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Intelligent Design: Why Has It Become a Battleground Between Science and Religion? by Nathan Aviezer

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Intelligent Design: Why Has It Become a Battleground Between Science and Religion? by Nathan Aviezer Nature&Science Intelligent Design: Why Has It Become a Battleground Between Science and Religion? By Nathan Aviezer wo of the leading proponents of reasons that are explained in every biol- 1. What logic is there to the intelligent design (ID) are the ogy textbook.1 In fact, Darwin himself December 20, 2005 ruling of the Tmathematician and philosopher asserted in his famous book, The Origin United States Federal Court in Professor William Dembski, at the of Species, that if abrupt changes had Pennsylvania? This ruling banned the Southern Seminary in Louisville, ever occurred in a species “that fact teaching of ID, and decreed that Kentucky, and the biochemist Professor would be fatal to the theory of evolu- Darwin’s theory of evolution is the only Michael Behe, at Lehigh University in tion through natural selection.”2 Since explanation of the animal kingdom that Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Both scien- the proponents of ID can point to may be taught in the science classroom. tists, who are religious Christians (the many examples of abrupt changes in Why? Isn’t a major goal of science edu- relevance of this fact will become clear species, it follows, in accordance with cation to teach the student to keep an presently), point to various features of Darwin’s own words, that the theory of open mind and consider various alterna- animals that, so they claim, are too evolution fails to account for the devel- tive approaches to explain the physical complex to have come about through opment of the animal kingdom. This, and biological data? If so, what impelled gradual evolution (“irreducible complex- in a nutshell, is the argument of ID. the Federal Court to forbid teaching ID ity”). They therefore claim that these In fact, many of Professor Behe’s in the classroom as a possible alternative animals must be the product of an examples of abrupt changes in species to Darwin’s theory? “intelligent designer” who produced have subsequently been challenged by 2. Don’t religious people believe these sudden changes. Sudden changes other scientists. These scientists claim that God created (and therefore in a species are incompatible with that the indicated features can be designed) the world, including the ani- Darwin’s theory of gradual evolution for explained on the basis of gradual change, mal kingdom? Isn’t this precisely the and therefore, these features are not a claim of ID? Therefore, doesn’t it follow Professor Aviezer is a professor of physics at challenge to Darwin’s theory.3 that all Torah-observing Jews automati- Bar-Ilan University and a fellow of the cally accept ID as a tenet of their reli- American Physical Society. He has written QUESTIONS gious belief? books on Torah and science including In the Beginning: Biblical Creation and We begin our discussion of ID by 3. Why is the entire scientific Science (New Jersey, 1990) and Fossils posing the three questions, seemingly community so adamantly opposed to and Faith: Understanding Torah and quite compelling, that proponents of ID ID? Some of the most ardent Science (New Jersey 2002). often ask their opponents. Darwinists have called attention to the 12 JEWISH ACTION Fall 5767/2006 difficulties that have arisen in recent ation of the universe. The universally non. He or she recognizes that the years in trying to accommodate the cur- accepted “standard theory of cosmolo- acceptance of the existence of miracles is rent fossil evidence with the concept of gy,” known as the Big Bang theory, based on religious belief. This belief is gradual evolution.4 Therefore, there asserts that the universe had a begin- not science, and it can never be verified. seems to be at least a reasonable chance ning, which cosmologists commonly This leads to the first question that ID may be the correct answer. Isn’t refer to as the “creation.”5 For example, posed above, namely, why did the it the fundamental task of science to Nobel laureate Paul Dirac writes: “It Federal Court ban the teaching of ID in seek the truth wherever it may be seems certain that there was a definite the classroom? The answer is clear. ID found? Perhaps the strident opposition time of creation.”6 Dirac could make invokes a supernatural cause (“intelli- to ID on the part of non-religious scien- this assertion and still remain a card-car- gent designer”) to explain the animal tists derives from a hidden agenda, and rying atheist. However, the believing kingdom. ID may or may not be true, these scientists are not approaching this Jew will see in Dirac’s scientific state- but that is not the point. The point is question with the