Intelligent Design the Future

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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.

Discovery Institute


    • Sep 10, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 25m AVG DURATION
    • 759 EPISODES

    4.4 from 859 ratings Listeners of Intelligent Design the Future that love the show mention: intelligent design, darwin, rna, behe, ad hominem, proteins, naturalist, fundamentalism, plato, dogma, fallacies, scientific method, institute, merely, motion, disciplines, discovery, dna, evolution, scientists.


    Ivy Insights

    The Intelligent Design the Future podcast provides a valuable platform for exploring and discussing the criticisms and alternative perspectives to the Darwinian theory of evolution. This podcast offers a refreshing and thought-provoking look at the origins and development of life, challenging traditional beliefs with well-formulated hypotheses and empirical evidence. It is especially commendable that the discussions are based on scientific research rather than religious scripture, making it accessible to a wider audience. The guests featured on this podcast are experts in their respective fields, presenting compelling cases for Intelligent Design (ID) through engaging and informative discussions.

    The best aspect of this podcast is undoubtedly the caliber of the experts and guests who contribute to the discussions. These individuals bring fresh insights and perspectives on ID, backed by empirical evidence and well-reasoned arguments. The podcasts cover a wide range of scientific disciplines, providing listeners with diverse viewpoints on relevant topics. The information presented is educational, enlightening, and encourages critical thinking about established beliefs in evolutionary theory.

    While there are numerous strengths to this podcast, one area that could be improved upon is providing more detailed explanations of findings and opinions. In some episodes, the discussions may feel too brief or lack in-depth exploration of scientific research. Lengthier episodes would allow for more comprehensive coverage of complex subjects within Intelligent Design.

    In conclusion, The Intelligent Design the Future podcast is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in exploring alternative theories to Darwinism. It offers a platform where leading experts can present their research and findings with clarity and intellectual rigor. While some improvements could be made in terms of depth of discussion, overall this podcast provides a wide range of fascinating interviews coupled with current science - making it an essential listen for those seeking thought-provoking content on Intelligent Design.



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    Latest episodes from Intelligent Design the Future

    Evolution’s Stubborn Icons: Peppered Moths and Miller-Urey Still Shambling Along

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2025 29:31


    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 Coppedge to give us a few recent examples of the icons of evolution that keep shambling along, including recent sightings of the peppered moth myth and the Miller-Urey experiments. Source

    Evaluating Evolutionary Claims By Thinking Like a Scientist

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2025 40:25


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2025 50:40


    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 life's origins took center stage. But scientific findings of the last century point to mind, not a mindless process, as the likeliest explanation for a life-friendly universe. As a result, the pendulum is swinging back to teleology, ushering in a new heyday for natural theology. This is Part 1 of a 2-part discussion. Source

    How to Respond to Common Criticisms of Intelligent Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2025 29:53


    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

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2025 43:30


    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 this podcast with a friend and start a conversation! Source

    David Berlinski on the Immaterial, Alan Turing, and the Mystery of Life Itself

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2025 24:30


    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 its origin and nature would soon yield to scientific reductionism, they have been disappointed. This is Part 3 of a three-part conversation. Source

    What Cancer Reveals About the Limits of Darwinian Evolutionary Processes

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2025 45:53


    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 at the molecular leveI, it degrades them. And breakage of aboriginal design is a hallmark of Darwinian processes. Krueger explains in this illuminating discussion. Source

    From Fantastic Four to First Causes: Why Science Has Eclipsed Darwin

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2025 28:18


    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. McDiarmid also shares a clip from Dr. Stephen Meyer as he highlights just one of the scientific discoveries of the last century showing that the 19th century science that produced today's scientific atheism has been eclipsed. Source

    David Berlinski Challenges Prevailing Beliefs in Modern Biology and Physics

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2025 23:14


    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

    In a Universe of Non-Living Matter, Communication Sets Us Apart

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2025 29:53


    Meaningful communication is found across all life forms, from the signals sent by trees through fungal networks to the deep conversations we can have with each other. It's one feature that makes life uniquely different from a vast universe of non-living matter. But where does our ability to communicate come from? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid continues his conversation with physicist and author Dr. Eric Hedin about the remarkable features that separate living systems from non-life. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 1 in a separate episode. Source

    universe meaningful andrew mcdiarmid
    Physicist Eric Hedin: Information Processing as a Hallmark of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2025 22:45


