Dear Discovery Institute,
Tonight we will explore a few more discrepencies in your science program. This post will add to some of my earlier discussions of your scientific claims. If you read some of my earlier blogs on here, you'll know that the whole "irreducible complexity" argument is essentially bogus. In previous blogs, I've addressed your stance (or lack thereof) on transitional fossils, highlighted errors in Behe's irreducible complexity, lampooned your complete lack of scientific peer reviewed journal articles, etc. Today, we're going to focus on other questions. First, where exactly does "design" take place in life? Is it everywhere where there is a gap in the fossil record? Is it at the origin of life (which means that evolution actually is a perfectly valid theory, and therefore, that your claim of Intelligent Design as an alternative to Darwinism is totally flawed; evolution happens regardless of a theory of abiogenesis. More on this later), or at some magic, undefined moment. Also, do you really believe that the "fine tuning" argument is a good argument for design in the universe? I will address both of these topics below.
So, where does design occur during the history of life? Is it truly wherever there is a gap or a massive shift in the fossil record? Is it at the moment of speciation? Is it at the origin of life? The first option, anywhere where there is a gap in the fossil record, is truly problematic for your theory. It necessitates a highly incompetent designer who must constantly meddle in its' creation by intervening to alter the course of life. This view is not any different than special creation, except that it makes even less sense. At least the argument from special creation tends to argue that God created all life in a week, and after the Flood, life on earth "evolved" from the "kinds" saved on the Ark. So at this point, if you are advocating for "Design" at every gap in the fossil record, you are pushing an even less scientific theory than Young Earth Creationism. The same is true for speciation. If the designer is constantly meddling in the development of life on earth, then how can we know anything about evolution (even microevolution)? Why not claim that microevolution is a sign of the designer at work? You are pushing a wholly unscientific idea here with this argument, if you choose to take this stance.
If you take the stance that "design" occurred at the origin of life, with the "creation" of DNA,then you are pushing a theory of abiogenesis, not a viable alternative to evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theory takes no stand on the origin of life; natural selection only works on living, reproducing organisms. It cannot "create life from nothing". Life could have originated from a dropping left by my dog in the backyard yesterday (ignore the obvious logical fallacies there; I'm not proposing that argument as valid, but as an example), and even that would have no bearing whatsoever on natural selection and evolution in general. "Darwinism" is essentially the study of evolution by Natural Selection. If you are attempting to refute natural selection by proposing a theory of abiogenesis, that just won't work. Abiogenesis has no bearing on evolution. Sure, they're related, but science does not need a theory of abiogenesis for evolutionary theory to work.
Even in these two short paragraphs, the logical fallacies behind Intelligent Design are relatively easy to see. First off, you guys can't even provide us with a smoking gun for design...ie "Design happened THERE". If you argue that it happened at gaps in the fossil record, then your theory is already dead, both constitutionally and scientifically, as Creationism. If you argue that the moment of design happened at the origin of life, then you are not even providing evidence against Darwinism, or Natural Selection. The entire claim that Intelligent Design is a viable scientific alternative to Natural Selection is thus laid bare as the rubbish that it is. Come on guys! You can do better than this. If Intelligent Design is a valid alternative to Darwinism, then calling the origin of life the moment of design does not work, at which point, you must be referring to gaps in the fossil record as moments of design. Essentially then, we are looking at a theory of Special Creationism...ie ID as Creationism in disguise. Is it possible that you are just being overly vague because you don't have a scientific leg to stand on? Judging from my research, it seems that this is the case.
One last quick discussion. You guys seem quite fond of the argument that, since there is life on Earth, the universe must be designed for life. This argument makes the case that the laws that allow life as we know it to exist are so exact, that they could not have arisen by chance. This argument, while sounding convincing at first, is completely and totally false. If the laws of the universe were different, we wouldn't exist as we do. That is a good point. However, have you ever thought of the fact that since the laws of the universe are what we observe today, life originated as something that could survive in this particular "environment", and also was shaped through evolution by these laws? The laws of the universe are not evidence of a designer designing the universe so we could come into existence, but rather, evidence of the existence of the universe. You guys are either directly and purposely misleading the public, or are failing to fully understand this argument, by using the "fine tuning" argument as evidence for design.
