From: Robert Schneider (rjschn39@bellsouth.net)
Date: Sat Sep 07 2002 - 17:20:24 EDT
In his posted response, which Moorad kindly made available to us all on =
the list, William Dembski writes:
"Howard Van Till's review of my book No Free Lunch exemplifies=20
perfectly why theistic evolution remains intelligent design's most=20
implacable foe. Not only does theistic evolution sign off on the=20
naturalism that pervades so much of contemporary science, but it=20
justifies that naturalism theologically -- as though it were unworthy=20
of God to create by any means other than an evolutionary process that=20
carefully conceals God's tracks."
As a follow-up to my recent posting on the rhetorical strategies of =
ID proponents, I think this opening paragraph of Dembski's response to =
Howard's critique of "NFL" exmplifies the rhetorical assult against the =
notion that creation and evolution go together that ID proponents (and =
especially YEC proponents) regularly use. In the first sentence, the =
term "theistic evolution," which is used regularly to characterize =
thinkers like Van Till, downplays the fact that they hold a theology of =
_creation_, that they are seeking to articulate a notion of divine =
action in creation, whatever theological model they are articulating. =20
I don't know if Howard would agree that his opposition to ID is =
"implacable." I would say that at least since the "First Things" debate =
with Johnson in 1993, he has been at it for nearly a decade, and has =
remained unconvinced of the various permutations of ID arguments; in =
that respect his opposition has been "relentless," one of the meanings =
of "implacable," one with a less negative connotation.
In the second sentence Dembski uses the word "naturalism" without =
qualification, another rhetorical technique of ID proponents. If you've =
read enough of their literature and in particularly Dembski's work, then =
you might assume that Dembski is using the term to mean what he =
regularly says it means. Howard has taken pains certainly since that =
1993 debate with Johnson to make clear that he accepts, as do the vast =
majority of scientists, "methodological naturalism" as the =
epistemological stance under which science is done, and he has also =
taken pains to point out the distinction between methodological =
naturalism and a metaphysical naturalism that grants existence to =
nothing outside of the empirically discernable. However, ID proponents =
refuse (a word Dembski uses to characterize portions of Howard's =
argument) to grant this distinction. Perhaps I am being unfair to =
Dembski here, but it seems to me that to imply that someone like Howard =
"justifies that naturalism theologically" insinuates what people like =
Johnson say quite bluntly, that we who accept evolution as the best =
current scientific explanation for the way God's creation emerges over =
time, have capitulated to the atheistic philosophical materialism that, =
in their view, underlies modern science. (Recall that Johnson labeled =
"methodological naturalism" as "methodological atheism.") =20
The rest of the sentence--"as though it were unworthy of God to =
create by any means other than an evolutionary process that carefully =
conceals God's tracks"--is a fine piece of polemic. It insinuates the =
hubris of assuming what are or are not worthy ways of God to create. =
And its concluding phrase expresses ID's own assumption that God's =
tracks are there to find. The question is, are they there to find =
theologically or are they there to find scientifically, or both? This =
writer has no trouble affirming by faith that "the heavens declare the =
glory of God and the firmament shows God's handiwork;" I accept the =
theological dictum, as early as Tertullian, that God is known through =
his works as well as through his Word; and I love Augustine's statement =
that the creation is "God's love song" (carmen dei). But I would like =
ID proponents to offer more than logical and philosophical =
argumentation, however admirable the effort and worthy of careful =
responses yea or nay; I await positive scientific, empirical evidence =
that God's tracks are there for the _scientist_ to discern.=20
I take ID seriously, and proponents like William Dembski, whom I =
respect, are most intelligent designers of their own hypotheses, and =
their work deserves the kind of careful consideration that opponents =
like Howard have given it. I hope they will add some convincing science =
to their philosophy.=20
Bob Schneider
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