    What if life isn't just a collection of molecules bumping around? What if every living thing, from a single cell to a human being, is doing something much more surprising—processing information and communicating in complex, purposeful ways? On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin, a physicist and author who's been asking bold questions about the hidden patterns of life. He's argued recently that the way living systems handle information—and communicate—is more likely evidence of intelligent design, not blind, undirected processes. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

    How Modern Materialistic Science Resembles a Tower of Babel

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2025 26:04


    On today's ID the Future out of the vault, host Andrew McDiarmid rings up author and philosopher David Berlinski in Paris to discuss his book Science After Babel. Berlinski is at his cultivated best as the two discuss everything from the biblical Tower of Babel as a metaphor for modern materialistic science, to his friendship with the brilliant and colorful French intellectual Marcel Schützenberger, a world-class mathematician who was self-taught and, as we learn here, came within a hair's breadth of being swept up in the Chinese Revolution. Berlinski also reflects on the seminal 1966 WISTAR symposium, which laid out some mathematical challenges to Darwinism, challenges that Berlinski says remain unanswered to this day. At the same time, Berlinski gives Read More › Source

    On Suffering, Intelligent Design Provides a Better Lens Than Darwinism

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2025 30:08


    The presence of evil and suffering calls for justification. But which scientific view of life is better placed to help us address these issues? Today, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with Tova Forman about her recent article tackling the profound question of suffering and the problem of evil. Tova argues that intelligent design (ID) proponents are better equipped to answer this challenge than those who adhere to neo-Darwinism or a materialistic view of life. Learn why in this stimulating discussion. Source

    Casey Luskin Calls on the Smithsonian to Get It Right on Human Origins

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2025 30:14


    The Smithsonian Institution has recently been called out by the Trump Administration for pushing "one-sided, divisive political narratives." But American history isn't the only domain in which the Smithsonian is advancing misinformation. The National Museum of Natural History's Hall of Human Origins vastly distorts the scientific evidence on human evolution, seeking to convince visitors that there's nothing special about us as human beings. On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid talks to attorney and geologist Dr. Casey Luskin to dissect his explosive new editorial in the New York Post calling on the Smithsonian Museum to stop "miseducating the public" on the history of human beings. Source

    Listen to the Prologue to Stephen Meyer’s Darwin’s Doubt

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2025 21:54


    On today's episode out of the archive, host Andrew McDiarmid narrates the prologue to Stephen Meyer's New York Times bestselling book Darwin's Doubt: The Explosion of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. Whether you're new to Meyer's book or read it years ago, you're likely to hear something new as you listen. Learn more at www.darwinsdoubt.com. Source

    From Dead Ends to Design: Meyer & Tour on Life’s Information Code

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2025 40:03


    On today's episode, enjoy the second half of a discussion between philosopher of science Dr. Steven Meyer and synthetic organic chemist Dr. James Tour about the origin of life and the explanatory power of intelligent design. The conversation, hosted by Peter Robinson, transitions from the "dead end" of current origin of life research to the crucial concept of information. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 1 in a separate episode. We're grateful to the producers of Uncommon Knowledge for permission to share this conversation here. Uncommon Knowledge is a production of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Source

    The Unsolved Mystery of Life’s Origin: Stephen Meyer & James Tour

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2025 30:17


    How did life originate? Does Darwin's theory of evolution have an answer for the origin of life? On this ID The Future, enjoy the first half of an insightful conversation between philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer and synthetic organic chemist Dr. James Tour as they unravel important issues around the origin of life. Dr. Tour is a professor at Rice University, renowned for his work in nanotechnology and his skepticism toward the current scientific models explaining the origin of life. Dr. Meyer is author of Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. The pair are interviewed by Peter Robinson, host of Uncommon Knowledge. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Source

