Intelligent Design the Future

Over After Dover. That was the hopeful mantra of many critics of intelligent design (ID) after the Kitzmiller vs. Dover trial in 2005. They were hoping a federal judge could issue a decree from on high that would stop the ID movement cold in its tracks and neo-Darwinism could go back to being unquestioned, unchallenged orthodoxy. But was it over after Dover? Not even close. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid marks the 20th anniversary of the Dover trial by beginning a two-part conversation with geologist, legal scholar, and Dover trial expert Dr. Casey Luskin. Luskin takes us back to 2005 to give us his unique perspective on the events that led to the Dover trial, his own personal experiences of the case, and the position the Discovery Institute's Center for Science & Culture held on the issues at stake. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

Are we responsible for our choices? What can the laws of nature teach us about morality? On this classic episode of ID The Future from the archive, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes back Dr. Eric Hedin, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at Ball State University, to conclude a discussion about his two recent articles on suffering, free will, and morality in a designed world. Some scientists continue to argue that human free will is an illusion and that we have no more control over our choices than the decision to breathe. But this idea, known as determinism, flies in the face of our human experience. Dr. Hedin explains that far from being slaves to external forces, humans have a great latitude of freedom in the universe. In other words, the ball is in our court. This is Part 2 of a two-part discussion. Source

A Quick Message From Host Andrew McDiarmid: Hey thanks for joining me! Did you know that although ID The Future is free content, it's not free to produce? If you're enjoying the interviews, commentaries, and readings you hear on the podcast, would you consider partnering with me to create more new content next year? Support the CSC today to help me generate another amazing lineup of interviews with ID scientists and scholars. Thanks for your support! When biologists use principles of engineering to study living systems, they can gain a richer, deeper understanding of how and why life works. But most biologists are trained to view design as the product of a blind, purposeless, gradual evolutionary process. Today on ID Read More › Source

It's easy to be blown away by the examples of engineering prowess in the human body. But it can be challenging to turn that evidence into a robust argument for intelligent design you can share with skeptical friends and colleagues. To help you learn to do that, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a roundtable discussion with not one, not two, not three, but four guests to the podcast, all part of our team of resident scientists at Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture: geologist and lawyer Casey Luskin, biochemist and metabolic nutritionist Emily Reeves, biologist Jonathan McLatchie, and physicist Brian Miller. The first half of the discussion kicks off with a review of the basics of design detection, including various methods for empirically detecting the hallmarks of design in nature. After that, these four experts take turns diving into examples of extraordinary design in the human body. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

Is natural evil an argument against intelligent design? And is human evil more consistent with naturalism or theism? On this classic ID The Future episode, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with Dr. Eric Hedin about his article "Thoughts of Evil in a Designed World." First, Dr. Hedin discusses the problem of natural evils like earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, and other natural disasters. He reports that in the last century, the human death toll from such tragedies has dropped as we have learned to mitigate the effects of these natural forces in our lives. Hedin also discusses the impact of sickness on our bodies. "Any complex system can break down," Hedin reminds us, "because we do live in a world where the second law of thermodynamics applies not just to stars and mountainsides and physical systems but also to our own bodies." But suffering, tragic as it can be for all of us to endure, is not inconsistent with design. Then there's the other major cause of suffering in life: human evil. If humans are products of an evolutionary process, we'd expect human evil to more or less match what we see in the animal world. But as recent attacks on the people of Israel starkly demonstrate, that is not the case. We are capable of much worse, as well as much better. Dr. Hedin explains that humans have the gift of rational override, something determinists tend to forget. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

On today's ID The Future, host Brian Miller concludes a two-part conversation with physicist Aaron Zimmer and mathematician Ellie Feder, hosts of the Physics to God podcast, as they critique current explanations for the laws of nature and argue for an intelligent cause of the rules that govern the universe. This half of the conversation tackles the attempts made by scientists to explain these life-friendly laws as the result of chance, not design. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

