ID the Future Intelligent Design, Evolution, and Science Podcast
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Thomas Henry Huxley

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Samuel Wilberforce Critiques the ‘Unbounded Assumptions’ of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

In June 1860, just seven months after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, three men hotly debated the merits of Darwin's argument at a meeting of the British Association. Biologist Thomas Henry Huxley and botanist Joseph Hooker defended Darwin's theory. English bishop, speaker, and writer Samuel Wilberforce critiqued it. And though he was a man of the cloth, Wilberforce did not build a theological case against Darwin. Rather, he evaluated the argument for natural selection on scientific grounds, exposing its "loose statements and unfounded speculations" by weighing it "in the simple scales of logical examination." On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid treats you to excerpts from Wilberforce's powerful critique, published as a review a month after the debate in Quarterly Review. Read More ›
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Charles Darwin vs. Richard Owen on Race

On this episode of ID the Future, Mike Keas interviews science historian and bioethicist Michael Flannery about his recent article on Charles Darwin and archrival Richard Owen. Owen was an evolutionist, too, but of a different stripe. Unlike Darwin, he believed that evolution was guided by teleology or purpose, and he saw humans as different from animals not only in degree but in kind. This led him to reject Darwin’s conclusion of a “hierarchy of races,” as well as Darwin’s expectation that the supposedly “less fit” races of humankind ultimately would be exterminated by the so-called “superior” white race. Most Darwinists today aren’t racist, but Darwinism did grease the skids into a dubious scientific racism that became widespread, encouraging racist Read More ›

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An empty stage of the theater, lit by spotlights and smoke before the performance

Nancy Pearcey on the Politics of Darwinism, Then and Now

Some suggest that we keep Darwinian evolution and just trust that God is at work behind the scenes. Pearcey says the effect, then and now, is to render our understanding of God as something that is largely private and subjective. Read More ›
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background of old retro photos from a family album

Nancy Pearcey Explains the Surprising Early History of Darwinism

On this episode of ID the Future, Nancy Pearcey, author of numerous books, including Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, challenges the common belief that Darwin's leading early supporters were convinced of the main pillars of his theory. Read More ›
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Pearcey on Darwin and Huxley: Philosophy, Not Evidence, Drove Them to Their Conclusions

On this episode of ID the Future, Nancy Pearcey returns to explain what historians know, but few of the rest of us do: If anything, Charles Darwin’s science grew out of his naturalistic philosophy, not the other way around. One historian said Darwin’s naturalism came first, and “only later did he find a theory to validate his convictions.” His “bulldog”, T.H. Huxley, liked Darwinism more for its philosophy than its science. And even Darwin admitted the evidence wasn’t all it could or should be. Please consider donating to support the IDTF Podcast.

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Nature’s Prophet, Pt. 1: How Alfred Russel Wallace Embraced Intelligent Design

On this episode of ID the Future, historian Michael Flannery discusses his just-released book Nature’s Prophet: Alfred Russel Wallace and His Evolution from Natural Selection to Natural Theology. It’s the intellectual history of Wallace, who is credited with independently propounding the the theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin insisted on a purely materialistic version of the theory, but as Wallace studied the evidence, he grew convinced that intelligent design also played a role in the history of life, particularly in the origin of humans. Though not a religious person, he broke with the rising scientism of his day to argue that there must be some “overruling intelligence” behind nature.

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