ID the Future Intelligent Design, Evolution, and Science Podcast
Topic

abiogenesis

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Molecule of mRNA, 3D illustration
Image Credit: Dr_Microbe - Adobe Stock

Did God Use Evolution to Produce Life? Why Theistic Evolution Fails

Some people attempt to reconcile belief in God with the standard evolutionary account of life's origins by combining the two. Theistic evolution is the view that God used evolutionary mechanisms to create life. But does this view stand up to scrutiny? Today, Dr. Casey Luskin critiques this perspective in the first half of a conversation that originally aired on the Truthful Hope podcast. The conversation kicks off with some clarity over terms, including what is meant by “evolution.” The theistic evolution perspective, also sometimes called evolutionary creation, accepts the standard scientific evolutionary account—the same view held by atheists—and simply adds the theological claim, "but this is how God did it". Critically, these proponents reject the idea that design can be empirically or scientifically detected in nature. As Luskin highlights, the central scientific problem with theistic evolution is that it inherits all the numerous scientific problems associated with the standard evolutionary account. This first half of the conversation rounds out with examples of those problems, specifically from the issue of the origin of life. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
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Photo of Walter Bradley. Courtesy Discovery Institute.

Robert Marks Remembers ID and Tech Pioneer Walter Bradley

In 1984, three scientists dared to probe the mystery of life's origin by putting the prevailing theories of prebiotic and chemical evolution to the test. One of those men was engineer Walter Bradley. Today, Dr. Robert J. Marks joins host Andrew McDiarmid to share some of his personal anecdotes and professional insights about Dr. Bradley, a scientist, humanitarian, and trailblazer in the world of intelligent design who passed away this summer at the age of 81. A Distinguished Fellow of the Discovery Institute, Bradley taught mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University, Baylor University, and the Colorado School of Mines. His book, co-authored with chemist Charles Thaxton and geochemist Roger Olsen, deeply influenced prominent figures in the intelligent design research community like Stephen Meyer, Douglas Axe, and Jay Richards and helped to catalyze a new generation of inquiry into life’s beginnings. The Mystery of Life's Origin was re-released in 2020 as a new, expanded second edition. Read More ›
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AGCT
Image Credit: Mopic - Adobe Stock

From Dead Ends to Design: Meyer & Tour on Life’s Information Code

On today's episode, enjoy the second half of a discussion between philosopher of science Dr. Steven Meyer and synthetic organic chemist Dr. James Tour about the origin of life and the explanatory power of intelligent design. The conversation, hosted by Peter Robinson, transitions from the "dead end" of current origin of life research to the crucial concept of information. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 1 in a separate episode. We’re grateful to the producers of Uncommon Knowledge for permission to share this conversation here. Uncommon Knowledge is a production of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Read More ›
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Image of dna strand spinning and data with connections on green background
Image Credit: vectorfusionart - Adobe Stock

The Unsolved Mystery of Life’s Origin: Stephen Meyer & James Tour

How did life originate? Does Darwin’s theory of evolution have an answer for the origin of life? On this ID The Future, enjoy the first half of an insightful conversation between philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer and synthetic organic chemist Dr. James Tour as they unravel important issues around the origin of life. Dr. Tour is a professor at Rice University, renowned for his work in nanotechnology and his skepticism toward the current scientific models explaining the origin of life. Dr. Meyer is author of Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. The pair are interviewed by Peter Robinson, host of Uncommon Knowledge. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Read More ›
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Walter Bradley on The Mystery of Life’s Origin

We are grieving the recent loss of Walter Bradley, a longtime Fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute and namesake of the Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. So today, out of our archive, we bring you the first half of Robert J. Marks's 2020 interview with Walter Bradley, co-author of the seminal 1984 intelligent design book The Mystery of Life’s Origin. The book is now available in a revised and expanded edition with updates from multiple contributors discussing the progress (or lack of it) in origins science in the 35 years since the book’s original publication. In this first of two podcasts, Bradley discusses the history of the attempts to explain life’s origin naturalistically, and how the three authors of the 1984 book came together to shake up the world of origin-of-life science. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
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Stephen Meyer & Ben Shapiro Discuss the Origin of Information

On this episode of ID The Future, we’re bringing you the concluding half of a 2019 interview between Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro and philosopher of science Dr. Stephen C. Meyer. The conversation is now five years old, so it's a good time to dust it off and share it with those who may have missed it or forgotten about it. In Part 2, Shapiro and Meyer discuss the origin of life and the origin of information. They also touch on the evidence for fine-tuning in the universe and the problems with the multiverse. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Read More ›
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Galaxy cluster. Elements of this image furnished by NASA
Image Credit: Supernova - Adobe Stock

Stephen Meyer on the Explanatory Power of Intelligent Design

On this episode of ID The Future, we’re sharing the second half of an interview between philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer and author and radio/podcast host Justin Brierley. The interview delves into the main arguments of Dr. Meyer’s most recent book Return of the God Hypothesis, but it also serves as an update on the status of intelligent design and the growing interest in design arguments in both academia and the public square. In part 2, Meyer refutes the multiverse hypothesis and explains why naturalistic theories of the origin of life fall short. We are grateful to Justin Brierley for permission to share this interview on ID The Future. Catch more of Brierley's interviews at justinbrierley.com. Read More ›
Incredibly blue pool Blahver at Hveravellir is actually a hot geothermal spring in the heart of Iceland. Photo taken around midnight sunset
Image licensed from Adobe Stock

Top Ten Cheats in “Monumental” Origin of Life Research

A Washington Post headline recently declared that a "monumental experiment suggests how life on earth may have started." The reality, however, is far more sobering. In this episode of ID the Future, host Eric Anderson sits down with accomplished medical engineer and origin of life author, Robert Stadler, to discuss what this new research actually shows and the relevance to abiogenesis. More episodes and show notes at idthefuture.com. Read More ›
Ceuta, Spain Autonomous Spanish city in north Africa. Statue of Hercules known as the Pillars of Hercules. Greek mythology. Spain.
Image licensed from Adobe Stock

Evolution’s Demigods: Reviewing the Tour/Cronin Debate

Do biologists give too much credit to natural selection and self-organization? What are the limits of a materialist approach to science? On this ID The Future, we bring you the second half of a panel discussion reviewing the recent debate between Rice University chemistry professor Dr. James Tour and University of Glasgow professor of chemistry Dr. Lee Cronin. In November 2023, Dr. Tour and Dr. Cronin participated in a roundtable debate on origin-of-life studies at Harvard University with a live audience of Harvard faculty and guests. Even if you haven’t seen the debate yet, you’ll get valuable insight into the state of origin-of-life research from this panel discussion, featuring three of our own: scientist and attorney Casey Luskin, physicist Brian Read More ›

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Debate Review: Jim Tour vs Lee Cronin at Harvard

Are we close to cracking the origin of life problem or not? In 2021, chemist Dr. Lee Cronin declared publicly that "Origin of life research is a scam." Yet, scientists regularly claim to be close to creating simple and complex life from non-life in their labs, and the public is buying it. On this ID The Future, we bring you the first half of a panel discussion reviewing the recent debate on the origin of life between Rice University chemistry professor Dr. James Tour and University of Glasgow professor of chemistry Dr. Lee Cronin. This is Part 1 of 2. Read More ›