To conclude this short post, we have seen A) that Intelligent Design itself, as an alternative to "Darwinism" does not have a leg to stand on, especially due to the inability of ID proponents to pinpoint moments of design, and B)that the "fine-tuned" argument for design is irresponsible, weak, and misleading. For the amount of money spent by the Discovery Institute in publicity, one would expect a much stronger scientific basis for the claims of this Institute and its members. Maybe we're looking at an attempt to forge a cultural revolution, rather than a scientific revolution, after all. The Wedge Document suggests that the Discovery Institute's goal is a return to a society based on Christian ideals. It suggests Intelligent Design as a "scientific" way to achieve this goal. Judging from the lack of science behind Intelligent Design, is it possible that the ID movement is a distraction meant to raise doubts in modern science and thus make it possible to achieve social change? Judging the nature off publicity stunts such as Expelled, one can infer that it really isn't about the science. Judging from the Wedge Document and the behavior of the Discovery Institute in general, it appears that the "scientific" endeavors of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture are nothing more than an attempt to push a specific religious agenda, that agenda being Christianity. The evidence is there; Intelligent Design appears to be nothing more than a psuedoscientic idea concieved to push a religious agenda. As evidenced in this post, the other posts on this blog, and through the work of the scientific community in general, INTELLIGENT DESIGN IS NOT SCIENCE.
Showing posts with label scientific history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scientific history. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Wedge Document...so what?
Dear Discovery Institute,
Now it is time to face one of our biggest issues, namely, the Wedge Document itself. First, lets see the document itself. It is visible at http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/filesDB-download.php?id=349 , but I will include text of the Wedge Document on this blog as well:
"CENTER FOR THE RENEWAL OF SCIENCE & CULTURE
INTRODUCTION
The proposition that human beings are created in the image of God is one of the bedrock principles on which Western civilization was built. Its influence can be detected in most, if not all, of the West's greatest achievements, including representative democracy, human rights, free enterprise, and progress in the arts and sciences.
Yet a little over a century ago, this cardinal idea came under wholesale attack by intellectuals drawing on the discoveries of modern science. Debunking the traditional conceptions of both God and man, thinkers such as Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud portrayed humans not as moral and spiritual beings, but as animals or machines who inhabited a universe ruled by purely impersonal forces and whose behavior and very thoughts were dictated by the unbending forces of biology, chemistry, and environment. This materialistic conception of reality eventually infected virtually every area of our culture, from politics and economics to literature and art
The cultural consequences of this triumph of materialism were devastating. Materialists denied the existence of objective moral standards, claiming that environment dictates our behavior and beliefs. Such moral relativism was uncritically adopted by much of the social sciences, and it still undergirds much of modern economics, political science, psychology and sociology.
Materialists also undermined personal responsibility by asserting that human thoughts and behaviors are dictated by our biology and environment. The results can be seen in modern approaches to criminal justice, product liability, and welfare. In the materialist scheme of things, everyone is a victim and no one can be held accountable for his or her actions.
Finally, materialism spawned a virulent strain of utopianism. Thinking they could engineer the perfect society through the application of scientific knowledge, materialist reformers advocated coercive government programs that falsely promised to create heaven on earth.
Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture seeks nothing less than the overthrow of materialism and its cultural legacies. Bringing together leading scholars from the natural sciences and those from the humanities and social sciences, the Center explores how new developments in biology, physics and cognitive science raise serious doubts about scientific materialism and have re-opened the case for a broadly theistic understanding of nature. The Center awards fellowships for original research, holds conferences, and briefs policymakers about the opportunities for life after materialism.
The Center is directed by Discovery Senior Fellow Dr. Stephen Meyer. An Associate Professor of Philosophy at Whitworth College, Dr. Meyer holds a Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University. He formerly worked as a geophysicist for the Atlantic Richfield Company.
THE WEDGE STRATEGY
Phase I.
* Scientific Research, Writing & Publicity
Phase II.
* Publicity & Opinion-making
Phase III.
* Cultural Confrontation & Renewal
THE WEDGE PROJECTS
Phase I. Scientific Research, Writing & Publication
* Individual Research Fellowship Program
* Paleontology Research program (Dr. Paul Chien et al.)
* Molecular Biology Research Program (Dr. Douglas Axe et al.)
Phase II. Publicity & Opinion-making
* Book Publicity
* Opinion-Maker Conferences
* Apologetics Seminars
* Teacher Training Program
* Op-ed Fellow
* PBS (or other TV) Co-production
* Publicity Materials / Publications
Phase III. Cultural Confrontation & Renewal
* Academic and Scientific Challenge Conferences
* Potential Legal Action for Teacher Training
* Research Fellowship Program: shift to social sciences and humanities
FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN SUMMARY
The social consequences of materialism have been devastating. As symptoms, those consequences are certainly worth treating. However, we are convinced that in order to defeat materialism, we must cut it off at its source. That source is scientific materialism. This is precisely our strategy. If we view the predominant materialistic science as a giant tree, our strategy is intended to function as a "wedge" that, while relatively small, can split the trunk when applied at its weakest points. The very beginning of this strategy, the "thin edge of the wedge," was Phillip ]ohnson's critique of Darwinism begun in 1991 in Darwinism on Trial, and continued in Reason in the Balance and Defeatng Darwinism by Opening Minds. Michael Behe's highly successful Darwin's Black Box followed Johnson's work. We are building on this momentum, broadening the wedge with a positive scientific alternative to materialistic scientific theories, which has come to be called the theory of intelligent design (ID). Design theory promises to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist worldview, and to replace it with a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions.
