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Noted Scientists Respond to Meyer’s ID Column in the Daily Telegraph

Last week Stephen Meyer had a piece published in the Daily Telegraph in London, “Intelligent design is not creationism.” As sometimes happens with the appearance of a an article advocating intelligent design, there was a flurry of anti-ID letters. However, there were also two letters worth noting.

Sir – Most readers of books by Michael Behe or William Dembski find intelligent design a rational, but not necessarily correct, idea (Letters, January 30).

Darwinists clearly think they can refute the idea that complex structures need a designer; others think they are wrong. All this is fine – we call this scientific debate.

However, for taking this line, I have been called a creationist (when I am an agnostic) and anti-evolution (despite having provided an addition to the theory of natural selection).
From this, I conclude that most of the debate is not about science, but is a battle between the creationists and atheists to determine who will set the present, and future, cultural agenda. Those of us who are not involved should make sure that neither side wins.
Dr Milton Wainwright, University of Sheffield

And . . .

Sir – Stephen Meyer’s article (Opinion, January 28) on intelligent design was a thoughtful and calm outline of the background to the debate.

In my own research area of evolutionary algorithms, intelligent design works together with evolutionary principles to produce better solutions to real problems.
Sometimes the results are novel and surprising, but, on reflection, they were always inherent in the initial formulation. Without the initial activity of an intelligent agent, the evolutionary mill has no grist to work on.

As molecular biology advances, the Darwinist dogma becomes ever more implausible as an explanation for the sort of complexity that Meyer describes.
Prof Colin Reeves, Rugby, Warwickshire

Turns out that the the good prof is Professor of Operational Research in the School of Mathematical and Information Sciences (MIS) at Coventry University, and his research focuses on genetic algorithms, and the good doctor is in the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology department at University of Sheffield.

Robert Crowther, II

Robert Crowther holds a BA in Journalism with an emphasis in public affairs and 20 years experience as a journalist, publisher, and brand marketing and media relations specialist. From 1994-2000 he was the Director of Public and Media Relations for Discovery Institute overseeing most aspects of communications for each of the Institute's major programs. In addition to handling public and media relations he managed the Institute's first three books to press, Justice Matters by Roberta Katz, Speaking of George Gilder edited by Frank Gregorsky, and The End of Money by Richard Rahn.

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