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Proquest Dissertations Copyright © 2009 Franklin Todd Belcher All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation and instruction. THE SCIENTIFIC VIABILITY OF W. A. DEMBSKI'S DESIGN INFERENCE: RESPONSE TO B. FORREST AND R. PENNOCK OF THE KITZMILLER TRIAL A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Franklin Todd Belcher December 2009 UMI Number: 3401804 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT Dissertation Publishing UMI 3401804 Copyright 2010 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 APPROVAL SHEET THE SCIENTIFIC VIABILITY OF W. A. DEMBSKI'S DESIGN INFERENCE: RESPONSE TO B. FORREST AND R. PENNOCK OF THE KITZMILLER TRIAL Franklin Todd Belcher Read and Approved by: dh~£L9 Chad O. Brand Date II In JO 9 To Maria, full of patience and encouragement, beyond measure TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES viii PREFACE ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Explanation of the Problem 2 Background 3 Methodology 6 Chapter Summaries 10 2. DEMBSKI AND THE INTELLIGENT DESIGN (ID) MOVEMENT 17 Brief History of ID Thought and Research 18 William Paley's Watchmaker Analogy 18 Twentieth Century Criticisms of Darwinian Theory 21 Phillip E. Johnson and His Critique of Darwinism 23 Following Johnson's Lead 25 Secularist Support for ID as Real Science 32 Scholarship's Debate on ID's Scientific Viability 35 The Problem in Context of Previous Research: Thomas Woodward 40 The Wedge Strategy 49 The Discovery Institute and the Wedge Document 49 Dembski's Role in the Wedge Agenda 54 Conclusion 55 iv Chapter Page 3. THE DESIGN INFERENCE (DI) 58 The Explanatory Filter 58 How the Filter Discloses Characteristics of Design 58 Differentiation between Necessity, Chance, and Design 60 Probability and Specified Complexity 64 Design as Information 67 Dembski's Confidence in the Design Inference 70 The Logic of the DI 70 The Reliability of the DI 71 The Application of the DI 73 Detecting Information-Rich Systems in Microbiology 78 Chapter Summary 82 4. DEMBSKI, FORREST, PENNOCK AND THE KITZMILLER TRIAL 84 Events Leading to the Suit 85 The Court Setting 87 Judge John E. Jones, III 87 The Plaintiffs and Their Representatives 88 The Defendants and Their Representatives 89 Proceedings of the Trial 90 Expert Witnesses from Science and Philosophy 90 Closing Arguments 102 Judge Jones's Ruling and a Brief Analysis 106 Reaction to the Trial and to the Jones Decision 110 v Chapter Page Criticisms of Dembski from Expert Witnesses 116 Barbara Forrest 116 Robert Pennock 133 Summary of Forrest and Pennock 146 5. DEMBSKI'S RESPONSES TO FORREST AND PENNOCK 148 ID, Evolution, and Religious Bias 149 ID and Creationism 151 Methodological Materialism 154 ID and Scientific Advancement 157 Lack of Positive Evidence and Testability 160 ID as Negative Rhetoric 160 Testability 161 Effect to Cause Reasoning 165 ID's Theological Favoritism 167 CSI and Improbability 168 Explanatory Modes and Physical Logic 170 Law of Conservation of Information 172 Cumulative Selection Explaining Appearance of Design 175 Dembski's Progression to Evolutionary Informatics 177 Dembski's Response to Fitelson, Stephens, and Sober 181 Chapter Summary 187 6. CONCLUDING ANALYSIS 190 "The" Scientific Method 190 Scientific Materialism (Naturalism) 191 Intelligent Design and Scientific Method 193 vi Page Inference to the Best Explanation 199 Dembski's Legitimate Method 201 The DI vs. Forrest and Pennock 202 Conclusion 206 BIBLIOGRAPHY 210 vn LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. The Original Version of the Explanatory Filter 61 2. The Modified Version of the Explanatory Filter 62 viii PREFACE This research has been exciting, rewarding, and, at times, exhausting. I am very thankful for those who came alongside and helped me carry the load. Most of the time, they carried more than their fair share. My wife, Maria, just like our first years of life together, has been an unbelievable rock of encouragement throughout my higher education. As you read this for the first time, Maria, we made it! I realize that you always believed that we would make it, although I sometimes had my doubts. And now we can look forward to entering another exciting chapter of life, hand in hand. My parents, Levy and Clodean Belcher, have also gone the extra mile in their love and support. They've supported me unconditionally, despite often having trouble understanding the exact nature of my work and its significance. I thank God for such godly parents who have toiled all their lives to make the best life possible for my two brothers and myself. Much