The Wedge strategy can be divided into three distinct but interdependent phases, which are roughly but not strictly chronological. We believe that, with adequate support, we can accomplish many of the objectives of Phases I and II in the next five years (1999-2003), and begin Phase III (See "Goals/ Five Year Objectives/Activities").
Phase I: Research, Writing and Publication
Phase II: Publicity and Opinion-making
Phase III: Cultural Confrontation and Renewal
Phase I is the essential component of everything that comes afterward. Without solid scholarship, research and argument, the project would be just another attempt to indoctrinate instead of persuade. A lesson we have learned from the history of science is that it is unnecessary to outnumber the opposing establishment. Scientific revolutions are usually staged by an initially small and relatively young group of scientists who are not blinded by the prevailing prejudices and who are able to do creative work at the pressure points, that is, on those critical issues upon which whole systems of thought hinge. So, in Phase I we are supporting vital witting and research at the sites most likely to crack the materialist edifice.
Phase II. The pnmary purpose of Phase II is to prepare the popular reception of our ideas. The best and truest research can languish unread and unused unless it is properly publicized. For this reason we seek to cultivate and convince influential individuals in pnnt and broadcast media, as well as think tank leaders, scientists and academics, congressional staff, talk show hosts, college and seminary presidents and faculty, future talent and potential academic allies. Because of his long tenure in politics, journalism and public policy, Discovery President Bruce Chapman brings to the project rare knowledge and acquaintance of key op-ed writers, journalists, and political leaders. This combination of scientific and scholarly expertise and media and political connections makes the Wedge unique, and also prevents it from being "merely academic." Other activities include production of a PBS documentary on intelligent design and its implications, and popular op-ed publishing. Alongside a focus on influential opinion-makers, we also seek to build up a popular base of support among our natural constituency, namely, Chnstians. We will do this primarily through apologetics seminars. We intend these to encourage and equip believers with new scientific evidence's that support the faith, as well as to "popularize" our ideas in the broader culture.
Phase III. Once our research and writing have had time to mature, and the public prepared for the reception of design theory, we will move toward direct confrontation with the advocates of materialist science through challenge conferences in significant academic settings. We will also pursue possible legal assistance in response to resistance to the integration of design theory into public school science curricula. The attention, publicity, and influence of design theory should draw scientific materialists into open debate with design theorists, and we will be ready. With an added emphasis to the social sciences and humanities, we will begin to address the specific social consequences of materialism and the Darwinist theory that supports it in the sciences.
GOALS
Governing Goals
* To defeat scientific materialism and its destructive moral, cultural and political legacies.
* To replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and hurnan beings are created by God.
Five Year Goals
* To see intelligent design theory as an accepted alternative in the sciences and scientific research being done from the perspective of design theory.
* To see the beginning of the influence of design theory in spheres other than natural science.
* To see major new debates in education, life issues, legal and personal responsibility pushed to the front of the national agenda.
Twenty Year Goals
* To see intelligent design theory as the dominant perspective in science.
* To see design theory application in specific fields, including molecular biology, biochemistry, paleontology, physics and cosmology in the natural sciences, psychology, ethics, politics, theology and philosophy in the humanities; to see its innuence in the fine arts.
* To see design theory permeate our religious, cultural, moral and political life.
FIVE YEAR OBJECTIVES
1. A major public debate between design theorists and Darwinists (by 2003)
2. Thirty published books on design and its cultural implications (sex, gender issues, medicine, law, and religion)
3. One hundred scientific, academic and technical articles by our fellows
4. Significant coverage in national media:
* Cover story on major news magazine such as Time or Newsweek
* PBS show such as Nova treating design theory fairly
* Regular press coverage on developments in design theory
* Favorable op-ed pieces and columns on the design movement by 3rd party media
5. Spiritual & cultural renewal:
* Mainline renewal movements begin to appropriate insights from design theory, and to repudiate theologies influenced by materialism
* Major Christian denomination(s) defend(s) traditional doctrine of creation & repudiate(s)
* Darwinism Seminaries increasingly recognize & repudiate naturalistic presuppositions
* Positive uptake in public opinion polls on issues such as sexuality, abortion and belief in God
6. Ten states begin to rectify ideological imbalance in their science curricula & include design theory
7. Scientific achievements:
* An active design movement in Israel, the UK and other influential countries outside the US
* Ten CRSC Fellows teaching at major universities
* Two universities where design theory has become the dominant view
* Design becomes a key concept in the social sciences Legal reform movements base legislative proposals on design theory
ACTVITIES
(1) Research Fellowship Program (for writing and publishing)
(2) Front line research funding at the "pressure points" (e.g., Daul Chien's Chengjiang Cambrian Fossil Find in paleontology, and Doug Axe's research laboratory in molecular biology)
(3) Teacher training
(4) Academic Conferences
(5) Opinion-maker Events & Conferences
(6) Alliance-building, recruitment of future scientists and leaders, and strategic partnerships with think tanks, social advocacy groups, educational organizations and institutions, churches, religious groups, foundations and media outlets
(7) Apologetics seminars and public speaking
(8) Op-ed and popular writing
(9) Documentaries and other media productions
(10) Academic debates
(11) Fund Raising and Development
(12) General Administrative support
THE WEDGE STRATEGY PROGRESS SUMMARY
Books
William Dembski and Paul Nelson, two CRSC Fellows, will very soon have books published by major secular university publishers, Cambridge University Press and The University of Chicago Press, respectively. (One critiques Darwinian materialism; the other offers a powerful altenative.)