    We are Children of Light and Water: Dr. Michael Denton

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2025 12:38


    On this episode of ID the Future from the vault, biochemist and medical doctor Michael Denton continues his conversation with host Sarah Chaffee about his book Children of Light: The Astonishing Properties of Sunlight That Make Life Possible, part of his Privileged Species book series that also includes The Miracle of Man, The Miracle of the Cell, The Wonder of Water, and Fire-Maker. Here, Dr. Denton speaks of the properties of both light and water. From photosynthesis to metabolism to circulation, and even from plate tectonics to the hydrologic cycle, both have exactly what it takes — in “amazingly fortuitous” ways — to make complex organic life possible. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

    Bill Dembski: Pursuing Truth and Trust in AI and LLMs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2025 31:00


    How does AI stack up when it comes to accurately representing the theory of intelligent design? Today, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with mathematician and philosopher Dr. William Dembski about the reliability and accuracy of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Bard, particularly concerning intelligent design. This second half of the conversation highlights the importance of independent verification when using AI, as LLMs can “hallucinate” or generate false or biased information. Dembski advises an approach of verify, then trust, turning the old Russian proverb on its head. McDiarmid and Dembski also explore the potential for AI to enhance human capabilities and education if used judiciously, rather than becoming a crutch that erodes critical thinking. But that will require that we Read More › Source

    Can AI Accurately Portray Intelligent Design?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2025 37:25


    How accurately do AI models like ChatGPT, Grok, and Bard portray the theory of intelligent design? Can large language models rise above the biases of sources like Wikipedia to help level the playing field for intelligent design? Today, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with mathematician and philosopher Dr. William Dembski to address the relationship between AI and ID. In recent years, Dr. Dembski has been putting LLMs through their paces to see if they can accurately and fairly discuss and portray intelligent design arguments and concepts. Here, Dembski discusses what he discovered as he used various methods to interrogate these complex algorithms. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Source

    Michael Denton Explains How Light Sustains Human Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2025 15:11


    On this episode of ID the Future from the archive, biochemist and medical doctor Michael Denton explores a “miraculous convergence of properties” for life. The topic is Denton's book Children of Light: The Astonishing Properties of Sunlight That Make Us Possible, part of his Privileged Species book series that also includes The Miracle of Man, The Miracle of the Cell, The Wonder of Water, and Fire-Maker. Here, Denton lets his astonishment flow freely in an interview with host Sarah Chaffee, with topics ranging from the light of the sun to key chemicals here on earth. "The atmosphere lets through just the light we need," says Denton, "and the sun puts out just the light we need. It's a remarkable coincidence...The atmosphere does just what is needed for life on earth." Taken together, it's an astonishing array of evidence showing how finely tuned Earth is for human life. And the common-sense conclusion, Denton says, is that a designing intelligence is the most adequate explanation for the properties on our planet that make life like us possible. This is Part 1 of a two-part discussion. Source

    Exploring Intelligent Design: A Conversation with Casey Luskin and Kristin Marais

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2025 34:27


    Does intelligent design have a better answer for the origin of the universe and the origin of life than the standard neo-Darwinian explanation? Today, we'll enjoy the second half of a conversation about the scientific theory of intelligent design with geologist and attorney Dr. Casey Luskin and his wife, chemistry teacher Kristin Marais. In Part 2, Casey and Kristin discuss why intelligent design can offer a more satisfying explanation for the origin of the universe than competing theories. Casey also reviews the evidence for the fine-tuning of the laws and constants of the universe to allow for life, and the argument for design evidenced in the natural world. Kristin provides more detail about an important resource offered at the Discovery Institute: her online high school chemistry course, and what students will get out of it. And if you have an interest in engaging in the debate over evolution and the origin of life and the universe, Kristin and Casey have tips and advice on what to study and how to foster dialogue on these important topics. Source

    Losing the Plot: How Materialism Can Blind Scientists to Purpose

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2025 32:31


    Is intelligent design a viable scientific theory? Why do some still insist on calling it pseudoscience? Maybe you're wondering these things yourself, or have a friend, family member, or co-worker who has these types of questions. On this ID The Future, scientist and attorney Dr. Casey Luskin and his wife, chemistry teacher Kristin Marais, explain how a materialistic worldview causes many scientists and science communicators to lose the plot and forget what science is all about. This is the first half of a conversation with host Daniel Ray on the Apologetics Profile podcast. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Source

