The Design of Life: Discovering Signs of Intelligence in Biological Systems
The Design of Life, which is both a sequel to Of Pandas and People (Second Edition, 1993), and a stand alone book in its own right, brilliantly lays out all the main lines of evidence and argument in the current dispute between the Darwinists and the growing body of Intelligent Design theorists. It not only updates the arguments presented in Pandas but explains the exciting developments in the new science of intelligent design that have occurred since the early 1990s. Dembski and Wells, who themselves are among the leading practitioners of the new science, write in a refreshingly carefully reasoned, lucid and direct style, pulling no punches when it comes to answering the criticisms of their leading Darwinist opponents including Richard Dawkins and Kenneth Miller, among many others. They make a formidable case that the indications of design seen everywhere in nature at all levels of organization (and acknowledged by the Darwinists) bespeak real and not just apparent design. Nowhere is this more evident than in the powerful new chapters on irreducible complexity (Chapter 6) building on the ground breaking work of Michael Behe in Darwin's Black Box, 1996, and specified complexity (Chapter 7) based on Dembski's many contributions to information theory as it relates to design (e.g., The Design Inference, 1998, and No Free Lunch, 2002). Each of the book's eight chapters is thoroughly documented with many explanatory footnotes and references to the pertinent technical literature. These detailed notes as well as the supplemental General Notes contained on the accompanying CD provide interested laypersons, university students, and working scientists with a reliable guide to the highest levels of scientific discussion in the often contentious dispute between Darwinists and intelligent design proponents. Appended to each chapter is a list of 10 discussion questions keyed to the order of presentation of the topics in the chapter and to the General Notes. If I were still involved in university teaching I would enthusiastically adopt The Design of Life as a required text in courses in evolution and the origin of life and in graduate seminars on information theory and molecular biology, and use it as a supplement in introductory biology classes. Dembski and Wells argue calmly and convincingly that intelligent design theory is empirically testable (in spite of Darwinists' shrill protests to the contrary) by indicating precisely what it would take to refute the theory, namely a clear demonstration that systems exhibiting irreducible complexity with specified complexity can in fact arise spontaneously by purely material processes. Their discussion takes intelligent design theory far beyond what we were able to accomplish when we wrote Pandas. I salute Dembski and Wells for a most worthy addition to the already powerful case that intelligent design deserves a seat at the academic table in university biology courses and with all scientists working to unlock the mystery of life's origin. --Dean Kenyon, Emeritus Professor of Biology, San Franciso State UniversityWhen future intellectual historians list the books that toppled Darwin's theory, THE DESIGN OF LIFE will be at the top. --Michael Behe, biochemist, Lehigh UniversityThe Design of Life gives all interested parties in the debate over biological origins the hard scientific evidence they need to assess the true state of Darwin s theory and of the theory of intelligent design. But it does much more: it carefully fosters the attitude of open inquiry that science needs not only to thrive but also to avoid becoming the plaything of special interests. The authors, William Dembski and Jonathan Wells, are to be commended for writing a sparklingly clear book that empowers readers to navigate the captivating and controversial waters of biological origins. --William Harris, biologist, University of South Dakota