You might already have heard that the laws that govern our universe are finely tuned to allow for our existence. But beneath the special numbers of the universe lies an even deeper mystery: the laws of nature themselves. On today's ID The Future, join host Brian Miller as he begins a two-part conversation with physicist Aaron Zimmer and mathematician Ellie Feder, hosts of the Physics to God podcast, as they discuss their new work arguing for an intelligent cause based on the qualitative structure of reality's rules. The dream of finding a unique, logically necessary "theory of everything" has failed, which leaves an intriguing question: Why these specific laws? Zimmer and Feder explain why fundamental forces like gravity and complex systems like quantum mechanics are uniquely designed to produce a complex universe featuring atoms, molecules, stars, and life. The new argument focuses on the fundamental qualitative structure of the laws of nature, rather than the finely tuned quantities. Zimmer and Feder argue that these laws are not logically necessary, debunking the idea that a unique "theory of everything" could explain them. Instead, the laws are uniquely designed to produce a complex universe. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

Progress is an appealing idea, but what happens when we do not all desire the same things? On this ID The Future, we mark the 60th anniversary of the death of British writer C. S. Lewis as host Andrew McDiarmid concludes a conversation with Dr. John West about Lewis's prophetic warnings to us about science and scientism. Dr. West explains how scientism harms real scientific progress and leads to moral relativism. And he discusses how we can bring science back into alignment with older, deeper human truths. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

No amount of small, blind, and gradual changes to the steam engine could ever have produced the internal combustion engine. To get to that fundamentally new type of engine, an infusion of new information was required. That analogy can be applied to the origin of biological life too. The spectacular order, complexity, and design we see in life could not have been achieved gradually by a process that lacked foresight. On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes mathematician Granville Sewell to the podcast to share some of his compelling arguments for intelligent design. We might think that mathematicians are focused on incredibly complex ideas and equations, way above the everyday thoughts of the rest of us. But as Sewell points out, mathematicians are trained to value simplicity, and complex problems can often be solved in simple ways. Sewell's straightforward, yet profound arguments for intelligent design are worth memorizing and sharing with your friends, family, and associates. Source

Failed ideas tend to eventually crumble under the weight of contrary evidence. Is modern evolutionary theory heading for the same fate? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks to biochemist Michael J. Behe about his core arguments for intelligent design and his recent experience sharing them at an Ivy League school. Behe, a professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University and author of Darwin's Black Box, recently presented some of his ID arguments to faculty, students, and post-docs at Cornell University. Behe reveals how his talk was received and shares some of his key insights highlighting the problems with Darwinian evolution. Source

What happens when science leaves human values behind? Or when governments become beholden to scientists? On this classic ID The Future out of the vault, we mark the 60th anniversary of the death of British writer C. S. Lewis as host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with Dr. John West about Lewis's prophetic warnings to us about science and scientism. Dr. West discusses what scientism is, what happens when science neglects deeper human truths, and how Lewis warned against the rise of technocracies. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

Did God use evolution to create life? On this ID The Future, we're sharing the second half of a recent conversation with Dr. Casey Luskin that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast. Casey is critiquing theistic evolution, the view that God used evolutionary mechanisms to create life. In today's episode, he continues by next addressing the inadequacy of natural selection and random mutation to generate biological complexity. Luskin also points out that even non-ID scientists have expressed skepticism about the explanatory power of neo-Darwinism. All this makes it very hard to justify the position of theistic evolutionists, who claim God uses evolution to create life. In reality, the more we learn about the complexity and design of life, the less adequate neo-Darwinism is as an explanation. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

Some people attempt to reconcile belief in God with the standard evolutionary account of life's origins by combining the two. Theistic evolution is the view that God used evolutionary mechanisms to create life. But does this view stand up to scrutiny? Today, Dr. Casey Luskin critiques this perspective in the first half of a conversation that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast. The conversation kicks off with some clarity over terms, including what is meant by “evolution.” The theistic evolution perspective, also sometimes called evolutionary creation, accepts the standard scientific evolutionary account—the same view held by atheists—and simply adds the theological claim, "but this is how God did it". Critically, these proponents reject the idea that design can be empirically or scientifically detected in nature. As Luskin highlights, the central scientific problem with theistic evolution is that it inherits all the numerous scientific problems associated with the standard evolutionary account. This first half of the conversation rounds out with examples of those problems, specifically from the issue of the origin of life. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