    Walter Bradley: The Origin Story of an Intelligent Design Classic

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2025 22:59


    We are grieving the recent loss of Walter Bradley, a longtime Fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute and namesake of the Institute's Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. Today, we bring you the second half of Robert J. Marks's 2020 interview with Walter Bradley, co-author of the seminal 1984 intelligent design book The Mystery of Life's Origin. In this half of the conversation, Bradley and Marks discuss the book's first release, including the cultural context that made finding a non-religious publisher an uphill battle, and discussion of some of the endorsements and early reviews, including responses from distinguished scientists Robert Jastrow, Dean Kenyon, Robert Shapiro, and Fritz Schaefer. Bradley and Marks also discuss some scholars who more recently have testified to how the book, and Bradley, dramatically influenced their intellectual careers. Source

    A Tale of Two Doctors: Finding Purpose in Medicine and Science

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2025 48:13


    On this episode, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Stephen Iacoboni, an award-winning cancer researcher and medical oncologist with 40 years of experience, to discuss the undeniable element of purpose in all living things. The conversation dives deep into the question of whether this purpose can be explained purely by the physical world, or if it points to a source beyond nature and science. Dr. Iacoboni shares his unique reconciliation between faith and science, as explored in his latest book, Telos: The Scientific Basis for a Life of Purpose. He recounts his personal journey and profound divergence from the "mechanistic consensus" prevalent during his medical school years in the 1960s and 70s, which viewed organisms, including humans, as "biologic machines without souls, products of an unguided process." Source

    How Evolutionary Thinking Delayed a Nobel Prize Discovery

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2025 22:23


    For decades, evolutionary biologists considered non-coding regions of DNA as evolutionary junk, a paradigm that long dissuaded researchers from studying these little-understood portions of the genome. But a series of discoveries starting in 2008 has forced a major change in thinking about so-called "junk" DNA. Many examples of function have since been identified for the non-coding regions of DNA, and more are being uncovered each year. On this ID The Future, Dr. Casey Luskin reports on a pair of American biologists who were recently awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery of function in what was previously considered junk DNA. Source

    Walter Bradley on The Mystery of Life's Origin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2025 19:54


    We are grieving the recent loss of Walter Bradley, a longtime Fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute and namesake of the Institute's Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. So today, out of our archive, we bring you the first half of Robert J. Marks's 2020 interview with Walter Bradley, co-author of the seminal 1984 intelligent design book The Mystery of Life's Origin. The book is now available in a revised and expanded edition with updates from multiple contributors discussing the progress (or lack of it) in origins science in the 35 years since the book's original publication. In this first of two podcasts, Bradley discusses the history of the attempts to explain life's origin naturalistically, and how the three authors of the 1984 book came together to shake up the world of origin-of-life science. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

    “Do You Believe in Evolution?” Stephen Meyer Responds to Joe Rogan

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2025 19:31


    Do you believe in evolution? That's a good question that could start a very productive conversation about the origin and development of life on Earth. But the first steps are clarifying what the word “evolution” actually means and why unguided evolutionary processes are limited in power and scope. Today, host Andrew McDiarmid invites you to revisit a segment from Dr. Stephen Meyer's 2023 interview with Joe Rogan. Meyer answers Rogan's probing question comprehensively. Yes, he tells Rogan, he believes in “real evolutionary processes,” but he also believes in the limitation of those evolutionary processes, and he takes several minutes to unpack and explain some of the challenges the standard neo-Darwinian account of life faces today. McDiarmid follows up by summarizing Meyer's response and sharing excerpts from Meyer's book Darwin's Doubt to explain the importance of Meyer's arguments to the debate over evolution. Source

    Examples of Recurring Design Logic in Living Systems

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2025 28:53


    Architects, painters, musicians, and other creators apply recognizable patterns of thinking to their craft, resulting in a trademark style that sets them apart from others. Can recognizable patterns of thinking also be found in nature's design? On this episode of ID the Future, Dr. Jonathan McLatchie, a resident biologist and fellow at Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, dives into the microscopic world to explore examples of what he calls recurring design logic in living systems. These recurring themes and logic are widespread in diverse, often unrelated biological systems. On the perspective of intelligent design, they'd be expected. But an unguided evolutionary perspective would have difficulty explaining this compelling line of evidence. Source

