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THEOLOGY, SCIENCE & APOLOGETICS
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The DNA Replisome: A Paradigm of Design
The DNA replisome is one of the most remarkable molecular machines, involving a complex of different proteins, each of which is very specifically crafted to fulfill its role in the process of replicating the genome in preparation for cell division.
A Misguided Critique of Irreducible Complexity
Danaher’s critiques of irreducible complexity are poorly informed and based on misunderstandings of intelligent design and what its key defenders argue.
Are Proponents of ID Religiously Motivated, and Does It Matter?
Recently, someone asked me to comment on an article, published in 2017, by John Danaher, a lecturer in the Law School at the University of Galway, Ireland. He is widely published on legal and moral philosophy, as well as philosophy of religion. In his article, Danaher alleges that proponents of intelligent design (ID) are religiously motivated.
In its Design, the Body’s Thermostat Resembles Human Technology
We are all familiar with thermostats — devices we use to regulate temperature, typically in central heating and air conditioning systems, as well as ovens, refrigerators, and water heaters. But did you know that our bodies also contain their own thermostat, which is responsible for maintaining our body temperature at the optimal level?
Carnivory in Plants: A Problem for Evolution
I recently read a paper from 2007 by two plant geneticists, Wolf-Ekkehard Lönnig and Heinz-Albert Becker, from the Max-Planck-Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany. The paper presents a review of carnivorous plants, which, by employing “enormously different and ingenious trap mechanisms,” ensnare and digest insects.
Atheist Philosopher Explains Why Intelligent Design is Not a ‘God-of-the-Gaps’ Argument
Lowder concludes that “Whatever problems may exist within that argument, being a God-of-the-gaps argument clearly isn’t one of them.” I completely agree with Lowder’s assessment. Intelligent design makes the argument that various specific features of life and the universe are rendered vastly more probable than they would otherwise be by the supposition that a conscious mind was involved in their origins.
The Exquisite Design of Egg Cells
The development of an egg cell and its activation in response to encountering a sperm cell exhibit exquisite design, being contingent upon multiple mutually dependent processes, all of which are needed for successful reproduction. When considered in conjunction with the incredible engineering features of the sperm cell and the seminal fluid, it would seem to put the thesis of design almost beyond question.
The Sense of Hearing Is a Masterpiece of Engineering
Several different structural components are necessary for the vertebrate sense of hearing. It strains credulity to suppose that an unguided process of random variation sifted by natural selection could assemble such a delicately arranged system. It instead points to a cause with foresight.
Understanding the Biochemistry — and Intelligent Design — of Muscle Contraction
Muscle contraction — which we so easily take for granted — is an incredibly complex and elegant process, involving incredible engineering and design. To contend that the phenomenon of muscle contraction arose through a blind and undirected process, one tiny Darwinian step after the other, seems to me to strain credulity.