Why intelligent design fails : a scientific critique of the new creationsim [sic. creationism

Is Darwinian evolution established fact, or a dogma ready to be overtaken by the next scientific revolution? The intelligent design movement argues the latter. Why Intelligent Design Fails assembles a team of physicists, biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians, and archaeologists to examine intelligent design from a scientific perspective. They consistently find grandiose claims without merit. Contributors take intelligent design’s two most famous claims––irreducible complexity and information-based arguments––and show that neither challenges Darwinian evolution. They also discuss thermodynamics and self-organization; the ways human design is actually identified in fields such as forensic archaeology; how research in machine intelligence indicates that intelligence itself is the product of chance and necessity; and cosmological fine-tuning arguments. Intelligent design turns out to be a scientific mistake, but also a useful contrast highlighting the amazing power of Darwinian thinking and the wonders of a complex world without design. Cover 1 Matt Young & Taner Edis (ed) - Why Intelligent Design Fails 2 Why Intelligent Design Fails 2 Contents 3 Preface 4 Critical Responses 5 Contributors 6 Acknowledgments 6 Introduction 7 Intelligent-Design Neocreationism 8 Intelligent Design in Biology 9 Intelligent Design in Physics and Information Theory 11 Chapter 1 Grand Themes 13 Chapter 2 Grand Designs and Facile Analogies. Exposing Behe's Mousetrap and Dembski's Arrow 23 Chapter 3 Common Descent. It's All or Nothing 33 Chapter 4 Darwin's Transparent Box. The Biochemical Evidence for Evolution 47 Chapter 5 Evolutionary Paths to Irreducible Systems. The Avian Flight Apparatus 55 Chapter 6 Evolution of the Bacterial Flagellum 66 Chapter 7 Self-Organization, and the Origin of Complexity 77 Chapter 8 The Explanatory Filter, Archaeology, and Forensics 95 Chapter 9 Playing Games with Probability 106 Chapter 10 Chance, Necessity, —and Intelligent Design? 122 Chapter 11 There Is a Free Lunch after All. William Dembski's Wrong Answers to Irrelevant Questions 134 Chapter 12 Is the Universe Fine-Tuned for Us? 150 Chapter 13 Is Intelligent Design Science? 161 Appendix Organizations and Web Sites 172 References 181 About the Contributors 205 Index 208 Why Intelligent Design Fails Assembles A Team Of Physicists, Biologists, Computer Scientists, Mathematicians, And Archaeologists To Examine Intelligent Design From A Scientific Perspective. Contributors Take Intelligent Design's Two Most Famous Claims - Irreducible Complexity And Information-based Arguments - And Show That Neither Challenges Darwinian Evolution.--jacket. Grand Themes, Narrow Constituency / Taner Edis -- Grand Designs And Facile Analogies / Matt Young -- Common Descent / Gert Korthof -- Darwin's Transparent Box / David Ussery -- Evolutionary Paths To Irreducible Systems / Alan D. Gishlick -- Evolution Of The Bacterial Flagellum / Ian Musgrave -- Self-organization And The Origin Of Complexity / Niall Shanks And Istvan Karsai -- The Explanatory Filter, Archaeology, And Forensics / Gary S. Hurd -- Playing Games With Probability / Jeffrey Shallit And Wesley Elsberry -- Chance And Necessity--and Intelligent Design? / Taner Edis -- There Is A Free Lunch After All / Mark Perakh -- Is The Universe Fine-tuned For Us? / Victor J. Stenger -- Is Intelligent Design Science? / Matt Perakh And Matt Youn. Edited By Matt Young, Taner Edis. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 207-222) And Index. Is Darwinian evolution established fact, or a dogma ready to be overtaken by "intelligent design"? This is the debate raging in courtrooms and classrooms across the country.Why Intelligent Design Fails assembles a team of physicists, biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians, and archaeologists to examine intelligent design from a scientific perspective. They consistently find grandiose claims without merit.Contributors take intelligent design's two most famous claims-irreducible complexity and information-based arguments-and show that neither challenges Darwinian evolution. They also discuss thermodynamics and self-organization; the ways human design is actually identified in fields such as forensic archaeology; how research in machine intelligence indicates that intelligence itself is the product of chance and necessity; and cosmological fine-tuning arguments.Intelligent design turns out to be a scientific mistake, but a mistake whose details highlight the amazing power of Darwinian thinking and the wonders of a complex world without design. Why Intelligent Design Fails assembles a team of physicists, biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians, and archaeologists to examine intelligent design from a scientific perspective. They consistently find grandiose claims without merit. Contributors take intelligent design's two most famous claims -- irreducible complexity and information-based arguments -- and show that neither challenges Darwinian evolution. They also discuss thermodynamics and self-organization; the ways human-design is actually identified in fields such as forensic archaeology; how research in machine intelligence indicates that intelligence itself is the product of chance and necessity; and cosmological fine-tuning arguments. Intelligent design turns out to be a scientific mistake, but also a useful contrast highlighting the amazing power of Darwinian thinking and the wonders of a complex world without design. "Why Intelligent Design Fails assembles a team of physicists, biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians, and archaeologists to examine intelligent design from a scientific perspective. Contributors take intelligent design's two most famous claims - irreducible complexity and information-based arguments - and show that neither challenges Darwinian evolution."--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved