Is Intelligent Design "Scientific"?
by Loren Haarsma,
Assistant Professor of Physics,
Calvin College, Grand Rapids,
MI
Invited talk for symposium, organized by John Bloom,
Models for Creation: Intelligent Design and Evolution,
Annual Conference of American Scientific Affiliation,
August 5-8, 2005; Messiah College, Grantham, PA.
Later it was published
in Perspectives on Science
& Christian Faith (journal of ASA), March 2007.
ABSTRACT:
A central activity of science is the construction and testing
of empirical models, utilizing known natural mechanisms, of parts of the natural
world. Occasionally, some scientists tentatively conclude that some particular
phenomenon is unexplainable in terms of any known natural mechanisms. I
discuss
some historical examples which have
been
resolved (e.g., the energy source of the sun) and some modern examples still
under discussion (e.g., the Big Bang, first life) where at least some scientists
have
concluded
that a phenomenon is unexplainable in terms of known natural mechanisms. In
such
circumstances,
individual scientists have advocated a range of scientific and philosophical
conclusions
(e.g., unknown
natural mechanisms, multiple universes, divine intervention).
The modern Intelligent Design (ID) movement can be understood
as one particular instance of this. Some activities of ID are clearly “scientific” even
under
narrow definitions of that term, including modeling of evolutionary population
dynamics, investigating the adequacy of known evolutionary mechanisms to account
for specific instances of
biological
complexity, and investigating the general conditions under which self-organized
complexity is possible. Other activities of ID clearly go beyond science
into
philosophy
and theology; however, this fact does not render the scientific activities
of
ID any less scientific. Rather than debating the demarcation of science,
the real
questions we should
be asking
are: Are the scientific arguments of ID good science? Are the philosophical
arguments
of ID good philosophy? Are
the theological arguments of ID good theology?
Published Version (2007)
In Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, March
2007, the
paper (Is
Intelligent Design "Scientific"?)
— which I suggest that you read by opening both
it and the overview-outline (from
2005) in "less
than full-width view" so you can move back and forth easily, and when
the full page refers back to an idea (A1, A2,..., H5, H6) you can see what
the idea
is by
looking at the outline — is followed by responses from
Michael Behe (The
Positive Side of Intelligent Design), Loren Haarsma (The
Filter Aspect of Intelligent Design), and John Bloom (Intelligent
Design and Evolution: Do We Know Yet?).
Original Version (2005)
The paper is
available in two versions: overview-outline (11 k)
and full-length (35 k).
homepage for
DESIGN IN SCIENCE