Philosophy of Intelligent Design

Teacher: Sharon Lemburg

Blue markup by Ken Hurst

Tentative: Subject matter that will be covered

1. What is Philosophy? @ 3 days

· How does philosophy influence individual lives?

· Is Evolution a science or a philosophy?

· Is Intelligent Design a science or a philosophy?

This section ought to cover:

The philosophy of science, including work from philosophers such as David Hume, Thomas Kuhn, Karl Popper, and Immanual Kant

Methods of knowing

The Scientific Method

The key elements of a scientific theory - it makes testable predictions, it is falsifiable, it provides insight that enables greater understanding and asking the next layer of questions

2. What is Intelligent Design? @ 5 days

· Why is it a movement?

· Why is it gaining momentum?

· Why is it so threatening to society?

Video: Unlocking the Mysteries of Life

· Is it based on science?

· Is it based on what we know?

· What evidence does it bring and is the evidence measureable data?

3. What is Darwinism/ Evolution? @5 days

· The History behind Darwinism/ Evolution.

· The Historical Roots/ the Greeks.

Creation advocates often attempt to use the Greek philosophical roots of evolution (thoughts on the creation of man) to discredit Darwinian thinking as unoriginal and pagan. Other thoughts typify Darwin as a selfish and jealous person looking to discredit others (such as his grandfather) for his own gain. The scientific ideas behind Darwinism are credited to individuals with no clear understanding of scientific process or science; hence those ideas are unsupportable as stolen by Darwin.

http://www.gennet.org/facts/metro22.html

http://www.darwins-theory-of-evolution.com/

· Is Evolution based on a religion?

Creation advocates argue (http://www.pathlights.com/ce_encyclopedia/21soc04.htm) that scientists accept the evidence for evolution on faith, which makes evolution a religion and not scientific thought. In fact, evolution is one of the most tested theories in existance.

· Is Evolution based on philosophy?

Creation advocates attempt to discredit evolution based, again, on a claim of lack of ‘real scientific evidence’. The idea is that the claimed lack of real science makes evolutionary science a philosophy blindly accepted by the masses of scientists. Most of the arguments against evolution as a science bring up the tired old arguments as if they were new.

http://www.arn.org/docs/johnson/pjdogma1.htm

 

4. Laws of Thermodynamics @ 2 days

· Conservation of Energy

· Law of Entrophy

Advocates of Creationism often mis-state the second law of thermodynamics and then argue that evolution contradicts it. See http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/thermo/creationism.html for an overview, and http://www.2ndlaw.com and especially http://www.2ndlaw.com/evolution for a more detailed discussion.

5. Fossil Records and Dating Methods @ 2 days

· Testable Predictions/ experiments

· What is known about the fossil records

· How the dating methods work

The video list below suggests that this material is being taught from the young-earth creationist perspective. The RATE project recently released its "final report" entitled "Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth: Results of a Young-Earth Creationist Research Initiative". A description of the project prior to the final report is available at http://www.icr.org/pdf/research/RATE_ICC_Vardiman.pdf. The last paragraph of the introduction reads:

"It is hypothesized by the RATE group that at some time in the past much higher rates of radioisotope decay have occurred, leading to the production of large quantities of daughter products in a short period of time. It has been suggested that these increased decay rates may have been associated with the rock-forming processes on the early earth, and possibly one of the results of God’s judgment upon man following Creation. The RATE group suspects that large amounts of radioactive decay may have occurred during the first two and a half days of Creation as part of the supernatural Creation process. The jury is still out and, until we complete our research phase, this thesis remains tentative. The presence of supernatural “process” during Creation is essential to our approach, however. Scripture talks of at least two major events which occurred after Creation, the Judgment in the Garden of Eden and the Flood. It would seem appropriate to consider at least that an original distribution of elements could have been mixed, and radioactive processes speeded up during one or both of these events. "

There is nothing in this syllabus or in my conversations with the teacher that suggests that she understands or is planning to present how radiometric dating is really done though I have asked about it.

*** Much of the teaching will be done by way of videos and discussion. A list of video will be presented.

***Several scholors/ scientists in the field will be invited to come and present on selected topics.

*** Students will prepare a position paper supporting their beliefs on the subject of evolution or intelligent design.

Philosophy of Intelligent Design

 

 

 

 

On 12/15 Dan Penner informed me that all the speakers except myself had accepted the invitation to address the class.

Speakers:

· Ken Hurst – Ph.D. in geology; works at JPL in jet propulsion; an evolutionist.

-I had not and have not agreed to speak at this class

· Ross Anderson – Ph.D. In biochemistry; professor at The Master's College in Santa Clarita.

Masters College is a Christian fundamentalist college in Santa Clarita whos "doctrinal statement" at http://www.masters.edu/DeptPageNew.asp?PageID=61 reads in part:

"We teach that the literal, grammatical-historical interpretation of Scripture which affirms the belief that the opening chapters of Genesis present creation in six literal days (Genesis 1:31; Exodus 31:17)."

· Joe Francis – Ph.D. In Microbiology

-Ross Anderson said on 12/20 that he had suggested this person. Joe Francis is (was?) at Masters College.

· David Kopich – Creation Scientists

- Sharon Lemburg said on 12/20, that this is the brother of the wife of the EV free pastor in Frazier Park. She does not know about Creation Safari or if this person has anything to do with Creation Safari. David Coppedge runs Creation Safari and was last known to be in Newhall.

· Francis Krich – Evolutionist

-Sharon Lemburg said on 12/20 that she had gotten this name from Ross Anderson. Ross Anderson said on 12/20 that he had probably mentioned to S Lemberg that perhaps she could get a video of Francis Crick. Francis Crick is the co-discoverer of the double helix structure of DNA, for which he won a nobel prize (with James Watson). He was living in San Diego until he died in June 2004 at the age of 88.

 

Videos: (incomplete list)

· Creation/Evolution -????

· Dating fossils and rocks -creation -creationresearch.org, Mike Riddle

· The origen of life -creation -christian answers

· The Fossil Records -creation -christian answers

· Astronomy and the Bible -creation -nwcreation.net, Mike Riddle

· Lucy: She's no Lady! -creation -nwcreation.net

· From a Frog to a Prince -creation -nwcreation.net

· Chemicals to Living Cells: Fastasy or Science? -creation -answersingenesis.org

· Unlocking the Mystery of Life -creation -christiananswers.net

· Mt. Saint Helens: Explosive Evidence for Catastrophe -creation -christiananswers.net

· The Fire Below Us: Remembering Mount St. Helens -CWU - it looks like a good documentary. its juxtaposition with the Catastrophe material suggests that it is intended to support Catastrophism

· Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe -creation -answersingenesis.org

· The Grand Canyon Castastrophe -creation -christiananswers.net

· Thousands...Not Billions -creation -icr

· Life's Story -creation -christianrality.com

· The Privileged Planet -creation -ID

- rebuttle at http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/784_review_of_emthe_privileged_p_6_7_2005.asp

· Rocks of Ages or Rock of Creation? -creation -nwcreation.net, Vardiman

· Radioisotopes and the age of the earth -creation -young earth Creationist (CRI), Vardiman

· Experiments in Stratification -creation -answersingenesis.org

· Icons of Evolution -creation -ID Wells

· War of the Worldviews -???? not unique

· In the Beginning -???? not unique

· Evidences: the Record and the Flood -creation -christianreality.com

· Geologic Evidences -????

Score: 19 creation, 4 unknown, 1 documentary to support catastrophism, 0 evolution

I still need to view the videos and decide which videos will be used and with what topics of discussion. This may not be completed until the time the class starts. This class is a work in progress.

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