The Debate: Darwin Vs. Design

What I have decided to post here is not a debate that took place recently, but it is certainly not a debate that is disappearing any time soon. It is a (8 part youtube) debate that will continue long into the future. It is the debate of Darwinism against those who oppose it. I have long been interested in this debate. The debate I am posting here includes many of the heavyweights that have been debating this issue in the recent past. What makes this debate especially interesing is that each rotating speaker is interrogated by a member of the opposing debating team.

Allow me to introduce some of the participants in the debate and start with those on the non-Darwinist side of the question. The late William F. Buckley, founder of National Review, takes part and he needs no introduction. There is also Phillip Johnson who is a former professor of law at UC Berkeley and author of "Darwin On Trial." I personally have read this book. He is credited in some ways with sparking the current intelligent design movement. Another anti-Darwinist in the debate is the mathemitician Dr. David Berlinski. He has authored several books on mathematics as well the recent "The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions." Finally, on the side against Darwin's theory is Lehigh University Professor of Biochemistry Michael Behe. Michael Behe originated the term "irreducible complexity" to describe biochemical organisms as a refutation of Darwinism and is a major player in the intelligent design movement. He is the author of "Darwin's Black Box". He was a witness for the defense in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, a case which the judge ruled in favor of only Darwinism being taught in public schools and no questions or alternatives being proposed.

Now to the heavy hitters on the evolutionist side. Barry Lynn is a liberal Christian who is the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Eugenie C. Scott is also a major player in fighting to make sure that no forms of intelligent design or anything like it enter the public school science classroom. She is a leading figure battling those who oppose evolution and has authored "Evolution Vs. Creationism." She is the executive director of the National Center for Science Education, a group dedicated to mantaining the status quo in science classrooms. Dr. Michael Ruse is another Darwinist in the debate. He is a philosopher of science that taught at the University of Guelph Canada for 35 years and who since his retirement from Guelph has taught at Florida State University. I personally heard him speak at my undergraduate college where he called the arguments for design "stupid" and dismissed them out of hand. Finally, Kenneth Miller is a biolgoy professor from Brown University that has devoted much time to refuting the arguments from intelligent design. He is the author of "Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution". Miller was the plaintiff's lead expert witness in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, specifically because he has dedicated so much time to fighting the intelligent design proponents.

Anyone that has followed this ongoing debate over Darwinism will realize these videos include some of the largest and most influential proponets of each side involved in this national debate. This debate took place in 1997, but virtually none of the arguments have changed. I will allow you to decide which side wins the debate, and feel free to comment on who you think won. Because this is an issue that continues to influence our educational system, science, and philosophy, and will surely not cease to be debated, I felt I should post this debate. I also believe that this is a discussion for which I am not the only one interested. If you found this type of post interesting please let me know in the comments section, and let me know whether you would like me to post similiar videos in the future.










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