Is the universe meaningful or meaningless? Purposeful or pointless? On this ID The Future, enjoy the second half of an interview with Dr. Jonathan Witt about the evidence of purpose and meaning built into the universe. In the second half of a conversation, Dr. Witt describes four characteristics common in works of human genius and shows that these same hallmarks are also found in the natural world. Don't miss the first half of the interview, available in a previous episode. Source...
Jan 10, 2024•36 min•Ep. 1848
Nearly 30 years ago, physicist Steven Weinberg wrote that “[t]he more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.” But is our universe really just a meaningless accident? Or can we detect true genius by studying its workings? On this ID The Future, we are pleased to share the first half of an interview with Dr. Jonathan Witt about the central questions of his 2006 book A Meaningful World, co-written with Benjamin Wiker. Witt explains that the more we learn about the univ...
Jan 08, 2024•31 min•Ep. 1847
On today’s ID the Future from the archive, meet Taking Leave of Darwin author Neil Thomas, not at all the sort of person one might expect to find waging a campaign against modern evolutionary theory. An erudite and settled Darwinist living comfortably in a thoroughly secular English academic culture, Thomas nevertheless came to reject Darwinian materialism and, as he insists, did so on purely rationalist grounds. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 next Friday. Source...
Jan 05, 2024•36 min•Ep. 1846
Prevailing scientific assumptions often die hard, especially when they fit so neatly into an evolutionary view of the development of life on earth. On this episode of ID The Future, Dr. Casey Luskin gives host Andrew McDiarmid an update on the paradigm shift around the concept of "junk DNA." Year after year for over a decade, new evidence has emerged revealing important functions for non-protein coding DNA, vindicating intelligent design scientists who have long predicted such function. Luskin s...
Jan 03, 2024•29 min•Ep. 1845
Can we scientifically detect the activity of a mind behind the universe? On this ID The Future, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer answers this question and more in the concluding hour of a new two-hour interview on various topics related to his work and books. Dr. Meyer discusses the problems with scientific materialism, the problems with quantum cosmological models, a good theology of nature, and more. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Source...
Dec 29, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 1844
Are there strong scientific arguments for theism? Is there such a thing as objective morality? How is a worldview built? On this ID The Future, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer answers these questions and more in the first hour of a new two-hour interview on various topics related to his work and books. Dr. Meyer answers questions related to worldview, consciousness, arguments for theism, objective morality, materialism, the nature of information, and more. This is Part 1 of a two-part i...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 1843
Cerumen, tympanic membranes, and ossicles, oh my! On this ID The Future, lend us your ears as host Andrew McDiarmid invites Dr. Jonathan McLatchie to give us a tour of our magnificent sense of hearing. Dr. McLatchie reviews the anatomy of the human ear with all its interconnected parts, from the oracle (ear lobe) to the curly cochlea in the inner ear. Along the way, he explains why intelligent design is a more reasonable explanation for our sense of hearing than a blind Darwinian evolutionary pr...
Dec 22, 2023•23 min•Ep. 1842
Does the vertebrate eye make more sense as the product of engineering or unguided evolutionary processes? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his two-part conversation with physicist Brian Miller about the intelligent design of the vertebrate eye. Did you know your brain gives you a glimpse of the future before you get to it? And what about the claim that human eyes are badly designed? Dr. Miller discusses all this and more. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Visit idthef...
Dec 20, 2023•20 min•Ep. 1841
The gift of our vision is easy to take for granted. Yet, the more we dig into this amazingly intricate system, the more grateful we might get. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with physicist Brian Miller about the intelligent design of the vertebrate eye. Dr. Miller reviews the evolutionary scenario for the origins of human vision, explaining where it collapses for lack of empirical evidence. Then he explains why it's helpful to approach biological syst...
Dec 18, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1840
On this ID the Future from the archive, host Stephen Meyer concludes his three-part conversation with Oxford mathematician and philosopher John Lennox on Lennox’s new film Against the Tide: Finding God in an Age of Science. Science depends on word, on logos, says Dr. Lennox, meaning the rational intelligibility of the universe. Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, wished to disprove the need for God, but the language of DNA has turned out to be a signpost to an intelligence, Lennox contends: a l...