If the phrase "Bayesian calculus" makes you run for the hills, you're not alone! Bayesian logic can sound intimidating at first, but if you give it a little time, you'll understand how useful it can be to evaluate the evidence for design in the natural world. On this ID The Future, Dr. Jonathan McLatchie gives us a beginner's guide to Bayesian thinking and teaches us how it can be used to build a strong cumulative case for intelligent design, as well as how we can use it in our everyday lives. Enjoying the podcast? Leave a written review at Apple Podcasts to help new listeners find the show! Source

Here's an experienced scientist who thinks YOU should have the power to settle the question of design in nature, not the scientific experts. Why? Because the majority of scientific authorities are committed scientific materialists, a view that hinders unbiased scientific inquiry by forbidding explanations outside the material realm. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with recently retired bio-scientist Dr. Michael Kent. In Part 2, Dr. Kent continues to unpack the scientific discoveries of the last century that have changed the debate over design in nature and made materialism an increasingly irrational view of the history of life and the universe. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

What you believe about the origin of life and the universe affects everything you do. So it's crucial that you decide for yourself whether the design that's evident in nature is the product of a designer or the outcome of a blind, unguided process. Today on ID The Future, retired bioscientist Dr. Michael Kent explains how we can take back important scientific decisions that belong to us and not to a scientific elite largely guided by materialist assumptions. Kent also reviews some of the top evidence for intelligent design, including the revolutionary discoveries that the universe had a beginning and is finely tuned for human life. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Source

Is the world a good place? Is truth relative? Can beauty be defined? On this episode of ID the Future from the archive, host David Klinghoffer speaks with Dr. Ann Gauger, Director of Science Communication and a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, about her article “The Transcendental Treasury of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness” at Science & Culture Today. These abstract concepts don't derive from the material world, yet we feel impoverished without them; they're foundations of a life worth living. Materialistic evolutionary explanations for truth, beauty, and goodness are out there, but they fall flat upon closer inspection. Some of them even reduce these qualities to mere illusion. Gauger holds that truth, beauty, and goodness are hallmarks of a designed world. Meditating on them can promote a spirit of gratitude, an important part of a healthy, happy life. Source

In 1984, three scientists dared to probe the mystery of life's origin by putting the prevailing theories of prebiotic and chemical evolution to the test. One of those men was engineer Walter Bradley. Today, Dr. Robert J. Marks joins host Andrew McDiarmid to share some of his personal anecdotes and professional insights about Dr. Bradley, a scientist, humanitarian, and trailblazer in the world of intelligent design who passed away this summer at the age of 81. A Distinguished Fellow of the Discovery Institute, Bradley taught mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University, Baylor University, and the Colorado School of Mines. His book, co-authored with chemist Charles Thaxton and geochemist Roger Olsen, deeply influenced prominent figures in the intelligent design research community like Stephen Meyer, Douglas Axe, and Jay Richards and helped to catalyze a new generation of inquiry into life's beginnings. The Mystery of Life's Origin was re-released in 2020 as a new, expanded second edition. Source

Every day your body must solve hundreds of hard engineering problems simultaneously, or else you'll die. These problems involve multiple coordinated, integrated systems that have to come online, not gradually, but all at once and at just the right time and place. Can an evolutionary process explain the development of these systems? You be the judge. On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Steve Laufmann, co-author with Dr. Howard Glicksman of the new book Your Amazing Body, a fresh, abridged version of their previous book Your Designed Body. In this discussion, Laufmann brings his engineering background to bear on the marvels of human anatomy, showing us how the human body is not just functional but brilliantly designed. We'll explore how engineering intersects with biology, how an engineer and a physician worked together to lay out this evidence, and what the new streamlined book can offer readers. Source

Experiments on the living unborn. Organ harvesting. Reckless biotech. Radical environmentalism. These are not horror stories playing at your local movie theater. They're playing out in labs, hospitals, and institutes across America. On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with bioethicist Wesley J. Smith about frightening abuses of science being done in the name of progress. In this unnerving exchange, Smith discusses examples of biotechnology that are advancing faster than our ethical considerations, including synthetic human embryos, genetic engineering, and fetal farming. He unpacks recent attempts by environmental activists to give rights to non-living things like rivers and oceans. He explains the difference between animal rights and animal welfare, while exposing the animal rights campaign as an anti-human movement that inhibits human flourishing. Smith also discusses the latest fronts in the gender ideology crusade, and how the rush to affirm gender dysphoria in children is causing tremendous harm to our society. And before the nightmare ends, Smith explains the pernicious push from evidence-based medicine to "science-based medicine," a strategy that encourages censorship and totalitarian governance of the scientific enterprise. Source

