(Notes for Philosophy Café Oct. 14, 2005 Cape Breton University)

Current court proceedings in Dover Pennsylvania over the school board decision requiring biology teachers to read the following statement at the beginning of section on evolution:

Dover County School Board statement on Intelligent Design

"The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin's Theory of Evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part. Because Darwin's Theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The Theory is not a fact. Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations. Intelligent Design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin's view. The reference book, Of Pandas and People, is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves. With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the Origins of Life to individual students and their families. As a Standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on Standards-based assessments." (York Daily Record, January 8, 2005)

What is Intelligent Design Theory?

Bishop Paley= s Argument from Design for an Intelligent Creator (1802)

- the watch/eye

Chance or Intelligent Designer?

Darwin showed this to be a false dichotomy; that there is a third option:

- natural processes lead to evolution of complex design-like systems, viz.

- evolution = random variation + non-random selection for improvements in function

 

Michael Behe, prof. of biochemistry Lehigh University, PA, author of Darwin= s Black Box; the Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, (1995)

-Darwinian (neo-Darwinian) accounts all at level of gross anatomy; show how, given pre-existing cell complexity (light-sensitive pigment spots in lower invertebrates etc), random variation and natural selection for improvements might lead to human eye; bacterial flagellum (.200 different kinds of proteins involved)

-in Darwin= s day little known of the inner complexity of cells (false); hence the cell is A Darwin= s black box@

- inner structure and function of cells too complex to have resulted from gradual Darwinian processes

B cell systems A irreducibly complex@ ; in order to function at all all parts must be present and so all components of the system must be in place at once and from beginning

B > Darwinism cannot explain how these irreducibly complex systems came about;

B > must suppose they are the result of an intelligent designer

this proposed as an alternative scientific explanation of biological systems and should be taught in public school biology classes alongside standard Darwinian accounts of evolution

TWO QUESTIONS

1. Is ID creationism a scientific explanation/hypothesis?

2. Should it be taught (or even mentioned) in public school biology classes?

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Behe= s def. of A irreducible complexity@ : a system A composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to a basic function, wherein the removal of any of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning@ (Behe, 39)

Is there a difference between an explanation and a hypothesis?

Explanations are cheap; fruitful, testable hypotheses that stimulate new and interesting research questions are harder to come by.

Science not just about A explaining@ stuff we already know about; it= s also about discovering new things we didn= t know about.

Which is it: Evolutionists cannot possibly fill in the series from A to B (an impossibility proof) (which as Kitcher states is false) or evolutionists have not done so (which is answerable by noting that molecular biology is only 60 some years old and progress is and will continue to be made).

Gene= s can be duplicated randomly (for no higher purpose) and then the spare set co-opted and modified for new functions

Recent studies reveal that eubacterial flagella is a modified secretory system for proteins

Dan McShea= s arch analogy: start with lots of variation and complexity (not necessarily functional or optimal) and then chip away until the adaptive structure is left, rather than attempting to build up complex structure gradually piece by piece

 

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