appropriate level of ment a striking confirmation of the that ID is not science, but rather, a reli- objectivity. opening verse of the Torah: “In the gious tenet. The Court has no interest Answering these questions will be beginning, God created the heavens and at all in the true origin of the animal the main focus of this article. We will the earth.” This difference of opinion kingdom. But the Court cares very also discuss why ID produces a deep between the believer and Dirac has much about the teaching of religion in uneasiness among many believers in nothing to do with science, but rather it the science classroom, and hence its Torah hashkafah. Indeed, we shall see relates to faith. unequivocal ruling against ID. that there is a striking similarity The second assumption of science between ID and the ideas that underlie is no less important. There is no a priori MIRACLES AND THE TORAH idolatry. Therefore, it should not be sur- reason why there should be regularity to The Torah completely confirms prising to learn that religious scientists nature. Albert Einstein found the exis- the assumption of science that there is can be found in the forefront of the tence of laws of nature to be quite sur- regularity to nature and that the physi- opposition to ID. Finally, a suggestion prising, and wrote in an essay in 1936: cal universe operates according to fixed will be presented regarding how the reli- “The most incomprehensible feature of laws: olam keminhago noheg.9 Indeed, it gious high school science teacher might the universe is that it is comprehensi- is forbidden to depend on an overt mir- affect a synthesis between Torah and sci- ble.”7 Does the regularity of nature acle for supplying one’s needs or for ence regarding the formation of the ani- imply that miracles do not occur? If so, solving one’s problems: ain somchin al mal kingdom. it could pose a serious problem, because hanes.10 Similarly, praying to God for Rambam has emphasized that one who the occurrence of a supernatural event is SCIENCE does not believe in the occurrence of denounced in the Gemara as a tefillat Science is the enterprise that miracles is a heretic.8 How does a reli- shav (useless prayer) and is strictly for- attempts to explain the functioning of gious scientist accommodate science’s bidden.11 the physical and the biological world on assumed regularity of the universe with All of this, however, should not be the basis of the laws of nature, without Rambam’s dictum about the existence of interpreted as implying that God does invoking supernatural causes. Science is miracles? not interact with the physical world. based on two fundamental assumptions. The answer is that science does This is certainly not the case, as 1. The universe (that is, matter and not assume that miracles do not occur. Rambam has emphasized. Otherwise, energy) exists, and science does not have Rather, it assumes that the universe usu- our prayers for Divine help would have to explain what caused it to exist. ally operates through the laws of nature, no meaning. Thus, the key question is 2. There is regularity to the universe so often in fact that one may entirely not whether, but how God influences (the laws of nature), and science does ignore the miraculous in seeking expla- events. not have to explain the origin of this nations for physical phenomena. Thus, The Gemara answers this by say- regularity. The laws of nature are few in my atheist colleague will claim (and that ing that Divine providence is bestowed number—the scientist is not entitled to is all that it is—a claim) that miracles in a manner that is “hidden from the propose a new law of nature whenever never occur, whereas I will claim (based eye” (samooe min ha’ayin).12 In other he encounters difficulty in explaining on my religious beliefs) that miracles do words, the framework in which God some physical phenomenon. occur, at the will of the Almighty, but interacts with the physical world is These seemingly “obvious” their occurrence is so rare that miracles within the laws of nature. God’s inter- assumptions are really quite profound, do not intrude into my scientific vention rarely involves overtly supernat- with very important implications. The research. Thus, the religious scientist ural events. Miracles occur every day, first assumption eliminates, for the sci- never invokes the supernatural as the man’s needs are provided, human prob- entist, all conclusions based on the cre- explanation of any physical phenome- lems are solved—but it is all “hidden Fall 5767/2006 JEWISH ACTION 13 from the eye.” earth itself not fall? The obvious answer human being. It must therefore be a This brings us to the second ques- to the Greeks was that the earth does Divine agency (“intelligent designer” in tion posed above—must the religious not fall because some entity is holding it today’s terminology).
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