love and appreciation goes to my church family, Calvary Baptist Church, in Glasgow, Kentucky. They have greatly supported my many years of theological education. I only hope that I am now better able to give something back to them; that I can help in equipping the saints for God's glory. I will forever be indebted to the superlative faculty at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary—as both M.Div. and doctoral student. I will take with me lasting memories from Dr. James Parker. Not only does he instruct with a wealth of philosophical and theological insight, but Dr. Parker's down home Texas humor has also carried me through many long days with a smile. In addition to Dr. Parker, Dr. Chad Brand is another member of my research committee from whom I have learned much and ix can never begin to repay. Most of all, I sincerely thank my committee chairperson, Dr. Ted Cabal. None of this would be possible without his superb academic knowledge, leadership, and encouragement. Dr. Cabal has always challenged me with the perfect balance of tenacity and warmth. There is little doubt that I will return to him many times for his wisdom throughout my academic career. Special acknowledgment must also be made for other kind, gifted scholars who have guided and advised me during my research. They include Thomas Woodward, Steven Fuller, Bradley Monton, Casey Luskin, and, of course, the primary subject of this dissertation, William Dembski. I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Dembski during his brief time at Southern. It was during his seminar that I began to fathom the true significance of Intelligent Design, how fascinating it is, and the magnitude of Dr. Dembski's work in particular. This dissertation has required long hours of work and thought, and I have often become lost in the minutia of the content. However, it is fitting that in the final days of this research I am starting to remember what is truly important; all of this work is wasted if it of no use to the Church. I pray that what is presented in the pages ahead will aid many Christians in confronting "every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:5). May it somehow contribute to the advancement of his kingdom and to the glorification of his Name. Franklin Todd Belcher Glasgow, Kentucky December 2009 x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION On December 20, 2005, Pennsylvania U.S. District Court Judge John Jones concluded that Intelligent Design (ID) was a cloaked form of creationist religion. The judge chastised the Dover, Pennsylvania, school board for their "breathtaking inanity" in adopting such an imprudent policy promoting ID, motivated by in "ill-informed" faction within the board.1 Therefore, according to his verdict for Kitzmiller v. Dover School District, the school board had violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The board was ordered to cease the reading of a brief written statement to ninth grade biology students. The statement had informed students of ID research as an alternative to the status quo Darwinian model of origins advocated in public schools. Also within the statement, students were informed that the pro-ID textbook, Of Pandas and People, was on file in the high school library. This book had been available to any student who might pursue supplemental investigation of theories that challenge Darwinian natural selection. Such information is now legally prohibited in Dover schools. A serious issue within academia's debate about origins is whether research that infers Intelligent Design should be considered as scientifically justifiable. Jones's verdict has contributed to growing skepticism of ID within scientific and public discourses; the trial's legal and scientific ramifications, along with its influence on what should be considered as "true science," cannot be overestimated. Nevertheless, another substantial 'judge Jones, "Memorandum Opinion," Kitzmiller et al v. Dover Area School District et al, 137-38 No. 04cv2688 (M. D. Pa. 2005). 2Percival Davis and Dean H. Kenyon, Of Pandas and People: The Central Questions of Biological Origins, 2nd ed., ed. Charles B. Thaxton (Dallas: Haughton, 1993). 1 2 question is whether the Kitzmiller conclusion about the illegitimacy of Intelligent Design is based on an accurate weighing of ID's actual research. If not, then is the ruling grounded in any amount of unwarranted caricature? More specifically, the present research works toward a determination of whether two of the trial's most influential witnesses, Barbara Forrest and Robert T.
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