| | | | |

Design Language and Evolution

Charles Jones has a post a Power of Suggestion in which he notes the following: But evolution can’t “allow” things, because it’s unguided. And it can’t make any mistakes, because it makes no decisions. Take note: whenever people try to explain how something happens through evolution, they always resort to the language of design. Now…

| | | |

The Imagination Stopper

Carl Zimmer has a post on the Loom that discusses irreducible complexity along with some examples. I found it very interesting how we start with a bicycle as irreducibly complex, a claim of an intelligent design (ID) advocate, and then see how the irreducible is reduced through the magic of Google. There are many ways…

| | | | |

Academic Freedom and Creationism in SciAm

Glenn Branch and Eugenie Scott have an article in Scientific American titled The Latest Face of Creationism in the Classroom, detailing the latest approach to getting creationism in the classroom. Since I touched on this briefly in two previous posts, I thought I’d link to this longer article so people can get the context. I…

| | | | | | | |

Albert Mohler Steps in It on Evolution

There are some basics about what evolution is and is not, and what the various positions of both creationists and evolutionists are, that everyone who steps into the debate should know. Some examples include the difference between a young earth and an old earth creationist. I’ve seen a few discussions in internet fora in which…

| | | | | | |

Idiocy and Firing Michael Reiss

I realize that journalists write confused stories and that headline writers produce stupid headlines to go with them, but I would think that academic or scientific organizations, irrespective of subject, should be able to be more sensible. It may not be so. “Firing” is, of course, my own overblown headline, provided you regard essentially forcing…

| | | | | |

Methodists and Evolution

I reported some time ago that the United Methodist General Conference had passed some resolutions in support of evolution and opposing teaching faith based ideas in the public school science classroom. There’s a story in the Fort Wayne, Indiana Journal-Gazette about how this happened and the role of a local church member. I have observed…

| | | |

Of Double Standards and Cesspools

Steve Matheson at Quintessence of Dust notes regarding Dembski’s Uncommon Descent blog: Uncommon Descent is a moral cesspool, a festering intellectual ghetto that intoxicates and degrades its inhabitants. . . . C’mon Steve! Don’t hold back! Tell us how you really feel! While I lead with the controversial (and I agree with him about UcD),…