2005

Sheldon Danielson, "Divine Farce: A Scientific / Philosophic Romp Through Intelligent Design" (2005)

"Talk Reason" published: Nov 07, 2005; http://www.talkreason.org/articles/IntelligentDesign.cfm --- Abstract --- The history of science can be regarded as the gradual process of removing the supernatural from our understanding of natural events and replacing it with concepts of material causality, matter and energy. In so doing, science has often found itself in conflict with religious dogma committed to a contrary view of the natural order. In the past such conflicts have usually taken the form of open contests between competing magisteria: theological on the one hand, empirical and rational on the other. Intelligent Design presents science with a qualitatively new kind of challenge: theology masquerading as science – a modern Trojan Horse. In responding to this subterfuge, this paper reviews the history and philosophy of science, neo-Darwinian evolution theory, and examines in detail some of ID’s specific claims.

Seth Shostak, "SETI and Intelligent Design" (2005)

http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_intelligentdesign_051201.html --- Abstract --- Intelligent Design (ID) proponents often refer to the SETI project as allegedly using a methodology analogous to their search for signs of Intelligence in the universe in general and in the biosphere in particular. They point out that the SETI project has been enjoying support from the scientific community (which is true) and therefore ID must be construed as legitimate as well. In particular, William Dembski has been persistently using such an argument in his ceaseless attempts to confer legitimacy upon his discourse aimed at "proving" that ID is a real scientific theory deserving serious consideration. On this site several contributors (Elsberry, Edis, Perakh, Shallit, and others) have debunked Dembski's numerous publications, including his pseudo-mathematics, and including his use of the SETI example. However, until now the SETI institute's staff has been staying away from the discussion of the alleged similarity of their methodology to ID's approach. In this essay, Seth Shostak of the SETI institute starts from the standpoint of the legitimate SETI approach and shows the lack of substantiation in ID advocates' comparison of their notions to the actual contents of the SETI project. In fact, SETI methodology has nothing in common with the ID advocates' fallacious approach and in a certain sense is contrary to it.