Dembski’s New Allies and Spontaneous Generation

Hello to readers from Jesus’ General and Pharyngula.

From the website of William A Dembski, foremost proponent of Intelligent Design (links in original, emphasis added):

I reported earlier on this blog that I was to be the only gentile speaker at an Orthodox Jewish (Lubavitcher) conference on Torah and science (go here, here, and here).

…I felt very much at home with the Lubavitchers, and I was extremely gratified by their receptivity to ID.

Meanwhile, from the blog Failed Messiah, which critically monitors the Lubavitcher (also known as Chabad) movement (emphasis added):

Coincidentally, RebelJew points out that Chabad’s view of science is, shall we say, heavily warped by extreme apologetics like this, on spontaneous generation:

The literal meaning of Torah’s words must always be upheld…The issue with spontaneously generated worms is very simple. True, experiments do allow for following the process through which a worm [larva] develops from an egg. And, when there are also explanations for the process of how these eggs were laid, that allows for the conclusion that these specific worms were created through a reproductive process. However, when eggs found in rot are identified as belonging to a specific species of worm, and the worms found there also bear signs of belonging to that species, that in no way proves that it is impossible for these worms to have appeared without the eggs, through spontaneous generation.

Dembski concludes that with Lubavitcher help

it will be that much more difficult for critics of ID to characterize it as a purely “Christian thing.” ID is not only going international but it is also going interfaith.

What any of that has to do with ID’s scientific standing is not explained.

6 Responses

  1. I guess this conclusively proves that “Intelligent” Design isn’t a feeble attempt to teach the Bible in science classes as “literal truth.” After all, they’ve got TWO sources of literal truth for their creation hypothesis now – the Bible’s Old Testament and the Torah. Experimental verification! ;)

  2. “What any of that has to do with ID’s scientific standing is not explained.”

    It doesn’t. ID is and always has been a political movement meant to be a front in the culture wars. Like all arrogant people on the right, Dembski exposes his motives up front for all to see. This is about gaining allies which leads to more sources of funding and eventually to them being able to attack the claim that this is an entirely christian conservative movement. As you noted what this has to do with ID’s scientific standing is not made known but then again the Wedge Strategy was never about convincing people about the merits of ID’s scientific value but instead about attacking evolution and it’s supporters.

    MYOB’ .

  3. Dumbski can prove spontaneous generation quite easily. It happens in my bowels (and his head) everyday. I don’t eat shit, but yet, that is what comes out of my ass….

  4. What’s the reference in the Torah to spontaneous generation, anyway?

  5. It’s good for us Jewish intellectuals to be reminded now and then that Christians don’t have a monopoly on this sort of idiocy. And this is coming directly out of what is supposed to be our particular deep intellectual tradition. Bah. I’d rather believe that secular Jewish academics, doctors and lawyers are the real intellectual heirs of those Talmudists.
    Richard: we’ve been doing a number of our satirical poems on “nightquill” on ID & related topics. If you enjoy such things, please have a look:

    http://nightquill.blogspot.com/2005/05/micro-scopes.html http://nightquill.blogspot.com/2005/08/sigh-sigh-science.html http://nightquill.blogspot.com/2005/12/disadvantage-of-tour-de-force.html

    Best wishes, David Smith (A man who is not more people than anyone else you will ever know).

  6. […] by Stephen Hawking (see this blog; alas, illustrated with a pic of the wrong Baldev). As Dembski himself wrote after his meeting with the Lubavitcher ultra-Orthodox Jews, “ID is not only going […]

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