    Dis-Inherit the Wind: Film Debunks Hollywood's Icon of Evolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2025 23:56


    On this ID The Future from the vault, host David Boze interviews filmmaker Fred Foote, writer and producer of the feature-length drama Alleged, which seeks to tell the real story behind the infamous 1925 Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, which pitched Darwinian evolution against belief in God. Through his own research, Foote discovered that Inherit the Wind was "almost exactly wrong" on many crucial points. Foote discusses how his movie strives to present both sides in the famous trial as fairly as possible. Source

    How Intelligent Design Has Flourished In Spite of the Scopes Effect

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2025 28:04


    The Scopes "Monkey" trial of 1925 has cast a long shadow over the evolution debate in the last century, thanks in large part to the Hollywood film Inherit the Wind, which caricatured the trial and promoted stereotypes that still persist today. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid continues a conversation with Dr. Casey Luskin about the long history of the Scopes effect in science and how intelligent design has managed to flourish in spite of it. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

    A Century Later, the Spirit of Scopes is Alive and Well

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2025 22:08


    The Scopes “Monkey” Trial Turns 100 this year. According to secularist legend, the Scopes trial represented a great showdown between ignorant, fundamentalist religion and enlightened, scientific progress. But what really went down in 1925? And a hundred years later, is science still suffering from the Scopes effect? On this episode of ID The Future, Dr. Casey Luskin begins a conversation with host Andrew McDiarmid about the famous trial, the play and movie based on it that reinforced unrealistic stereotypes, and some of the flashpoints in science since the trial that have fanned the flames of the debate over evolution. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

    Meyer, Behe, and Lennox on Science, God, and Darwin's Other Doubt

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2025 46:14


    Every Friday we pull a gem out of our archive for those who may not have enjoyed it yet. On today's ID the Future out of the vault, Oxford's John Lennox, Lehigh University's Michael Behe, and Darwin's Doubt author Stephen Meyer continue a probing conversation with host Peter Robinson on what they see as the growing evidence for intelligent design and the scientific and philosophical problems with Darwinian materialism. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. This interview appears on ID The Future with the kind permission of Peter Robinson and the Hoover Institution. Source

    Artist Jody Sjogren on How Intelligent Agents Bring Ideas to Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2025 24:49


    How does an intelligent agent go from idea to artifact? What can the process of art teach us about the evidence of design in the natural world? Today, medical illustrator and artist Jody Sjogren joins host Andrew McDiarmid to discuss the similarities between machines and living organisms and the insights art can give us about the mind of intelligent designers. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

    Artist Jody Sjogren on Illustrating the Icons of Evolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2025 42:52


    Artistic license has been used to promote Darwinian evolution since the late nineteenth century. Icons of evolution have appeared in textbooks, journals, magazines, and other visual media to promote a materialist worldview that is light on evidence and weighty on assumption. But in 2000, a book came along – Icons of Evolution – that finally exposed the myths, exaggerations, and outright fakery behind ten of the most infamous icons of Darwin’s theory. Today, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes the illustrator of that ground-breaking book, medical illustrator and artist Jody Sjogren, to discuss her experience of bringing these famous icons to life and working with author Dr. Jonathan Wells on the project. Jody also shares some of her memories of Dr. Wells, Read More › Source

    Behe, Meyer, & Lennox: The Evidence for Design is Growing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2025 41:34


    On today's ID the Future out of the vault, Uncommon Knowledge's Peter Robinson sits down with Michael Behe, John Lennox, and Stephen Meyer, three of the leading voices in science and academia on the case for an intelligent designer of life and the universe. In the first half of a wide-ranging conversation in Fiesole, Italy, they explore the growing problems with modern evolutionary theory and the increasing amount of evidence, uncovered by a rigorous application of the scientific method, that points to intentional design of the physical world. The conversation appears here with the generous permission of Peter Robinson and the Hoover Institution. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

    Brian Miller on Advancing Biology Through an Engineering Lens

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2025 22:44


    Can viewing life as designed enhance scientific research? Today, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with physicist Dr. Brian Miller about the fruitful research that can result when engineering principles are applied to the study of biological systems. Dr. Miller is part of a group that brings together engineers, scientists, and scholars to demonstrate how engineering principles, patterns, and tools can deepen the understanding of biology. The group hosts an annual Conference on Engineering in Living Systems, hosted by the Discovery Institute, that highlights new insights and research projects in this bold new approach to the study of life. Here Dr. Miller gives the lowdown on current research as well as this year's conference. Source

    Denyse O’Leary: Why Materialism Can’t Explain the Mind

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2025 41:34


    Is the soul a myth? Does your mind really just boil down to brain function? On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with journalist Denyse O'Leary about surprising findings out of neuroscience that shatter materialist assumptions. O'Leary is co-author with Dr. Michael Egnor of The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul. In this conversation, O'Leary reports on recent findings about the origin of consciousness, the challenge that near-death experiences present to materialism, and why the only way to move past materialism is to reject it fully as a model. Source

    soul explain existence materialism leary michael egnor andrew mcdiarmid
    Stephen Meyer: God Behind the Birth of Science and the Cosmos

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025 18:57


    Do we have to choose between science and God? Absolutely not, says philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer. In fact, theistic ideas about nature actually inspired the rise of modern science. On today's ID the Future from the archive, Return of the God Hypothesis author Stephen Meyer and radio host Michael Medved discuss the arguments presented in a series of short videos featuring Dr. Meyer that explore the increasingly strong scientific case for intelligent design and for the idea that the universe is the product of a transcendent mind. Source

    Michael Egnor Reads From His New Book The Immortal Mind

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2025 21:57


    On this ID The Future, Dr. Michael Egnor reads the Introduction to his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul, now available from Worthy Books. In this reading, Dr. Egnor shares his journey from being a medical student who believed science could explain everything, including how consciousness emerges from the brain and whether we have a soul, to a neurosurgeon who questioned the conventional materialist view. He discusses how years of operating on and examining patients with brain damage led him to wonder how large parts of the brain could be removed without affecting a person's mind or their ability to think, reason, believe, and desire. His personal story, including a profound experience in a hospital chapel during a family crisis, became a turning point that challenged his atheism and led him to believe that the immaterial aspects of our minds are real and that nature is an open system, not a closed one. Source

    Jay Richards on the “Ground Clearing” Work of Jonathan Wells

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2025 29:56


    Before the positive case for intelligent design can be received effectively, the case against the Darwinian evolutionary mechanism must be clearly laid out. One man who was instrumental in this initial "ground clearing operation" was biologist Dr. Jonathan Wells, our friend and colleague who passed away in 2024. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Jay Richards back to the podcast to share his memories of Dr. Wells and discuss the significance of Wells's life and work. Source

    Engineered Complexity in the Microbial World

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 22:36


    On this ID the Future from the archive, host Jonathan Witt speaks to molecular biologist and professor Dustin Van Hofwegen about his research into the engineered complexity in microbial life. Hofwegen shares his research on the famous decades-long E. coli evolution experiment conducted by Richard Lenski, which showed the sudden appearance of an ability to utilize citrate after many generations. However, Van Hofwegen's own experiments demonstrated that this "evolutionary innovation" actually points to the intelligent design built into living systems instead of an undirected process like natural selection. Source

    Physicist Brian Miller: The Non-Algorithmic Nature of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 37:27


    For decades, we've thought the control center of life lies in DNA. But a new scientific framework is emerging that challenges that idea, and suggests that vast portions of the genome are immaterial and lie outside the physical world. Today, physicist Dr. Brian Miller shares his perspective on the cutting-edge, potentially revolutionary research of mathematical biologist Dr. Richard Sternberg on the immaterial aspects of the genome. In this exchange, Dr. Miller shares several examples of the immaterial nature of life. These ideas point towards the earliest stages of the next great scientific revolution and have significant implications for the intelligent design debate. Source

