What is the story of everything? Is there a scientific and philosophical basis for meaning? Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid continues exploring those questions with physicist and author Dr. Eric Hedin.
In Part 2, the conversation turns to the scientific and philosophical basis for meaning in the universe. Dr. Hedin argues that materialism "fails to describe the world we experience." He explores the problem with reducing life and the universe to their lowest terms. Sure, we boil down to matter in motion at the microscopic level, but we also live a life full of meaning at the macroscopic level. To acknowledge one and not the other, or to say that the one causes an illusion of the other, doesn't match up with what science is telling us, says Hedin. Read More ›
Why are we here? Does life, or the universe, mean anything? And if it does, what? Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid explores those questions and more with physicist and author Dr. Eric Hedin. Using the recent documentary film The Story of Everything as a springboard for discussion, Hedin shows that cumulative scientific evidence is pointing to a purposeful universe, not a cosmic accident. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 next! Read More ›
Meaningful communication is found across all life forms, from the signals sent by trees through fungal networks to the deep conversations we can have with each other. It's one feature that makes life uniquely different from a vast universe of non-living matter. But where does our ability to communicate come from? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid continues his conversation with physicist and author Dr. Eric Hedin about the remarkable features that separate living systems from non-life. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 1 in a separate episode. Read More ›
What if life isn’t just a collection of molecules bumping around? What if every living thing, from a single cell to a human being, is doing something much more surprising—processing information and communicating in complex, purposeful ways? On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin, a physicist and author who’s been asking bold questions about the hidden patterns of life. He’s argued recently that the way living systems handle information—and communicate—is more likely evidence of intelligent design, not blind, undirected processes. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
We usually think of life as the most natural thing there is – blooming plants, flowing water, the cycles of nature. But what if that perspective is fundamentally challenged by the very laws of physics that govern our universe? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes physicist Dr. Eric Hedin to the podcast to discuss the compelling idea that life is the most "unnatural" thing in the universe. Dr. Hedin contends that the complex, organized nature of life defies the natural tendency of matter and energy towards disorder and equilibrium, suggesting that life requires something only an intelligent designer could provide. Read More ›
A confluence of conditions conspired to bring metals to Earth and make them accessible to humans. Can a Darwinian process take the credit? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes a two-part conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin, professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at Ball State University in Indiana. Dr. Hedin describes the conditions within ourselves and the conditions within our environment that were finely tuned to allow for our successful utilization of metals. He also speaks to what our use of metals reveals about the moral character of human nature, and why metals remain vital to us today. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Don't miss Part 1! Read More ›
Humans have successfully utilized metals for millennia, and trace amounts of metals are crucial to our survival. Is that coincidence or something more? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin, professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at Ball State University in Indiana. Dr. Hedin tells the fascinating story of the origin of metals, the finely tuned set of conditions that allow for our use of metals, and the crucial role metals play in our survival. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 next! Read More ›
IDTF 1929 Eric Hedin and McDiarmid ID of Sleep Part 2 Post Image (Eva Gonzales Sleep Painting Public Domain)
Are we to credit an unguided evolutionary process for the gift of sleeping and waking? Or are these intricate systems further evidence of design? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin on the intelligent design of sleep. In Part 2, the pair dig deeper into the purpose of sleep and why it’s so essential to living organisms. They also look at why it’s unlikely that a gradual Darwinian process can be credited for the origin of sleeping and waking, and why intelligent design is a better explanation. This is Part 2 of a two-part discussion. Read More ›
We’re asleep an average of about 26 years of our life! Most people have a sense that sleep is important, but many of us aren't sure exactly why. Why is sleep so crucial to survival? And how did the processes of sleep emerge in living things? Could a gradual Darwinian process be responsible, or are the systems involved another instance of intelligent design? On this episode, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with Dr. Eric Hedin about the origin and intelligent design of sleep. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 next! Read More ›
Are we responsible for our choices? What can the laws of nature teach us about morality? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes back Dr. Eric Hedin, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at Ball State University, to conclude a discussion about his two recent articles on suffering, free will, and morality in a designed world.
Some scientists continue to argue that human free will is an illusion and that we have no more control over our choices than the decision to breathe. But this idea, known as determinism, flies in the face of our human experience. Dr. Hedin explains that far from being slaves to external forces, humans have a great latitude of freedom in the universe. In other words, the ball is in our court.
This is Part 2 of a two-part discussion. Read More ›
