Re: [asa] The term Darwinism

Ted,

> His standard response
> to the whole origins controversy is to point out that design or its
absence
> is a metaphysical conclusion, not a scientific conclusion.

Elsewhere today Cameron quotes Randy as saying the very same thing and
challenges Terry that his position on unguided processes is not scientific
but is something else, perhaps theological?

I'd agree with Barr,Cameron, and Randy. But what bothers me then is
Minnesota Citizens for Science leaders (professors of EEB at the University
of Minnesota ) are telling people there is nothing in the scientific
literature about design and therefore design is dead and doesn't exist.
I've heard that in person and I've read it in the university newspaper.

But if the absence of design is not a scientific question then they aren't
making a scientific statement. They aren't even speaking for science.
Instead they are making a metaphysical or theological statement.

If they, as university professors, want to believe that and promote it
that's fine by me (as long as they don't punish someone for disagreeing with
them). But thats not what they want. What they want is to affect
government policy on education at all levels, even K-12, so that government
endorses this metaphysical or theological view. This is definitely over
the line in terms of the establishment clause and the lemon test. That is
why to me it is a civil rights issue. These metaphysical or theological
viewpoints that design doesn't exist belong in church, not in government
institutions or government policy.

Thank You,
David Clounch

On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 5:47 PM, Don Nield <d.nield@auckland.ac.nz> wrote:

> It might help the class to note that according to Amazon.com the title of
> the book is "Intelligent Design: William A. Dembski and Michael Ruse in
> Dialogue" The cover of the book and the copyright statement each concur with
> the bookseller.
> Don
>
> Ted Davis wrote:
>
>> ... I recommend an essay by Oxford mathematician John Lennox,
>> "Intelligent Design: Some Critical Reflections on the Current Debate," ed.
>> Robert B. Stewart (Fortress Press, 2007), 179-95. This is a collection of
>> essays on both "sides" of the ID controversy, .... OK, class, now go out
>> and buy the book,
>>
>
>
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Received on Fri Jul 10 11:47:23 2009