ID: Creationism’s Trojan Horse?
The journal of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, Philosophia Christi, has posted a preprint of a review by Jonathan Witt of a book by Barbara Forrest, Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design. This is especially fitting since Barbara Forrest is among those who testified for the plaintiffs in the ongoing Dover intelligence design trial. I must confess I have not read the book, but based on the review, Forrest continues the same argument we hear over and over again…that intelligent design is nothing more than an devious attempt to teach creationism in the public schools, “replace the scientific method with belief in God”, and unify church and state.
The reason they know this is the motive of ID is because the leaders are Christians, and they are motivated by religion. Witt does an excellent job exposing the fallacious reasoning of Forrest. A scientist may have many motives for his work, but, really…who cares? Evaluate the evidence and the arguments, not the motive. Forrest serves on the board of an atheistic organization, so I guess we need pay no attention to her arguments, since her having an opinion disqualifies any statements she makes as mere propaganda.
Witt also addresses the complaint of a supposed lack of genuine ID scholarship and research published in peer-reviewed publications, by illustrating its baselessness. He presents examples of the above. Finally, he describes the arguments of Forrest as a question-begging appeal to methodological naturalism and an appeal to concensus. He describes the tone of the book as “paranoia”.
What I find interesting is that this summary encapsulates almost anything I read in oppostion to ID. Darwinists refuse to address the evidence. They attack the proponents and their motives. They appeal to concensus. Eventually, they will have to confront the science and the failures of scientific naturalism.