For decades, British professor and author Neil Thomas was a card-carrying Darwinist. It wasn't until after he retired from academia that he had the repose to think about things objectively. Then one day, in a scientific flash of inspiration, he came to the conclusion that the standard Darwinian story was "rubbish." In the second half of a conversation with Andrew McDiarmid, Thomas continues to explain why Darwinism fails as an adequate explanation for the history of life as he discusses his new book False Messiah: Darwinism As the God That Failed. Over two episodes, Thomas reveals the conceptual flaws and historical roots of the theory, the responses of major early dissenters of the theory, and how modern science is undermining the Enlightenment worldview upon which Darwinism relies. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

It might surprise you to learn that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection did not triumph on purely scientific grounds. There are other reasons beyond empirical science that gave it broad acceptance and enduring popularity. On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid unpacks those reasons as he begins a conversation with professor emeritus and author Neil Thomas about his new book False Messiah: Darwinism As the God That Failed. Over two episodes, Thomas discusses the conceptual flaws and historical roots of the theory, the responses of major early dissenters of the theory, and how modern science is undermining the Enlightenment worldview upon which Darwinism relies. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Source

When one person stands up to lies or oppression, others can become emboldened to do the same. On this classic episode of ID the Future, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor discusses his article about Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn, the great Soviet dissident and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, penned the short essay "Live Not By Lies" in 1974, just before he was arrested and exiled from Russia. It was his advice, or even strategy, for living under totalitarianism. Solzhenitsyn's basic advice is simply not to participate with lies, and to refuse to speak what one does not believe. It's unnervingly relevant counsel to us in America today, where “cancel culture” and other silencing tactics, long foreshadowed in the intelligent design debate, are spreading to the broader culture. As Egnor relates, sometimes it takes a single person to stand firm before others will do the same. "There are orders of magnitude more of us than of them," Egnor says. "That is people who feel as we do: who support academic freedom, who support human dignity, who support freedom of speech and freedom of religion...the only way they control us, the only way they oppress us, is with our cooperation." Source

What can science tell us about the existence of God? A lot more than you may think! Since the 16th century, a scientific worldview has been brewing called materialism that sought to explain all of life and the universe through unguided chance processes, and in doing so, ridding humanity of any need for God. But the worldview of materialism is increasingly at odds with the latest scientific discoveries of the last hundred years. On today's episode, join host Andrew McDiarmid as he continues his conversation with engineer Michel Bollore, co-author with Olivier Bonnassies of the book God: The Science, The Evidence, now available in a new English translation. Published in French in 2021, the book is a #1 bestseller in France, Spain, and Italy and has sold over 400k copies. The book presents a wide-ranging case for the existence of God by drawing on discoveries across physics, cosmology, biology, and human consciousness. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Editor's note: This interview is sponsored by Palomar Editions, publisher of God, the Science, the Evidence. However, Discovery Institute staff were responsible for the editorial content of this posting. Source

Does God exist…or not? It's a simple, compelling question. What can science tell us that would help us get an answer? For the last 150 years, many have assumed science has ejected God from the picture, a quaint relic of a less enlightened past. But what if that view has become a relic itself? Scientific discoveries of the last hundred years suggest there is bountiful evidence of intelligent design in nature, from the simplest living cells to distant galaxies. On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with computer engineer and businessman Michel-Yves Bolloré, who is co-author with Olivier Bonnassies of the book God: The Science, The Evidence. In Part 1, Michel explains how this materialistic worldview developed and how it gave the illusion of challenging the foundations of belief in God. Michel also discusses the difference between evidence and proof, and discusses how his book builds a strong case for theistic belief by presenting numerous, converging, and independent lines of evidence. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

What happens when a world-class mathematician and Christian thinker takes on one of the most hotly debated questions of our time—can the book of Genesis be reconciled with modern science? In this episode of ID the Future out of our vault, host Jay Richards welcomes Oxford University's Dr. John Lennox to discuss his book Seven Days That Divide the World. Lennox argues that science and faith are not enemies but allies in our quest for truth. He offers a careful reading of the Genesis creation account, showing that it need not be in conflict with what we learn from physics, cosmology, and biology. With wit, humility, and clarity, Lennox challenges both materialist skepticism and overly rigid interpretations of Scripture, urging listeners toward a view of reality that can honor Scripture as well as the findings of science. Source