Nelson's book, On Common Descent, is the seventeenth book in the prestigious University of Chicago "Evolutionary Monographs" series and the first to critique neo-Dacwinism. Dembski's book, The Design Inference, was back-ordered in June, two months prior to its release date.
These books follow hard on the heals of Michael Behe's Darwin's Black Box (The Free Press) which is now in paperback after nine print runs in hard cover. So far it has been translated into six foreign languages. The success of his book has led to other secular publishers such as McGraw Hill requesting future titles from us. This is a breakthrough.
InterVarsity will publish our large anthology, Mere Creation (based upon the Mere Creation conference) this fall, and Zondervan is publishing Maker of Heaven and Earth: Three Views of the Creation-Evolution Contoversy, edited by fellows John Mark Reynolds and J.P. Moreland.
McGraw Hill solicited an expedited proposal from Meyer, Dembski and Nelson on their book Uncommmon Descent. Finally, Discovery Fellow Ed Larson has won the Pulitzer Prize for Summer for the Gods, his retelling of the Scopes Trial, and InterVarsity has just published his co-authored attack on assisted suicide, A Different Death.
Academic Articles
Our fellows recently have been featured or published articles in major sciendfic and academic journals in The Proceedings to the National Academy of Sciences, Nature, The Scientist, The American Biology Teacher, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Biochemirtry, Philosophy and Biology, Faith & Philosophy, American Philosophical Quarterly, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Analysis, Book & Culture, Ethics & Medicine, Zygon, Perspectives on Science and the Christian Faith, Relgious Studies, Christian Scholars' Review, The Southern Journal ofPhilosophy, and the Journal of Psychalogy and Theology. Many more such articles are now in press or awaiting review at major secular journals as a result of our first round of research fellowships. Our own journal, Origins & Design, continues to feature scholarly contribudons from CRSC Fellows and other scientists.
Television and Radio Appearances
During 1997 our fellows appeared on numerous radio programs (both Christian and secular) and five nationally televised programs, TechnoPolitics, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Inside the Law, Freedom Speaks, and Firing Line. The special edition of TechnoPolitics that we produced with PBS in November elicited such an unprecedented audience response that the producer Neil Freeman decided to air a second episode from the "out takes." His enthusiasm for our intellectual agenda helped stimulate a special edition of William F. Buckley's Firing Line, featuring Phillip Johnson and two of our fellows, Michael Behe and David Berlinski. At Ed Atsinger's invitation, Phil Johnson and Steve Meyer addressed Salem Communications' Talk Show Host conference in Dallas last November. As a result, Phil and Steve have been interviewed several times on Salem talk shows across the country. For example, in ]uly Steve Meyer and Mike Behe were interviewed for two hours on the nationally broadcast radio show ]anet Parshall's America. Canadian Public Radio (CBC) recently featured Steve Meyer on their Tapestry program. The episode, "God & the Scientists," has aired all across Canada. And in April, William Craig debated Oxford atheist Peter Atkins in Atlanta before a large audience (moderated by William F. Buckley), which was broadcast live via satellite link, local radio, and intenet "webcast."
Newspaper and Magazine Articles
The Firing Line debate generated positive press coverage for our movement in, of all places, The New York Times, as well as a column by Bill Buckley. In addition, our fellows have published recent articles & op-eds in both the secular and Christian press, including, for example, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Times, National Review, Commentary, Touchstone, The Detroit News, The Boston Review, The Seattle Post-lntelligenter, Christianity Toady, Cosmic Pursuits and World. An op-ed piece by Jonathan Wells and Steve Meyer is awaiting publication in the Washington Post. Their article criticizes the National Academy of Science book Teaching about Evolution for its selective and ideological presentation of scientific evidence. Similar articles are in the works."
