scientific journals. On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes back freelance science reporter David Copped...
Evaluating Evolutionary Claims By Thinking Like a Scientist
To critically evaluate scientific claims, we must think like a scientist. But what are the qualities of a good scientist? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes molecular biologist and research scientist Dr. Marci Reeves to the show to remind us how to think like a scientist to properly assess the claims of important scientific theories, including the neo-Darwinian account of life and the universe.Key principles discussed include following the evidence where it leads, distinguishing raw data from interpretation, defining terms clearly, acknowledging that invention requires information, and more.
Source
Brian Miller on the Return of Natural Theology
Influenced by a long line of materialist thinkers, Charles Darwin proposed the mechanism of natural selection as a substitute for God. But how does his theory’s explanatory power measure up to recent scientific discoveries? On this ID The Future selected out of the archive, physicist Brian Miller discusses the resurgence of natural theology in modern science with Pat Flynn, co-host of the Philosophy for the People podcast. Natural theology advances arguments for God based on reason and the discoveries of science. It’s an ancient pursuit that fell out of favor in the 19th century as a materialist account of l...
How to Respond to Common Criticisms of Intelligent Design
God of the gaps. Lucy as human ancestor. Co-option to explain away irreducible complexity. Perhaps you've heard some of the most common objections to intelligent design, but do you know how to adequately respond to them? On today's ID The Future, geologist and lawyer Casey Luskin explains how to refute these and other objections to intelligent design as he concludes a conversation with host Jacob Vasquez that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.
Source
Casey Luskin on the Core Concepts of Intelligent Design
Sometimes, it’s good to go back to the basics. Whether you’re brand new to intelligent design or you’re looking for a way to share the basics with a friend or family member, we’ve got you covered today. On this ID The Future, enjoy the first half of a discussion with geologist and attorney Dr. Casey Luskin on the basics of intelligent design that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast hosted by Jacob Vasquez. Here, Dr. Luskin unpacks two core concepts of intelligent design: specified complexity and irreducible complexity. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Share th...
David Berlinski on the Immaterial, Alan Turing, and the Mystery of Life Itself
Today's episode of ID The Future again spotlights the book Science After Babel. Author, philosopher, and mathematician David Berlinski and host Andrew McDiarmid conclude a three-part conversation teasing out various elements of the work. The pair discuss the puzzling relationship between purely immaterial mathematical concepts and the material world; World War II codebreaker and computing pioneer Alan Turing, depicted in the 2014 film The Imitation Game; and the sense that the field of physics, once seemingly on the cusp of a theory of everything, finds itself at an impasse. Then there is the mystery of life itself. If scientists thought that...
What Cancer Reveals About the Limits of Darwinian Evolutionary Processes
We all know people who have suffered with cancer. It's a major affliction of our modern world and many scientists are studying it closely to find a cure. Karl Krueger is one such scientist who has spent much of his career in cancer research. Today, host Casey Luskin speaks with Krueger about his work and what cancer can teach us about the limits of Darwinian processes. In his tenure at the National Cancer Institute, Krueger had a front-row seat to cancer research progress. After reviewing countless research projects and mountains of data, Krueger learned that cancer doesn't create new features...
From Fantastic Four to First Causes: Why Science Has Eclipsed Darwin
If you noticed a copy of Charles Darwin’s famous nineteenth-century volume On The Origin of Species in someone's house, what would you think? Perhaps they’re committed materialists. Perhaps they simply admire Darwin’s work as a naturalist. Or perhaps they keep it around as a cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific hubris. Either way, you’d want to consider whether their experiences of the world around them matched their scientific worldview. Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid explores the tenets of scientific materialism to see if they match our observations of the world around us. McDiarmi...
David Berlinski Challenges Prevailing Beliefs in Modern Biology and Physics
On today’s ID the Future, Science After Babel author David Berlinski continues discussing his newly released book from Discovery Institute Press. In this conversation with host Andrew McDiarmid, Berlinski explores a chicken-and-egg problem facing origin-of-life research, a blindness afflicting some evolutionists focused on human origins, and the mystery of why science almost flowered in ancient Greece, early Medieval China, and in the Muslim-Arab Medieval Empire, but did not, having to await the scientific revolution that swept through Europe beginning in the sixteenth century. Check out the endorsements and get your copy, paperback or e-book, at scienceafterbabel.com.
Source