Re: [asa] Olasky on Collins

david.clounch wrote:
> David Campbell said,
>
> "I am inclined to define ID as the search for evidence about
> supernatural agency in the physical world."
>
> To that I'd say David Campbell and myself can never hold a rational
> discussion about ID until we reconcile our radically different
> definitions of it. I absolutely do not believe ID is a search for
> supernatural agency in the physical world. [see footnote 1]
>
I tend not be able to really make up my mind on this issue. Behe
recounts how he had fully accepted evolution until he began to look for
the details of the evidence. Thus it seems pretty clear that he was not
in search of evidence about the supernatural. From what I read (from
secondary sources) Johnson appears to have been in search of evidence of
supernatural agency. Dembski at times seems simply to be contrarian.

I admit that supernatural agency is not directly what they say they are
finding. However, if they could prove evolution impossible and aliens
are involved then where did the aliens come from? More aliens? Apply
the question recursively and eventually God would need to be involved.

The front loading sub section of ID seems pretty clearly not to be
searching for evidence of supernatural activity. In other words we
would appear to just happen to live in a universe that has the correct
front loading ie weak anthropic principle. Of course I by faith think
that such is an instance of lower case id.

>
> Footnotes
> ========
> 1. The great sin of ID is it *allows* people to believe that
> supernatural agency has affected the physical world. And this is
> offensive to anti-theists.
>
I disagree! See the reaction to Collins. The same is (or should be)
also the great sin of EC/TEs as well. I think the great sin, is that ID
has pointed out that in some areas the clothes that the NAs are wearing
are or might be a little ragged and thin or even possibly none existent
eg Cameron's request for details wrt evolution of complex biological
features. ID appears to have a certain amount of traction with the
public, certainly more than EC/TEs have, at least to date.

Dave W

ps Due to the silence on the list I was beginning to think that I was
the only participant on the list who was unable to travel to Texas this
weekend. I wish I could go but it is not possible.

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Received on Sat Aug 1 05:54:30 2009