In a universe of non-living space and matter, life is incredibly rare. And in order to stay alive, humans and other organisms have to overcome a myriad of engineering challenges. Just how is this done? And more to the point, is an evolutionary process capable of producing the solutions to these many challenges? On today's episode, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with Dr. Howard Glicksman, co-author with engineer Steve Laufmann of the new book Your Amazing Body. The book explores some of your body's greatest marvels, including how your hearing and vision work, how you coordinate your movements, and — perhaps the greatest miracle of them all — how you developed from a single cell at conception. In Part 2, Dr. Glicksman dives into some examples of the countless challenges life must overcome. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

Is the human body a cosmic accident, or is it the handiwork of a master engineer? Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with physician Dr. Howard Glicksman, co-author with engineer Steve Laufmann of the new book Your Amazing Body, a fresh, abridged version of their previous book Your Designed Body. In Part 1 of the conversation, Dr. Glicksman begins by contrasting unguided material causes (Darwinism) with intentional intelligent causes, emphasizing that intelligent design better explains the intricate, interdependent coherence found within the human body. He argues that Darwinian evolution only describes how life looks, failing to explain the complex functional capacity, control systems, and engineering principles required for life to actually work and survive. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Visit www.idthefuture.com for more episodes! Source

On this episode of ID The Future out of our archive, plant geneticist Richard Buggs speaks to the hosts of the Table Talk podcast about the long-standing claim that science and religion are at odds. The myth that science and religion are incompatible, also known as the warfare myth, was conjured by materialists bent on propagating a Darwinian view of life. But in reality, many of the giants of the scientific revolution, including Newton, Kepler, Boyle, and others, were inspired to do great science because of their faith, not in spite of it. The faith Dr. Buggs examples turns out to be a science starter, not a science stopper. Source

How is the job of a scientist similar to the job of an attorney? And how do you define evidence? On this ID The Future, host Casey Luskin continues his conversation with attorney and former Colorado House of Representatives member Barry Arrington about the arguments for intelligent design marshaled in Arrington's book Unforgetting God. In this concluding segment, Arrington and Luskin review common objections to intelligent design and discuss the larger philosophical, cultural, and legal implications of the debate over intelligent design and materialism. Source

Attorneys are skilled in evaluating evidence for claims and making complex ideas easier to understand, two skills that come in handy when assessing scientific theories as well. Today, Dr. Casey Luskin begins a conversation with attorney and former Colorado House of Representatives member Barry Arrington to discuss the evidence for intelligent design and his new book Unforgetting God. In Part 1 of the conversation, Arrington lays out several key arguments for intelligent design and assesses their evidential strength. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

On this classic episode of ID the Future, host Eric Metaxas continues his conversation with biologist and professor Dr. Douglas Axe. The subject is Axe's book Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life is Designed and his account of how he lost his position at a Cambridge research lab because of the implications of his research findings. Axe discusses the polarized atmosphere in science today, driven by an unreasonable commitment to materialism. Axe also talks about the reliability of our built-in design intuition and the implications of living in a designed universe. This is Part 2 of a two-episode interview. Source

Is it possible to produce mathematicians today of the same caliber as greats like Sir Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell? How can we help young people develop a genuine interest in mathematics, including its history, applications, and philosophy? Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with mathematics educator, curriculum designer, and medical physicist Amos Tarfa. In Part 1, Amos profiled 19th century Scottish mathematician and physicist James Clerk Maxwell to help us better understand the great scientist's contributions and how they relate to today's debate over evolution and intelligent design. Here in Part 2, Amos tells us more about his vision for math education and how we can train up the next generation of James Clerk Maxwells. Source

