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

Materialism

Abstract luminous DNA molecule, neon helix on purple background. Medical science, genetic, biotechnology, chemistry, biology.
Abstract luminous DNA molecule, neon helix on purple background. Medical science, genetic, biotechnology, chemistry, biology. Vector poster. Licensed via Adobe Stock.

How Intelligent Design Has Flourished In Spite of the Scopes Effect

The Scopes "Monkey" trial of 1925 has cast a long shadow over the evolution debate in the last century, thanks in large part to the Hollywood film Inherit the Wind, which caricatured the trial and promoted stereotypes that still persist today. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid continues a conversation with Dr. Casey Luskin about the long history of the Scopes effect in science and how intelligent design has managed to flourish in spite of it. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›

A Century Later, the Spirit of Scopes is Alive and Well

The Scopes “Monkey” Trial Turns 100 this year. According to secularist legend, the Scopes trial represented a great showdown between ignorant, fundamentalist religion and enlightened, scientific progress. But what really went down in 1925? And a hundred years later, is science still suffering from the Scopes effect? On this episode of ID The Future, Dr. Casey Luskin begins a conversation with host Andrew McDiarmid about the famous trial, the play and movie based on it that reinforced unrealistic stereotypes, and some of the flashpoints in science since the trial that have fanned the flames of the debate over evolution. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
glowing-jellyfish-swim-deep-in-blue-sea-medusa-neon-jellyfis-473265737-stockpack-adobestock
Glowing jellyfish swim deep in blue sea. Medusa neon jellyfish fantasy in space cosmos among stars
Image Credit: angel_nt - Adobe Stock

Meyer, Behe, and Lennox on Science, God, and Darwin’s Other Doubt

Every Friday we pull a gem out of our archive for those who may not have enjoyed it yet. On today’s ID the Future out of the vault, Oxford’s John Lennox, Lehigh University’s Michael Behe, and Darwin’s Doubt author Stephen Meyer continue a probing conversation with host Peter Robinson on what they see as the growing evidence for intelligent design and the scientific and philosophical problems with Darwinian materialism. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. This interview appears on ID The Future with the kind permission of Peter Robinson and the Hoover Institution. Read More ›
architect-design-working-drawing-sketch-plans-blueprints-and-252637614-stockpack-adobestock
architect design working drawing sketch plans blueprints and making architectural construction model in architect studio
Image Credit: Chaosamran_Studio - Adobe Stock

Artist Jody Sjogren on How Intelligent Agents Bring Ideas to Life

How does an intelligent agent go from idea to artifact? What can the process of art teach us about the evidence of design in the natural world? Today, medical illustrator and artist Jody Sjogren joins host Andrew McDiarmid to discuss the similarities between machines and living organisms and the insights art can give us about the mind of intelligent designers. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Read More ›
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Drawing copyright Jody Sjogren. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Artist Jody Sjogren on Illustrating the Icons of Evolution

Artistic license has been used to promote Darwinian evolution since the late nineteenth century. Icons of evolution have appeared in textbooks, journals, magazines, and other visual media to promote a materialist worldview that is light on evidence and weighty on assumption. But in 2000, a book came along – Icons of Evolution – that finally exposed the myths, exaggerations, and outright fakery behind ten of the most infamous icons of Darwin’s theory. Today, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes the illustrator of that ground-breaking book, medical illustrator and artist Jody Sjogren, to discuss her experience of bringing these famous icons to life and working with author Dr. Jonathan Wells on the project. Jody also shares some of her memories of Dr. Wells, Read More ›

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Nature.
Image Credit: BillionPhotos.com - Adobe Stock

Brian Miller on Advancing Biology Through an Engineering Lens

Can viewing life as designed enhance scientific research? Today, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with physicist Dr. Brian Miller about the fruitful research that can result when engineering principles are applied to the study of biological systems. Dr. Miller is part of a group that brings together engineers, scientists, and scholars to demonstrate how engineering principles, patterns, and tools can deepen the understanding of biology. The group hosts an annual Conference on Engineering in Living Systems, hosted by the Discovery Institute, that highlights new insights and research projects in this bold new approach to the study of life. Here Dr. Miller gives the lowdown on current research as well as this year's conference. Read More ›
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Profile of a young man with mental activity
Image Credit: Ulia Koltyrina - Adobe Stock

Denyse O’Leary: Why Materialism Can’t Explain the Mind

Is the soul a myth? Does your mind really just boil down to brain function? On today's ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with journalist Denyse O'Leary about surprising findings out of neuroscience that shatter materialist assumptions. O'Leary is co-author with Dr. Michael Egnor of The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul. In this conversation, O'Leary reports on recent findings about the origin of consciousness, the challenge that near-death experiences present to materialism, and why the only way to move past materialism is to reject it fully as a model. Read More ›
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Excavator working at the demolition of an old industrial buildin
Image Credit: Monika Gruszewicz - Adobe Stock

Jay Richards on the “Ground Clearing” Work of Jonathan Wells

Before the positive case for intelligent design can be received effectively, the case against the Darwinian evolutionary mechanism must be clearly laid out. One man who was instrumental in this initial "ground clearing operation" was biologist Dr. Jonathan Wells, our friend and colleague who passed away in 2024. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Jay Richards back to the podcast to share his memories of Dr. Wells and discuss the significance of Wells's life and work. Read More ›
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Human embryo on the stage of 16 cells on background with DNA
Image Credit: Dr_Microbe - Adobe Stock

Physicist Brian Miller: The Non-Algorithmic Nature of Life

For decades, we’ve thought the control center of life lies in DNA. But a new scientific framework is emerging that challenges that idea, and suggests that vast portions of the genome are immaterial and lie outside the physical world. Today, physicist Dr. Brian Miller shares his perspective on the cutting-edge, potentially revolutionary research of mathematical biologist Dr. Richard Sternberg on the immaterial aspects of the genome. In this exchange, Dr. Miller shares several examples of the immaterial nature of life. These ideas point towards the earliest stages of the next great scientific revolution and have significant implications for the intelligent design debate. Read More ›
Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889
Vincent van Gogh, (1853-1890) The Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas. Museum of Modern Art, New York City. Licensed via Adobe Stock; GiorgioMorara - stock.adobe.com

Can Evolutionary Processes Explain Human Creativity?

On this ID The Future, we're sharing a conversation that first aired on Mind Matters News, another podcast from the Discovery Institute that focuses on the intersection of artificial and natural intelligence. In this episode, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes engineer Dr. Eric Holloway and professor Robert J. Marks to discuss the information cost of creativity. The conversation is based on a chapter in the recent volume Minding the Brain, authored by Dr. Holloway and Marks. This conversation originally aired on the Mind Matters News podcast. Visit mindmatters.ai/podcast for more. Read More ›