What does the Discovery Institute say about all this? They attempt to explain away the document as nothing more than a modest fundraising proposal. (see link) However, note that they do not attempt to debunk the validity of the document, and indeed admit to its authenticity. Note also that "Wedge Strategy" has been incorporated into the work of many ID theorists (for example, Jonathan Wells). The paper trail that has been pointed to throughout these blogs show that the Wedge Strategy is an attempt to redefine the definition of science itself. The Discovery Institute admits this fact as well, and complain that science is controlled by "Scientific materialists". However, the fact is that science cannot deal with that which can't be touched or percieved, and therefore by nature the supernatural is not part of science.
In "The Wedge Document, So What?" (see link), the Discovery Institute argues that they are not trying to force a theocracy. However, that is besides the point. The question is whether or not they are attempting to push religion into science classrooms. Although the Discovery Institute maintains that the Designer is not named (ie no religion is favored), lets look at a quote from the Wedge Document:
"Alongside a focus on influential opinion-makers, we also seek to build up a popular base of support among our natural constituency, namely, Chnstians. We will do this primarily through apologetics seminars. We intend these to encourage and equip believers with new scientific evidence's that support the faith, as well as to "popularize" our ideas in the broader culture. "
This statement shows the fact that they are in fact (apparently) attempting to use Intelligent Design to support Christianity. Not a theocracy, but it is a practice that has been declared unconstitutional (if the Discovery Institute hopes to one day put Intelligent Design into the classroom). This action would violate the seperation of church and state clause in the Constitution, and similar attempts to do this have been repeatedly shot down by the Supreme Court.
Let's consider another short quote for more damning evidence:
"Governing Goals
* To defeat scientific materialism and its destructive moral, cultural and political legacies.
* To replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and hurnan beings are created by God. "
Let's look at Discovery Institute's comment on a similar statement from the Wedge Document (taken from linked article):
"Discovery Institute's Center...wants to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist worldview, and to replace it with a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions. [from Wedge Document]
This passage instead was referring to our conviction that sceince, rather than supporting a materialistic philosophy, is at least consistent with theistic belief, including Christian belief. In fact, some of our fellows actually go further than this. They think that new developments in science may actually support a theistic worldview or have "theistic implications," even though they do not think that science can "prove" the existence of God or specific religious doctrines"
Again, telling. This shows that the Discovery Institute does, indeed, aim to redefine science to include the supernatural. Under the definition of science required to incorporate Intelligent Design, astrology would also be considered a science. Also please note the Discovery Institute quote that ends with "even though they do not think that science can 'prove' the existence of God" (above). If you can't prove a Designer exists, then Intelligent Design necessarily fails the test of science, even if science were redefined to include the supernatural. As shown, Intelligent Design is not science. Besides, even if the definition of science were changed so that Intelligent Design could be considered science, it would fail the burden of proof. I have shown this before by showing evolutionary pathways for structures that the ID movement claims to be "irreducibly complex", and the Discovery Institute shows us that by admitting that you cannot prove the existence of "God" (the "Creator"). Game over.
Now it is time to face one of our biggest issues, namely, the Wedge Document itself. First, lets see the document itself. It is visible at http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/filesDB-download.php?id=349 , but I will include text of the Wedge Document on this blog as well:
"CENTER FOR THE RENEWAL OF SCIENCE & CULTURE
INTRODUCTION
The proposition that human beings are created in the image of God is one of the bedrock principles on which Western civilization was built. Its influence can be detected in most, if not all, of the West's greatest achievements, including representative democracy, human rights, free enterprise, and progress in the arts and sciences.
Yet a little over a century ago, this cardinal idea came under wholesale attack by intellectuals drawing on the discoveries of modern science. Debunking the traditional conceptions of both God and man, thinkers such as Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud portrayed humans not as moral and spiritual beings, but as animals or machines who inhabited a universe ruled by purely impersonal forces and whose behavior and very thoughts were dictated by the unbending forces of biology, chemistry, and environment. This materialistic conception of reality eventually infected virtually every area of our culture, from politics and economics to literature and art
The cultural consequences of this triumph of materialism were devastating. Materialists denied the existence of objective moral standards, claiming that environment dictates our behavior and beliefs. Such moral relativism was uncritically adopted by much of the social sciences, and it still undergirds much of modern economics, political science, psychology and sociology.
Materialists also undermined personal responsibility by asserting that human thoughts and behaviors are dictated by our biology and environment. The results can be seen in modern approaches to criminal justice, product liability, and welfare. In the materialist scheme of things, everyone is a victim and no one can be held accountable for his or her actions.
Finally, materialism spawned a virulent strain of utopianism. Thinking they could engineer the perfect society through the application of scientific knowledge, materialist reformers advocated coercive government programs that falsely promised to create heaven on earth.
Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture seeks nothing less than the overthrow of materialism and its cultural legacies. Bringing together leading scholars from the natural sciences and those from the humanities and social sciences, the Center explores how new developments in biology, physics and cognitive science raise serious doubts about scientific materialism and have re-opened the case for a broadly theistic understanding of nature. The Center awards fellowships for original research, holds conferences, and briefs policymakers about the opportunities for life after materialism.
