"Inside Outside" F. Clemente

Somewhere between God & Darwin lie the NEO CREOS

The last decade saw the arrival of a new player in the creation/evolution debate,
the intelligent design creationism (IDC) movement or NEO CREOS, whose strategy is to act as "the wedge" between Darwinism, scientific naturalism and creationism.

The case these "NEO CREOS" make against Darwinism does not rest on the authority of Scripture, rather, it proceeds from premises that are scientific and philosophical, invoking esoteric ideas in molecular biology, information theory and the logic of hypothesis testing.

The NEO-CREOS concede that the earth is billions of years old, and that some evolution may have taken palce - once the basic biochemical structures were brought into being.

What they deny is that the standard Darwinian theory, or any other "naturalistic" theory that confines itself to mindless, mechanical causes operating gradually over time, can suffice to explain the whole of life.

Christian intellectuals who accept Darwinism insist that evolution still leaves ample scope for a CREATOR-GOD. This CREATOR-GOD got the universe rolling in just the right way so that beings like us would inevitably appear, by sheer chemistry and physics, without further supernatural meddling.

The NEO CREOS agree and contend that the biological world is rife with evididence of intelligent design -- evidence that points with near certainty to the intervention of an INTELLIGENT DESIGNER or a CREATOR-GOD.

Despite the inqenuity of the NEO-CREOS, part of their argument is pretty clearly a failure. If nature were fashioned by a CREATOR-GOD, it ought to exhibit a certain element of efficiency.

Why then have 99.99% of the species that have existed gone extinct -- including the poor dinosaurs, created only to be wiped out by an errant asteroid?

 

Intelligent Design Creationism:
 Philosophical Theological & Science Perspectives
Anthology Edited by: Robert T. Pennock NYT 4/14/02 Bookreview Abstract (J. Holt)

PS: Dr C: Please be prepared to comment at next poker party...also note: Wittgenstein's Poker is essential reading before the "anti-up" can commence.