Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe
Papers Presented at a Conference
Sponsored by the Wethersfield Institute
New York City, September 25, 1999
IGNATIUS PRESS SAN FRANCISCO
Cover design by Riz Boncan Marsella
Cover image: Ring around a galaxy
Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScl/NASA)
© 2000 Homeland Foundation
All rights reserved
Published by Ignatius Press, San Francisco
ISBN 978-0-89870-809-7
Library of Congress control number 00-102374
Wethersfield Institute Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Wethersfield Institute is to promote a clear understanding of Catholic teaching and practice and to explore the cultural and intellectual dimensions of the Catholic Faith. The Institute does so in practical ways that include seminars, colloquies and conferences especially as they pursue our goals on a scientific and scholarly level. The Institute publishes its proceedings.
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WILLIAM A. DEMBSKI: The Third Mode of Explanation: Detecting Evidence of Intelligent Design in the Sciences
STEPHEN C. MEYER: Evidence for Design in Physics and Biology: From the Origin of the Universe to the Origin of Life
MICHAEL J. BEHE: Evidence for Design at the Foundation of Life
MICHAEL J. BEHE: Answering Scientific Criticisms of Intelligent Design
STEPHEN C. MEYER: The Scientific Status of Intelligent Design: The Methodological Equivalence of Naturalistic and Non-Naturalistic Origins Theories
WILLIAM A. DEMBSKI and STEPHEN C. MEYER: Fruitful Interchange or Polite Chitchat? The Dialogue Between Science and Theology
Michael J. Behe received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania (1978) and is Professor of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and a fellow of the Discovery Institute. His book, Darwin’s Black Box (The Free Press, 1996), discusses the implications for evolutionary theory of what he calls “irreducibly complex” biochemical systems.
William A. Dembski holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago, a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. His most recent publications include the books Intelligent Design (InterVarsity, 1999) and The Design Inference (Cambridge University Press, 1998). He is director of the Michael Polanyi Center at Baylor University and is a fellow of the Discovery Institute.
Stephen C. Meyer received his Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge in 1991 for a dissertation on origin-of-life biology and the methodology of the historical sciences. He is currently Associate Professor of Philosophy at Whitworth College and the director of the Discovery Institute’s Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture. He has contributed to a number of books and is ...
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About Science and Evidence for Design in the UniverseAs progress in science continues to reveal unimagined complexities, three scientists revisit the difficult and compelling question of the origin of our universe. As mathematician, biochemist, and philosopher of science, they explore the possibility of developing a reliable method for detecting an intelligent cause and evidence for design at the origin of life. In the process, they present a strong case for opening and pursuing a fruitful exchange between science and theology. Mathematician William Dembski first argues that new developments in the information sciences make intelligent design objectively and scientifically detectable—he identifies the signs of design. Next, philosopher-of-science Stephen Meyer and biochemist Michael Behe argue that these signs are now clearly evident in both the architecture of the universe and the features of living systems. Other essays by the authors defend the scientific status of the theory of intelligent design and show how that theory supports traditional religious belief without necessarily “proving” the existence of God. In a concluding essay, Michael Behe responds to critics of his best-selling book, Darwin’s Black Box, thus bringing readers up-to-date on the status of the contemporary design argument in biology. |
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