The Center is directed by Discovery Senior Fellow Dr. Stephen Meyer. An Associate Professor of Philosophy at Whitworth College, Dr. Meyer holds a Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University. He formerly worked as a geophysicist for the Atlantic Richfield Company.
THE WEDGE STRATEGY
Phase I.
* Scientific Research, Writing & Publicity
Phase II.
* Publicity & Opinion-making
Phase III.
* Cultural Confrontation & Renewal
THE WEDGE PROJECTS
Phase I. Scientific Research, Writing & Publication
* Individual Research Fellowship Program
* Paleontology Research program (Dr. Paul Chien et al.)
* Molecular Biology Research Program (Dr. Douglas Axe et al.)
Phase II. Publicity & Opinion-making
* Book Publicity
* Opinion-Maker Conferences
* Apologetics Seminars
* Teacher Training Program
* Op-ed Fellow
* PBS (or other TV) Co-production
* Publicity Materials / Publications
Phase III. Cultural Confrontation & Renewal
* Academic and Scientific Challenge Conferences
* Potential Legal Action for Teacher Training
* Research Fellowship Program: shift to social sciences and humanities
FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN SUMMARY
The social consequences of materialism have been devastating. As symptoms, those consequences are certainly worth treating. However, we are convinced that in order to defeat materialism, we must cut it off at its source. That source is scientific materialism. This is precisely our strategy. If we view the predominant materialistic science as a giant tree, our strategy is intended to function as a "wedge" that, while relatively small, can split the trunk when applied at its weakest points. The very beginning of this strategy, the "thin edge of the wedge," was Phillip ]ohnson's critique of Darwinism begun in 1991 in Darwinism on Trial, and continued in Reason in the Balance and Defeatng Darwinism by Opening Minds. Michael Behe's highly successful Darwin's Black Box followed Johnson's work. We are building on this momentum, broadening the wedge with a positive scientific alternative to materialistic scientific theories, which has come to be called the theory of intelligent design (ID). Design theory promises to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist worldview, and to replace it with a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions.
The Wedge strategy can be divided into three distinct but interdependent phases, which are roughly but not strictly chronological. We believe that, with adequate support, we can accomplish many of the objectives of Phases I and II in the next five years (1999-2003), and begin Phase III (See "Goals/ Five Year Objectives/Activities").
Phase I: Research, Writing and Publication
Phase II: Publicity and Opinion-making
Phase III: Cultural Confrontation and Renewal
Phase I is the essential component of everything that comes afterward. Without solid scholarship, research and argument, the project would be just another attempt to indoctrinate instead of persuade. A lesson we have learned from the history of science is that it is unnecessary to outnumber the opposing establishment. Scientific revolutions are usually staged by an initially small and relatively young group of scientists who are not blinded by the prevailing prejudices and who are able to do creative work at the pressure points, that is, on those critical issues upon which whole systems of thought hinge. So, in Phase I we are supporting vital witting and research at the sites most likely to crack the materialist edifice.
Phase II. The pnmary purpose of Phase II is to prepare the popular reception of our ideas. The best and truest research can languish unread and unused unless it is properly publicized. For this reason we seek to cultivate and convince influential individuals in pnnt and broadcast media, as well as think tank leaders, scientists and academics, congressional staff, talk show hosts, college and seminary presidents and faculty, future talent and potential academic allies. Because of his long tenure in politics, journalism and public policy, Discovery President Bruce Chapman brings to the project rare knowledge and acquaintance of key op-ed writers, journalists, and political leaders. This combination of scientific and scholarly expertise and media and political connections makes the Wedge unique, and also prevents it from being "merely academic." Other activities include production of a PBS documentary on intelligent design and its implications, and popular op-ed publishing. Alongside a focus on influential opinion-makers, we also seek to build up a popular base of support among our natural constituency, namely, Chnstians. We will do this primarily through apologetics seminars. We intend these to encourage and equip believers with new scientific evidence's that support the faith, as well as to "popularize" our ideas in the broader culture.
Phase III. Once our research and writing have had time to mature, and the public prepared for the reception of design theory, we will move toward direct confrontation with the advocates of materialist science through challenge conferences in significant academic settings. We will also pursue possible legal assistance in response to resistance to the integration of design theory into public school science curricula. The attention, publicity, and influence of design theory should draw scientific materialists into open debate with design theorists, and we will be ready. With an added emphasis to the social sciences and humanities, we will begin to address the specific social consequences of materialism and the Darwinist theory that supports it in the sciences.
GOALS
Governing Goals
* To defeat scientific materialism and its destructive moral, cultural and political legacies.
* To replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and hurnan beings are created by God.
