On today’s ID the Future from the archive, host Eric Anderson sits down with Canceled Science author and physicist Eric Hedin to discuss Hedin’s new book and, in particular, the book’s take on the origin-of-life problem. Hedin says the second law of thermodynamics poses a serious problem for the idea of a mindless origin of the first single-celled organism from prebiotic materials. Such an event would have involved a breathtaking increase in new information, and Hedin says that physics tells us pretty clearly that mindless nature degrades information; it doesn’t create it. Are there workarounds? Listen in as he explains why he’s not optimistic. Source

On this ID The Future, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer sits down with Praxis Circle’s Doug Monroe to offer insights into the intersection of science, philosophy, and religion. In this section of a multi-part interview, Dr. Meyer begins by discussing the nature of information. He explains the difference between mathematical information, or Shannon information, and specified information, a more meaningful type of information that conveys the quality of the content, not just the quantity of it. Dr. Meyer then turns to the theistic assumptions that fueled the scientific revolution. Why did modern science begin where and when it did? What was the spark that ignited that famous flowering of human scientific thought? Dr. Meyer has answers. Source

When we gain new information about beliefs we hold, it’s good practice to update our viewpoints accordingly to avoid incoherence in our thinking. On today’s ID The Future, host Jonathan McLatchie invites professor and author Dr. Tim McGrew to the show to discuss how Bayesian reasoning can help us maintain coherence across our set of beliefs. The pair also apply Bayesian logic to the debate over Darwinian evolution to show that a confidence in design arguments can be mathematically rigorous and logically sound. Bayesian logic provides a mathematical way to update prior probabilities with new information to produce a more realistic likelihood ratio. And when it comes to evaluating different hypotheses, small pieces of evidence can add up. “Even evidence Read More › Source

On today’s ID the Future out of the vault, Biola University physicist John Bloom discusses his chapter in The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith, an anthology co-edited by host Casey Luskin. Bloom argues that while the Babylonians and Greeks contributed some discoveries and insights that would eventually play into the rise of science, science did not take off, was not born, until a cluster of crucial ideas drawn from the Judeo-Christian worldview infused Western thought. Only then did astrology become astronomy, alchemy become chemistry, and the great adventure of scientific discovery begin in earnest. Source

When we look at feats of human engineering, like vehicles, skyscrapers, and computers, we don't doubt our intuition that they're intelligently designed. But when it comes to marvels of the natural world, like bird wings, whale flippers, and our own arms and legs, we're expected to suspend our design intuition and credit a gradual, undirected evolutionary process. Bio-engineer Dr. Stuart Burgess has been studying vertebrate limbs for over thirty years. On this episode of ID The Future, Burgess shares his cutting-edge insights on the universal optimal design of vertebrate limb patterns and the implications for fields like robotics. Source

Casey Luskin, an Associate Director at the Discovery Institute, shares his expertise on the complex debate surrounding the origin of life. He discusses the implications of a new study on LUCA, emphasizing its surprising complexity and what this means for evolutionary theory. The conversation critiques how mainstream media portrays scientific findings and advocates for a deeper understanding of scientific debates. Luskin highlights the rapid emergence of complex life on Earth, questioning traditional evolutionary views and suggesting intelligent design as a viable alternative.

Every Friday we repost a gem from our archive of hundreds of episodes. Today’s pick from the vault takes us to a conference in Turin, Italy, where scholar John West speaks about the roots of intelligent design, roots that stretch back to ancient Greek and Roman philosophers. In his talk, West also makes the case that design thinking was crucial to the rise of modern science, and he traces how Darwinism has eroded design thinking, fueled scientific racism, and undermined belief in human exceptionalism. Source

When Charles Darwin formulated his theory of evolution, he offered up a new god and a new understanding of mankind. But does his creation myth satisfy the scientific evidence we have today for the design and complexity of life? I'm Andrew McDiarmid. On this ID The Future, I read an excerpt of a new book that exposes the inadequacy of Darwinism and dispels the darkness of Darwinian materialism. A Catholic Case for Intelligent Design, by Father Martin Hilbert, is now available from Discovery Institute Press. Source

For too long now, Catholic scholars and many of the faithful have felt compelled to align themselves with a Darwinian account of life's origins. But as modern evolutionary theory faces a rising wave of disconfirming evidence, the evidence for both intelligent design and a first human couple, Adam and Eve, is stronger than ever. So it's a good time for Catholics to reevaluate their relationship with Darwin. On this ID The Future, physicist Dr. Brian Miller welcomes Father Martin Hilbert to the podcast to discuss his new book A Catholic Case for Intelligent Design. Source

On this ID the Future, Discovery Institute senior fellow Andrew McDiarmid explores the roots of the idea that our universe is just one of many universes, an idea stretching back to the ancient atomists and given new life in the modern era, first by physicist Hugh Everett. McDiarmid then looks at how the idea percolated into comic books and from there into popular culture. He caps off the episode with a reading of a recent article about the multiverse hypothesis by Stephen Meyer, author of the recent bestseller, Return of the God Hypothesis. Source