    A Neurosurgeon Pulls Back the Curtain on the Soul

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2025 37:10


    On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid is thrilled to welcome back renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor to continue discussing his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul. The book tackles provocative ideas, making a case that the human soul exists and that the mind is immortal. In this compelling conversation, we unpack some of the powerful arguments and evidence Dr. Egnor has marshaled. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

    soul existence pulls curtain neurosurgeons michael egnor andrew mcdiarmid
    Michael Denton on the Primal Patterns That Govern Living Systems

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 15:44


    On this classic ID The Future out of the vault, biochemist Dr. Michael Denton discusses the implications of recurring animal body plans, arguing that they are predetermined types that point away from purely mechanistic processes. He observes that structures like the insect body plan were fixed long ago and haven't changed. He argues they are better understood as instances of predetermined type rather than collections of historical adaptations. This predetermination, he suggests, is the product of laws of form, which he finds inexplicable on a mechanistic view of nature. Source

    Can Evolutionary Processes Explain Human Creativity?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 38:53


    On this ID The Future, we're sharing a conversation that first aired on Mind Matters News, another podcast from the Discovery Institute that focuses on the intersection of artificial and natural intelligence. In this episode, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes engineer Dr. Eric Holloway and professor Robert J. Marks to discuss the information cost of creativity. The conversation is based on a chapter in the recent volume Minding the Brain, authored by Dr. Holloway and Marks. This conversation originally aired on the Mind Matters News podcast. Visit mindmatters.ai/podcast for more. Source

    Why Life Is the Most Unnatural Thing in the Universe

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2025 25:57


    We usually think of life as the most natural thing there is – blooming plants, flowing water, the cycles of nature. But what if that perspective is fundamentally challenged by the very laws of physics that govern our universe? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes physicist Dr. Eric Hedin to the podcast to discuss the compelling idea that life is the most "unnatural" thing in the universe. Dr. Hedin contends that the complex, organized nature of life defies the natural tendency of matter and energy towards disorder and equilibrium, suggesting that life requires something only an intelligent designer could provide. Source

    universe unnatural hedin andrew mcdiarmid
    New Study Shatters the 1% Human-Chimp Difference Myth

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 32:51


    When scientists originally studied the chimp genome, they used the human genome as a template. This scaffolding technique gave birth to the popular claim that chimp and human genomes are only 1% different. But new research has now blown the 1% myth out of the water. On today's ID The Future, geologist Dr. Casey Luskin speaks with host Dr. Emily Reeves about this explosive new finding and what it means for the debate over evolution. Source

    Register Now: HS Biology and Chemistry With Intelligent Design Integration

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 32:30


    On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Kristin Marais and Summer Lile, two passionate instructors from the Discovery Institute Academy, to discuss their high school biology and chemistry courses, uniquely taught from the perspective that nature reflects intelligent design. These courses offer a complete, sequenced curriculum and include readings, handouts, videos, pre-recorded instructor lectures, and hands-on wet labs designed to be done at home. Live classes and one-on-one teacher drop-in sessions are also available. In this exchange, both teachers discuss what students will learn in their class and how intelligent design concepts are integrated throughout course content. Learn more and register at discoveryinstitute.academy. Source

    The Immortal Mind: How Neuroscience Points Beyond Materialism

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 28:45


    Is your mind more than just your brain? Does the soul actually exist? These questions have been pondered for millennia. What does the latest scientific research suggest? On this ID The Future, renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor begins a conversation with host Andrew McDiarmid about his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul. Egnor makes a powerful case that our capacity for thought, reason, and free will points to something beyond mere brain function. After defining important terms, Egnor begins exploring the compelling evidence he has gathered across four decades of practice in neurosurgery. Along the way, Dr. Egnor also boldly challenges the Darwinian view of the mind's evolution, arguing that abstract thought and free will are immaterial and could not have arisen through natural selection. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

    Johannes Kepler, the Book of Nature, and the Language of Mathematics

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 15:52


    On this episode of ID the Future from the archive, Andrew McDiarmid talks with science historian Michael Keas about pioneering mathematical astronomer Johannes Kepler, based on Keas's book Unbelievable: 7 Myths About the History and Future of Science and Religion. Kepler studied theology before turning to math and science, and it was his belief in God that guided his extraordinary discoveries. Kepler is one of several great scientists of early modern science whose convictions about God's nature inspired their groundbreaking investigations. Source

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