Dec 15, 2023•24 min•Ep. 1839
On this episode of ID The Future, host Eric Anderson concludes his Why It Matters interview with microbiologist Dr. Scott Minnich. In Part 2, Dr. Minnich critiques Lenski's famous Long Term Evolutionary Experiments. Through experiments of his own, Minnich has shown how the practical results of Lenski's project on E. coli are easily repeatable under different conditions, and how some key changes to E. coli are even reversible, both of which speak more to an organism's pre-existing capabilities th...
Dec 13, 2023•21 min•Ep. 1838
On this episode of ID The Future, host Eric Anderson continues his occasional interview series Why It Matters, this time with microbiologist Dr. Scott Minnich. In Part 1, Minnich shares how he first learned about intelligent design, met Dr. Stephen Meyer, and eventually became involved in the well-known documentary, Unlocking the Mystery of Life. Minnich also reflects on his childhood upbringing, his interest in the big questions, and how a run-in with a professor changed everything. This is Par...
Dec 11, 2023•30 min•Ep. 1837
On this ID the Future from the archive, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer continues his conversation with Oxford mathematician and philosopher Dr. John Lennox about his recent documentary film Against the Tide: Finding God in an Age of Science. In Part 2, Lennox talks about discovering the damage atheism does to people, by seeing it firsthand in communist Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and seeing what it does to rationality itself. This is Part 2 of a three-part conversation....
Dec 08, 2023•21 min•Ep. 1836
Are there natural limits to biological change? Is the evidence for design in nature well-founded? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with historian of science Michael Keas about Christianity's influence on the development of modern scientific inquiry. Keas also discusses the legacy of pioneering philosopher of science William Whewell, contrasting Whewell's perspective of the evidence for design with his contemporary Charles Darwin. This is Part 2 of a two-par...
Dec 06, 2023•22 min•Ep. 1835
Is there room in science for both natural and super-natural explanations? Or does science only advance by excluding arguments that go outside purely naturalistic causes? On this episode of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins a two-part conversation with historian of science Michael Keas on how Christianity cultivated science both with and without methodological naturalism. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Source
Dec 04, 2023•25 min•Ep. 1834
Can one person push back against the strong currents of atheism, materialism, and naturalism so evident in academia and the public square today? On this ID the Future from the vault, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer begins a three-part conversation with Oxford University mathematician and philosopher Dr. John Lennox about his recent documentary film Against the Tide: Finding God in an Age of Science. Lennox shows that one person can indeed push back when armed with knowledge, wisdom, and...
Dec 01, 2023•23 min•Ep. 1833
What does it take to stay alive? On this ID the Future, host Eric Anderson concludes his conversation with physician Howard Glicksman about the remarkable systems in the human body that help control water and sodium to keep us alive. In Part 2, Dr. Glicksman discusses two more innovations that add a "push-pull" effect to the systems discussed in Part 1. First, a sensor in the heart kicks into action when water or sodium levels get too high. Second, an anti-diuretic system in the hypothalamus tha...
Nov 29, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1832
On their own, the laws of nature don't tend toward life. To stay alive, living things utilize ingenious solutions. On this ID the Future, host Eric Anderson talks with physician Howard Glicksman about another way that the human body counteracts the natural tendency of the laws of nature to destroy life. Glicksman explains how the body controls water volume and sodium--two aspects that are absolutely critical to keeping us alive. It isn't just a single system. It's an interconnected and interdepe...
Nov 27, 2023•24 min•Ep. 1831
Progress is an appealing idea, but what happens when we do not all desire the same things? On this ID The Future, we mark the 60th anniversary of the death of British writer C. S. Lewis as host Andrew McDiarmid concludes a conversation with Dr. John West about Lewis's prophetic warnings to us about science and scientism. Dr. West explains how scientism harms real scientific progress and leads to moral relativism. And he discusses how we can bring science back into alignment with older, deeper hu...
Nov 24, 2023•25 min•Ep. 1830
What happens when science leaves human values behind? Or when governments become governed by scientists? On this ID The Future, we mark the 60th anniversary of the death of British writer C. S. Lewis as host Andrew McDiarmid begins a conversation with Dr. John West about Lewis's prophetic warnings to us about science and scientism. Dr. West discusses what scientism is, what happens when science neglects deeper human truths, and how Lewis warned against the rise of technocracies. This is Part 1 o...
Nov 22, 2023•22 min•Ep. 1829