He's one of the most significant scientists of the 19th century, and his work laid the foundation for modern physics, quantum mechanics, and relativity. Scottish physicist and mathematician James Clerk Maxwell is a pivotal figure in the history of modern science, and his scientific study was inspired by the belief that the works of nature reflect the work of a designing intelligence. Today, my guest is mathematics educator, curriculum designer, and medical physicist Amos Tarfa, who helps us profile Maxwell to better understand the great scientist's contributions and lasting influence. Tarfa also unpacks how Maxwell harmonized his faith in God with his scientific reasoning, and gives examples of how his discoveries point toward deeper questions about order, design, and meaning in the universe. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

On this episode of ID the Future selected out of our vault, host Eric Metaxas begins a conversation with biologist and professor Dr. Douglas Axe on The Eric Metaxas show. Axe is the Maxwell Professor of Molecular Biology at Biola University, the founding Director of Biologic Institute, the founding Editor of BIO-Complexity, and the author of Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life is Designed. In Part 1, Dr. Axe shares how he lost his research position in Cambridge during a season of political controversy over Darwinian evolution in the UK. He also shares what he learned from his experiments in protein evolution that cast doubt on the neo-Darwinian explanation for life. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

Could you explain irreducible complexity to a friend? How about firing off three reasons you believe it to be true? You never know when you'll be asked to explain your scientific worldview to a family member, friend, or associate. The real question: are you ready? On this ID The Future, we get another chance to learn from biochemist Dr. Michael Behe. Here, Dr. Behe discusses his journey into the field of biochemistry, his key concept of irreducible complexity, and the distinctions between intelligent design and creationism. The conversation also explores scientific and philosophical objections to intelligent design, the implications of Darwinian evolution, and the significance of recent scientific advancements in understanding life's complexity. This interview originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast. Source

For over 20 years, Evolution News has offered readers exclusive daily news and commentary on the evidence for intelligent design and the debate over evolution. Now, with a fresh design, a broader vision, and new name, Evolution News has become Science and Culture Today. On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid discusses the rebrand with two key architects of the new website, Discovery Institute's Director of Communications Rob Crowther and our Director of Media & Brand Nathan Jacobson. Discussion covers the history of the site from its beginnings in 2004 to the rationale and features of the new site, along with the importance of scientific discernment. Visit the new site at www.scienceandculture.com. Source

Scientists agree that our universe is finely tuned for the existence of life. But is the fine-tuning a happy accident or the result of foresight? On this ID The Future, host Brian Miller continues his conversation with Rabbi Elie Feder and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast. In the conclusion to their discussion, Feder and Zimmer explain why the cosmological constant is one of their favorite examples of fine-tuning. They also share the importance of exploring the teleological causes, or purposes, of natural phenomena. Using modern physics, say Feder and Zimmer, an objective justification for the purpose of the universe can be made. Enjoy this provocative and illuminating discussion! This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

If evolutionary psychology explains every complex human behavior as well as its opposite, does it really explain anything? Today, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with geologist and attorney Dr. Casey Luskin about which scientific theory of origins best explains human altruism, cooperation, and morality. McDiarmid recently engaged in some lively discussion under his recent article exploring scientific worldview in the Marvel universe. Specifically, some readers claimed evolution can explain human kindness, heroism, and teamwork. So McDiarmid turned to Luskin, who has spent time researching human origins as well as attempts to explain the origin of human behaviors. Here in Part 2, the pair zoom into altruism to see if evolution can adequately explain it. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Source

Do evolutionary models adequately account for the reality of human altruism, moral conviction, and cooperation? Does intelligent design offer a better explanation? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins discussing these questions and more with geologist and attorney Casey Luskin. McDiarmid's recent article exploring scientific worldview in the Marvel universe generated some lively back-and-forth in the comments section, particularly about whether evolutionary processes could account for humans looking out for other humans. Luskin tackles the question head-on, putting it in the larger context of evolutionary psychology's penchant for explaining every possible human behavior through the lens of a Darwinian past. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Source

Do you recognize the number 1/137.035999206? It might seem arbitrary, but if the fine structure constant were any higher or lower than it is, you might not exist! On this episode of ID The Future, host Brian Miller kicks off an engaging conversation with Rabbi Elie Feder and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast. Feder has a PhD in mathematics and has published articles on graph theory. Zimmer has training in physics, and has studied mathematics, philosophy, and psychology. In Part 1 of a two-part discussion, Feder and Zimmer share their background and the inspiration for their podcast. They also explain their focus on the constants of physics and what they mean. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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