04Jul 2020 by Post

On Independence Day, Remember Thomas Jefferson’s Embrace of Intelligent Design

Bill Gates, Charles Darwin, Declaration of Independence, DNA, Founders, George Gaylord Simpson, human rights, Independence Day, Intelligent Design, John Adams, nature, Thomas Jefferson, United States, Watson and Crick
On Independence Day, it’s appropriate to review the sources of our rights as citizens. There is one source that is more basic than any other, yet that receives less than the attention it deserves. I refer to the idea that there is an intelligent creator who can be known by reason from nature, a key tenet underlying the Declaration of Independence — as well as, curiously, the modern theory of... Source
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03Jul 2020 by Post

Mistakes Our Critics Make: Limits of Evolutionary Processes

biological information, circular reasoning, de novo origination, Evolution, evolutionary processes, gene duplication, gene fission, gene fusion, Intelligent Design, lateral gene transfer, Lord of the Flies, Macbeth, natural processes, No Free Lunch theorems, β-lactamase
In previous articles, I demonstrated how substantial quantities of biological information cannot emerge through any natural process (see here and here), and I described how such information points to intelligent design. Now, I am addressing the mistakes typically made by critics who challenge these claims (see here, here, here, and here). See my post from Wednesday, here... Source
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02Jul 2020 by Post

Mistakes Our Critics Make: Protein Rarity

amino acid sequences, antibodies, chemical activities, Dan Tawfik, DNA, Douglas Axe, English, HisA enzyme, Intelligent Design, Journal of Molecular Biology, Niagara Falls, proteins, RNA, sentences, wheelbarrow, β-lactamase enzyme
In previous articles, I demonstrated how substantial quantities of biological information cannot emerge through any natural process (see here and here), and I described how such information points to intelligent design. Now, I am addressing the mistakes typically made by critics who challenge these claims (see here, here, here, and here). See my post yesterday, here, on misapplying information theory.  A second category of errors relates to arguments against the conclusion that the information content of many proteins is vastly greater than what any undirected process could generate. Most of the critiques are aimed at the research of Douglas Axe that estimated the rarity of amino acid sequences corresponding to a section of a functional β-lactamase enzyme. Many of the attacks result from the skeptics’ failure to properly understand Axe’s…
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01Jul 2020 by Post

Biologist Robert Waltzer on Evolutionary Theory’s Room for Humility

Andrew McDiarmid, common descent, dialogue, Discovery Institute Press, epistemological humility, Evolution, Evolution and Intelligent Design in a Nutshell, evolutionary theory, ID The Future, Intelligent Design, natural selection, Robert Waltzer
On a new episode of ID the Future, biologist Robert Waltzer talks with host Andrew McDiarmid about Professor Waltzer’s chapter in the new Discovery Institute Press volume, Evolution and Intelligent Design in a Nutshell. Download the podcast or listen to it here. Waltzer’s chapter covers some key terms in the evolution/ID debate that are often misunderstood or misused. These include the word “evolution” itself, “change over time,” “common descent,” and “natural selection.” He offers quick definitions and explains some of the confusion surrounding them. Waltzer also describes an encouraging success story of his about fostering open dialogue and exploration of the evidence for design in nature.  The post Biologist Robert Waltzer on Evolutionary Theory’s Room for Humility appeared first on Evolution News.
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28Jun 2020 by Post

Stephen Meyer Unmasks the Coding of Human DNA

Center for Science & Culture, DNA, human DNA, Intelligent Design, Intelligent Design YouTube Festival, movie producers, Science Uprising, Seattle, software, software industry, Stephen Meyer, YouTube videos
From June 16-30, we are holding an Intelligent Design YouTube Festival by highlighting 15 Center for Science & Culture YouTube videos that have received more than 100,000 views each. Here is video #13. It’s another episode of “Science Uprising,” this one presenting Steve Meyer’s information argument in a succinct but powerful form. Notice the footage from the Center’s home town of Seattle — and the natural tie-in to the software industry. If you’d like us to create more videos like this one, please consider becoming one of our “movie producers” by donating to our video production fund. The post Stephen Meyer Unmasks the Coding of Human DNA appeared first on Evolution News.
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22Jun 2020 by Post

The Atheist Who Helped Shape Intelligent Design

Adolf Grünbaum, advice, Andrew McDiarmid, atheists, friendship, graduate students, ID The Future, Intelligent Design, mentors, Paul Nelson, Philosophy of Science, Podcast, truth-seeking, University of Pittsburgh, William Blake
It’s wonderful to remember mentors who helped shaped us, often in ways that might have surprised the influential person if he’d known about it beforehand. On a new episode of ID the Future, philosopher of science Paul Nelson talks with host Andrew McDiarmid about Dr. Nelson’s own mentor, atheist philosopher Adolf Grünbaum (1923-2018) at the University of Pittsburgh.  Nelson was an ex-art student turned philsophy graduate student when he met Grünbaum. Paul cites William Blake and his saying that “Opposition is true friendship.” It wasn’t from directly absorbing Grünbaum’s perspective that Nelson became a prominent figure in the ID movement, but rather from their friendship and the creative sparks that came from it, inspiring a lifelong search for truth.  Nelson discusses the difference between truth-seeking and point-scoring as different approaches…
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21Jun 2020 by Post

Signature in the Cell: Stephen Meyer Faces His Critics

Center for Science & Culture, critics, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Intelligent Design YouTube Festival, movie producers, Signature in the Cell, Stephen Meyer
From June 16-30, we are holding an Intelligent Design YouTube Festival by highlighting 15 Center for Science & Culture YouTube videos that have received more than 100,000 views each. Here is video #6. In addition to producing documentaries and animations, we also post lectures by our scientists and scholars. This is one of the best: Dr. Stephen Meyer speaking to a large live audience about his book Signature in the Cell. If you’d like us to create more videos like this one, please consider becoming one of our “movie producers” by donating to our video production fund. The post Signature in the Cell: Stephen Meyer Faces His Critics appeared first on Evolution News.
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20Jun 2020 by Post

James Tour on the Riddle of Life’s Beginnings

Hollywood, Intelligent Design, Intelligent Design YouTube Festival, James Tour, origin of life, Rice University, Science Uprising, television industry, young professionals
From June 16-30, we are holding an Intelligent Design YouTube Festival by highlighting 15 Center for Science and Culture YouTube videos that have received more than 100,000 views each. Here is video #5, an episode from our series “Science Uprising.”  A filmmaker from Hollywood contacted us with the vision of creating a sharp-edged YouTube series, which ultimately became “Science Uprising.” The series drew on the talents of a lot of young professionals from the commercial television industry. Here’s the installment on the origin of life featuring renowned scientist James Tour of Rice University.  If you’d like us to create more videos like this one, please consider becoming one of our “movie producers” by donating to our video production fund. The post James Tour on the Riddle of Life’s Beginnings appeared…
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