Nature, Design, and Science: The Status of Design in Natural ScienceAlthough the scientific illegitimacy of supernatural design is typically asserted with enormous confidence and vigor, there has been surprisingly little actual work on such key foundational issues as even what design is and on specific criteria for assessing its legitimacy, or lack, as a scientific concept. However, intelligent supernatural design is again surfacing in discussions both of anthropic principles and of certain types of biological complexity. This book develops a definition of design, explicates the more specific concept of supernatural design, defends a general criterion for scientific legitimacy, and argues that in some cases the concept of intelligent supernatural design can meet the relevant requirements for scientific legitimacy. |
Contents
DESIGN PRELIMINARIES | 3 |
SCIENCE AND FINITE DESIGN | 17 |
SUPERNATURAL DESIGN | 25 |
SUPERNATURAL DESIGN PRELIMINARY BASICS | 27 |
IDENTIFYING SUPERNATURAL DESIGN PRIMARY MARKS | 41 |
IDENTIFYING SUPERNATURAL DESIGN SECONDARY MARKS | 51 |
DESIGN IN NATURE | 61 |
BOUNDARIES OF SCIENTIFIC LEGITIMACY | 77 |
THE PERMISSIBILITY QUESTION | 103 |
CASES FOR IMPERMISSIBILITY | 105 |
LEGITIMACY | 127 |
ARE THERE ANY PAYOFFS? | 137 |
CONCLUSION | 149 |
DEMBSKIS DESIGN INFERENCE | 153 |
NOTES | 169 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 209 |
Other editions - View all
Nature, Design, and Science: The Status of Design in Natural Science Del Ratzsch Limited preview - 2001 |
Nature, Design, and Science: The Status of Design in Natural Science Del Ratzsch No preview available - 2001 |
Common terms and phrases
actual alien anthropic principles argued arguments artifactuality basic Big Bang Bridgewater Treatise causal causal history ceteris paribus chance characteristics claim cognitive complexity concepts concerning constitute evidence contranomic cosmos counterflow course crater Darwin's Black Box deliberate Dembski design inference design theories designedness empirical essential evidence of design exactly example exhibit explanatory fact factors finite agents finite design function gaps given God-of-the-gaps historically human identify implications improbability initiating structures instance intervention intuition involved jumble least legitimate logical matter means Michael Behe mind correlativity natural law natural processes nature's nomic nonempirical Oklo operation pattern payoffs perhaps phenomena phenomenon philosophical possible primary marks primordial principle produced prohibitions purely natural quantum question rational realm reason recognition recognize relevant scientific context scientific legitimacy scientists secondary marks sense SETI side information simply sort specific supernatural activity supernatural agent activity supernatural design Suppose Theistic Evolution things tion typically