Five Year Goals
* To see intelligent design theory as an accepted alternative in the sciences and scientific research being done from the perspective of design theory.
* To see the beginning of the influence of design theory in spheres other than natural science.
* To see major new debates in education, life issues, legal and personal responsibility pushed to the front of the national agenda.
Twenty Year Goals
* To see intelligent design theory as the dominant perspective in science.
* To see design theory application in specific fields, including molecular biology, biochemistry, paleontology, physics and cosmology in the natural sciences, psychology, ethics, politics, theology and philosophy in the humanities; to see its innuence in the fine arts.
* To see design theory permeate our religious, cultural, moral and political life.
FIVE YEAR OBJECTIVES
1. A major public debate between design theorists and Darwinists (by 2003)
2. Thirty published books on design and its cultural implications (sex, gender issues, medicine, law, and religion)
3. One hundred scientific, academic and technical articles by our fellows
4. Significant coverage in national media:
* Cover story on major news magazine such as Time or Newsweek
* PBS show such as Nova treating design theory fairly
* Regular press coverage on developments in design theory
* Favorable op-ed pieces and columns on the design movement by 3rd party media
5. Spiritual & cultural renewal:
* Mainline renewal movements begin to appropriate insights from design theory, and to repudiate theologies influenced by materialism
* Major Christian denomination(s) defend(s) traditional doctrine of creation & repudiate(s)
* Darwinism Seminaries increasingly recognize & repudiate naturalistic presuppositions
* Positive uptake in public opinion polls on issues such as sexuality, abortion and belief in God
6. Ten states begin to rectify ideological imbalance in their science curricula & include design theory
7. Scientific achievements:
* An active design movement in Israel, the UK and other influential countries outside the US
* Ten CRSC Fellows teaching at major universities
* Two universities where design theory has become the dominant view
* Design becomes a key concept in the social sciences Legal reform movements base legislative proposals on design theory
ACTVITIES
(1) Research Fellowship Program (for writing and publishing)
(2) Front line research funding at the "pressure points" (e.g., Daul Chien's Chengjiang Cambrian Fossil Find in paleontology, and Doug Axe's research laboratory in molecular biology)
(3) Teacher training
(4) Academic Conferences
(5) Opinion-maker Events & Conferences
(6) Alliance-building, recruitment of future scientists and leaders, and strategic partnerships with think tanks, social advocacy groups, educational organizations and institutions, churches, religious groups, foundations and media outlets
(7) Apologetics seminars and public speaking
(8) Op-ed and popular writing
(9) Documentaries and other media productions
(10) Academic debates
(11) Fund Raising and Development
(12) General Administrative support
THE WEDGE STRATEGY PROGRESS SUMMARY
Books
William Dembski and Paul Nelson, two CRSC Fellows, will very soon have books published by major secular university publishers, Cambridge University Press and The University of Chicago Press, respectively. (One critiques Darwinian materialism; the other offers a powerful altenative.)
Nelson's book, On Common Descent, is the seventeenth book in the prestigious University of Chicago "Evolutionary Monographs" series and the first to critique neo-Dacwinism. Dembski's book, The Design Inference, was back-ordered in June, two months prior to its release date.
These books follow hard on the heals of Michael Behe's Darwin's Black Box (The Free Press) which is now in paperback after nine print runs in hard cover. So far it has been translated into six foreign languages. The success of his book has led to other secular publishers such as McGraw Hill requesting future titles from us. This is a breakthrough.
InterVarsity will publish our large anthology, Mere Creation (based upon the Mere Creation conference) this fall, and Zondervan is publishing Maker of Heaven and Earth: Three Views of the Creation-Evolution Contoversy, edited by fellows John Mark Reynolds and J.P. Moreland.
McGraw Hill solicited an expedited proposal from Meyer, Dembski and Nelson on their book Uncommmon Descent. Finally, Discovery Fellow Ed Larson has won the Pulitzer Prize for Summer for the Gods, his retelling of the Scopes Trial, and InterVarsity has just published his co-authored attack on assisted suicide, A Different Death.
Academic Articles
Our fellows recently have been featured or published articles in major sciendfic and academic journals in The Proceedings to the National Academy of Sciences, Nature, The Scientist, The American Biology Teacher, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Biochemirtry, Philosophy and Biology, Faith & Philosophy, American Philosophical Quarterly, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Analysis, Book & Culture, Ethics & Medicine, Zygon, Perspectives on Science and the Christian Faith, Relgious Studies, Christian Scholars' Review, The Southern Journal ofPhilosophy, and the Journal of Psychalogy and Theology. Many more such articles are now in press or awaiting review at major secular journals as a result of our first round of research fellowships. Our own journal, Origins & Design, continues to feature scholarly contribudons from CRSC Fellows and other scientists.
