Intelligent Design Creationism & Its Critics

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Table of Contents
I. Intelligent Design Creationisms’ “Wedge Strategy”

1. “The Wedge at Work: How Intelligent Design Creationism is Wedging Its Way into the Cultural and Academic Mainstream.” Barbara Forrest

II. Johnson’s Critique of Evolutionary Naturalism

2. “Evolution as Dogma: The Establishment of Naturalism.” Phillip E. Johnson
3. Naturalism, Evidence and Creationism: The Case of Phillip Johnson.” Robert T. Pennock
4. “Response to Pennock” Phillip E. Johnson
5. “Reply: Johnson’s Reason in the Balance.” Robert T. Pennock

III. A Theological Conflict?: Evolution vs. the Bible

6. “When Faith and Reason Clash: Evolution and the Bible.” Alvin Plantinga
7. “When Faith and Reason Cooperate.” Howard J. Van Till
8. “Plantinga’s Defense of Special Creation.” Ernan McMullin
9. “Evolution, Neutrality, and Antecedent Probability: A Reply to McMullin and Van Till;” Alvin Plantinga

IV. Intelligent Design’s Scientific Claims

10. “Molecular Machines: Experimental Support for the Design Inference” Michael J. Behe
11. “Born Again Creationism” Philip Kitcher
12. “Biology Remystified: The Scientific Claims of the New Creationists” Matthew J. Brauer & Daniel R. Brumbaugh

V. Plantinga’s Critique of Naturalism & Evolution

13. “Methodological Naturalism?” Alvin Plantinga
14. “Methodological Naturalism Under Attack” Michael Ruse
15. “Plantinga’s Case Against Naturalistic Epistemology” Evan Fales
16. “Plantinga’s Probability Arguments Against Evolutionary Naturalism” Branden Fitelson & Elliott Sober

VI. Intelligent Design Creationism vs. Theistic Evolutionism

17. Creator or Blind Watchmaker?” Phillip E. Johnson
18. “Phillip Johnson on Trial: A Critique of His Critique of Darwin” Nancey Murphy
19. “Welcoming the ‘Disguised Friend’ – Darwinism and Divinity” Arthur Peacocke
20. “The Creation: Intelligently Designed or Optimally Equipped?” Howard J. Van Till
21. “Is Theism Compatible with Evolution?” Roy Clouser

VII. Intelligent Design and Information

22. “Is Genetic Information Irreducible?” Phillip E. Johnson
23. “Reply to Phillip Johnson” Richard Dawkins
24. :Reply to Johnson” George C. Williams
25. “Intelligent Design as a Theory of Information” William A. Dembski
26. “Information and the Argument from Design” Peter Godfrey-Smith
27. “How Not to Detect Design” Branden Fitelson, Christopher Stephens & Elliott Sober
28. “The ‘Information Challenge’” Richard Dawkins

VIII. Intelligent Design Theorists Turn the Tables

29. “Who’s Got the Magic?” William A. Dembski
30. “The Wizards of ID: Reply to Dembski” Robert T. Pennock
31. “The Panda’s Peculiar Thumb” Stephen Jay Gould
32. “The Role of Theology in Current Evolutionary Reasoning” Paul A. Nelson
33. “Appealing to Ignorance Behind the Cloak of Ambiguity” Kelly C. Smith
34. “Nonoverlapping Magisteria” Stephen Jay Gould

IX. Creationism and Education

35. “Why Creationism Should Not Be Taught in the Public Schools” Robert T. Pennock
36. “Creation and Evolution: A Modest Proposal” Alvin Plantinga
37. “Reply to Plantinga’s ‘Modest Proposal’” Robert T. Pennock
    
    

Reviews

• Science
  “Intelligent Design (ID) is the cryptoscientific arm of a sociopolitical movement of conservative Christians who are upset about the displacement of their concept of God from institutional life in the United States and are determined to do something about it. Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics presents the arguments of ID advocates in their own words and provides closely argued critiques of the science, philosophy, and theology that underlie their positions.…
  Pennock’s book is an invaluable compilation for anyone who wants to learn about the scientific and philosophical failures of intelligent design and the long-term political and social strategies of its advocates.” – Kevin Padian
  
• The New York Times Book Review
  “Intelligent Design Creationism and its Critics is a great fat collection of essays… that examine [the thesis of intelligent design] from every imaginable angle.… The debate ranges freely over genetics, theology, the history of science and the theory of knowledge. The rhetoric is spirited, if sometimes barely civil, and the to-and-fro of ideas can be impressive.…
  If the proponents of intelligent design had carried their case, it would have amounted to a slam-dunk for theism. With Darwin, you remain free to believe or disbelieve in God, just as you like. But have the neo-creos at least made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled creationist? On the evidence of this volume, not quite.” – Jim Holt
  
• BioScience.
  “The fact that the preponderance of contributions come from philosophers, social scientists, and theologians as opposed to biologists underscores the fact that the debate over evolution is not a scientific one.… The book is of interest to learn about the ideas and arguments of the ID proponents, as well as their political and social strategies, and why their ideas are wrong.” – Judith S. Weis
  
• Quarterly Review of Biology
  “…should certainly be acquired by any municipal or academic library.”
  
• Evolution
  “…give[s] you all sides of the dispute in the protagonists’ own words.” – Barry A. Palevitz
  
• Endeavour.
  “Pennock’s book defines, as no other so far has, the present state of play.” – Ernan McMullin.
  
• Bridges: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Theology, Philosophy, History and Science.
  “Pennock is upfront about his biases and objectives in both volumes, but seems to intend the Tower of Babel to be the platform on which to build understanding, while [Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics] is a compendium of articles dealing with the major issues. I have found both books helpful in my attempts to evaluate arguments on both sides of the Debate.”
  
• National Center for Science Education Reports and
  Research News in Science & Theology.
  “Essays offer balance for a polarized subject”
  “Pennock, whose Tower of Babel remains the most important philosophical evaluation of the intelligent design movement available… admirably manages to provide a balanced (if not equal) selection of essays that is essential reading for anyone interested in investigating the relationship between science and theology. For, as Intelligent Design Creationism and its Critics shows, the intelligent design movement conceives of the relationship in a particularly counterproductive—and even disastrous—way.”

• Journal of Scientific Exploration
  “…[A] massive and excellently edited anthology… This is certainly a ‘must have’ book for anyone interested in the ongoing debates over evolutionism and creationism or the relations between science and religion. I believe that any reader, on either side of the debate, will join me in thanking the editor for his superb job in bringing these materials together.”

• Philosophy in Review
  “If you thought that battles of the Enlightenment were over, then please read on.… This book will be a valuable research resource for those seeking to understand the curious twists and turns taken by creation science as it has gradually mutated and evolved into intelligent design theory.” – Niall Shanks

• Science & Theology News.
  “…gigantic, ambitious…[with] virtually all of the voices that have written across the intelligent design spectrum”.

• Philosophy of Science
  “…an expertly edited collection…” – George Nakhnikian.
  

Bibliographic Information
Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics: Philosophical, Theological and Scientific Perspectives
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press – Bradford Books.
Cloth library edition December 2001. ISBN 0-262-16204-0
Paperback edition published December 2001. ISBN 0-262-66124-
Library of Congress number: BS652 .I58 2001

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[ Table of Contents | Reviews | Discussion | Bibliographic Info | Order on-line ]
Created 6/15/02. Updated 1/2/05.