Short description/annotation
This volume provides a comprehensive and even-handed overview of
the debate concerning biological origins.
Main description
This volume provides a comprehensive and even-handed overview of
the debate concerning biological origins. This has been a
controversial debate ever since Darwin published The Origin of
Species in 1859. Invariably the source of controversy has been
design. Is the appearance of design in organisms as exhibited in
their functional complexity the result of purely natural forces
acting without prevision or teleology(?)33; Or does the appearance
of design signify genuine prevision and teleology, and, if so, is
that design empirically detectable and thus open to scientific
inquiry(?)33; Four main positions have emerged in response to these
questions: Darwinism, self-organization, theistic evolution and
intelligent design. In this unique survey leading figures in the
debate argue for their respective positions in a non-technical,
accessible style. Readers are thus invited to draw their own
conclusions. Two introductory essays furnish a historical overview
of the debate.
Table of contents:
Introduction: general introduction William Dembski and Michael
Ruse; The argument from design: a brief history Michael Ruse;
Who's afraid of ID(?)33;: a survey of the intelligent design
movement Angus Menuge; Part I. Darwinism: 1. Design with designer:
Darwin's greatest discovery Francisco Ayala; 2. The flagellum
unspun: the collapse of 'irreducible complexity' Kenneth
Miller; 3. The design argument Elliott Sober; 4. DNA by
design(?)33; Stephen Meyer and the return of the god hypothesis
Robert Pennock; Part II. Complex Self-Organization: 5. Prolegomenon
to a general biology Stuart Kauffman; 6. Darwinism, design and
complex systems dynamics David Depew and Bruce Weber; 7. Emergent
complexity, teleology, and the arrow of time Paul Davies; 8. The
emergence of biological value James Barham; Part III. Theistic
Evolution: 9. Darwin, design and divine providence John Haught; 10.
The inbuilt potentiality of creation John Polkinghorne; 11.
Theistic evolution Keith Ward; 12. Intelligent design: some
geological, historical and theological questions Michael Roberts;
13. The argument from laws of nature reassessed Richard Swinburne;
Part IV. Intelligent Design: 14. The logical underpinnings of
intelligent design William Dembski; 15. Information, entropy and
the origin of life Walter Bradley; 16. Irreducible complexity:
obstacle to darwinian evolution Michael Behe; 17. The cambrian
information explosion: evidence for intelligent design Stephen
Meyer.
'The topic is hot; the editors are superb; the cast of contributors is star-studded.' Ronald Numbers, The University of Wisconsin, Madison 'The editors have done a fine job in amassing the leaders of various fields, all of whom are very well known - theologians, scientists, mathematicians and philosophers.' Ronald Trigg, University of Warwick 'The two editors have put together an excellent team to discuss a hot topic ... I would expect this to become a standard work of reference on the issue of 'intelligent design'.' John Brooke, University of Oxford 'No other collection offers a comprehensive, balanced, accessible overview like this.' ReadaLot.org 'The book is highly recommended.' Philosophy in Review
William A. Dembski is an associate research professor in the conceptual foundations of science at Baylor University as well as a senior fellow with Seattle's Discovery Institute. His most important books are The Design Inference (Cambridge University Press, 1998) and No Free Lunch (2002). Michael Ruse is Lucyle T. Wekmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University. He is the author of many books, including Darwinism and Its Discontents (Cambridge University Press, 2006).