Television and Radio Appearances
During 1997 our fellows appeared on numerous radio programs (both Christian and secular) and five nationally televised programs, TechnoPolitics, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Inside the Law, Freedom Speaks, and Firing Line. The special edition of TechnoPolitics that we produced with PBS in November elicited such an unprecedented audience response that the producer Neil Freeman decided to air a second episode from the "out takes." His enthusiasm for our intellectual agenda helped stimulate a special edition of William F. Buckley's Firing Line, featuring Phillip Johnson and two of our fellows, Michael Behe and David Berlinski. At Ed Atsinger's invitation, Phil Johnson and Steve Meyer addressed Salem Communications' Talk Show Host conference in Dallas last November. As a result, Phil and Steve have been interviewed several times on Salem talk shows across the country. For example, in ]uly Steve Meyer and Mike Behe were interviewed for two hours on the nationally broadcast radio show ]anet Parshall's America. Canadian Public Radio (CBC) recently featured Steve Meyer on their Tapestry program. The episode, "God & the Scientists," has aired all across Canada. And in April, William Craig debated Oxford atheist Peter Atkins in Atlanta before a large audience (moderated by William F. Buckley), which was broadcast live via satellite link, local radio, and intenet "webcast."
Newspaper and Magazine Articles
The Firing Line debate generated positive press coverage for our movement in, of all places, The New York Times, as well as a column by Bill Buckley. In addition, our fellows have published recent articles & op-eds in both the secular and Christian press, including, for example, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Times, National Review, Commentary, Touchstone, The Detroit News, The Boston Review, The Seattle Post-lntelligenter, Christianity Toady, Cosmic Pursuits and World. An op-ed piece by Jonathan Wells and Steve Meyer is awaiting publication in the Washington Post. Their article criticizes the National Academy of Science book Teaching about Evolution for its selective and ideological presentation of scientific evidence. Similar articles are in the works."
What does the Discovery Institute say about all this? They attempt to explain away the document as nothing more than a modest fundraising proposal. (see link) However, note that they do not attempt to debunk the validity of the document, and indeed admit to its authenticity. Note also that "Wedge Strategy" has been incorporated into the work of many ID theorists (for example, Jonathan Wells). The paper trail that has been pointed to throughout these blogs show that the Wedge Strategy is an attempt to redefine the definition of science itself. The Discovery Institute admits this fact as well, and complain that science is controlled by "Scientific materialists". However, the fact is that science cannot deal with that which can't be touched or percieved, and therefore by nature the supernatural is not part of science.
In "The Wedge Document, So What?" (see link), the Discovery Institute argues that they are not trying to force a theocracy. However, that is besides the point. The question is whether or not they are attempting to push religion into science classrooms. Although the Discovery Institute maintains that the Designer is not named (ie no religion is favored), lets look at a quote from the Wedge Document:
"Alongside a focus on influential opinion-makers, we also seek to build up a popular base of support among our natural constituency, namely, Chnstians. We will do this primarily through apologetics seminars. We intend these to encourage and equip believers with new scientific evidence's that support the faith, as well as to "popularize" our ideas in the broader culture. "
This statement shows the fact that they are in fact (apparently) attempting to use Intelligent Design to support Christianity. Not a theocracy, but it is a practice that has been declared unconstitutional (if the Discovery Institute hopes to one day put Intelligent Design into the classroom). This action would violate the seperation of church and state clause in the Constitution, and similar attempts to do this have been repeatedly shot down by the Supreme Court.
Let's consider another short quote for more damning evidence:
"Governing Goals
* To defeat scientific materialism and its destructive moral, cultural and political legacies.
* To replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and hurnan beings are created by God. "
Let's look at Discovery Institute's comment on a similar statement from the Wedge Document (taken from linked article):
"Discovery Institute's Center...wants to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist worldview, and to replace it with a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions. [from Wedge Document]
This passage instead was referring to our conviction that sceince, rather than supporting a materialistic philosophy, is at least consistent with theistic belief, including Christian belief. In fact, some of our fellows actually go further than this. They think that new developments in science may actually support a theistic worldview or have "theistic implications," even though they do not think that science can "prove" the existence of God or specific religious doctrines"
Again, telling. This shows that the Discovery Institute does, indeed, aim to redefine science to include the supernatural. Under the definition of science required to incorporate Intelligent Design, astrology would also be considered a science. Also please note the Discovery Institute quote that ends with "even though they do not think that science can 'prove' the existence of God" (above). If you can't prove a Designer exists, then Intelligent Design necessarily fails the test of science, even if science were redefined to include the supernatural. As shown, Intelligent Design is not science. Besides, even if the definition of science were changed so that Intelligent Design could be considered science, it would fail the burden of proof. I have shown this before by showing evolutionary pathways for structures that the ID movement claims to be "irreducibly complex", and the Discovery Institute shows us that by admitting that you cannot prove the existence of "God" (the "Creator"). Game over.
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