Want to chat with William A. Dembski?

Truth in Faith · #1 15th April 2003, 08:55 PM

He's at the forefront of the intelligent design movement.  He has some pretty lively message boards which he regularly participates in at his organization:

http://www.iscid.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=6

Didymus · #2 15th April 2003, 08:59 PM

thanks for the link

Arikay · #3 15th April 2003, 09:04 PM

Interesting. I did also find it interesting that apparently you arent allowed to link to any other sites to support your arguments.

gentu · #4 15th April 2003, 09:16 PM

This isn't a forum for challenging or discussing ID. It's just a think-tank for ID people. Apparently you're not allowed to challenge an idea unless an entire page of people have already blessed it with their support.

"All posts on the first page of a thread must be what Edward de Bono calls of the "green hat" type. The earliest posts must be confined to positive construction, re-construction and modification of the ideas in the original post. In other words, on the first page of a thread, participants are required to show that they have an interest in helping the argument to be developed and not just in shooting it down."

Nathan Poe · #5 15th April 2003, 09:26 PM

Today at 08:16 PM gentu said this in Post #4

This isn't a forum for challenging or discussing ID. It's just a think-tank for ID people. Apparently you're not allowed to challenge an idea unless an entire page of people have already blessed it with their support.

"All posts on the first page of a thread must be what Edward de Bono calls of the "green hat" type. The earliest posts must be confined to positive construction, re-construction and modification of the ideas in the original post. In other words, on the first page of a thread, participants are required to show that they have an interest in helping the argument to be developed and not just in shooting it down."

So... you're not allowed to challenge an idea unless a mob has already shown their support; which means you might as well hold up a sign that says "Gang up on me!"

Why am I not surprised?

Arikay · #6 15th April 2003, 09:34 PM

Nor are you allowed to post links to support any of the arguments you do make.

Nathan Poe · #7 15th April 2003, 09:38 PM

Today at 08:34 PM Arikay said this in Post #6

Nor are you allowed to post links to support any of the arguments you do make.

Great.

First of all, you can't jump into the pool until they gather enough sharks.

Then you have to tie your hands behind your back.

So who wants to go swimming?

SplitRock · #8 15th April 2003, 10:44 PM

I took a look at some of the threads in the forum in question. There seemed to be quite a lot of criticism of Dembski's ideas among the participants, and it did not seem that the moderators were objecting. Therefore, I do not think it is as biased as some of you implied.

That said, I do not think very much of Dembski's arguments. I see no way (and Dembski has provided no way) to determine if complicated information is "specified" without knowing its history... and that is not possible unless you can somehow access the blueprints used by the "designer".

gentu · #9 15th April 2003, 10:46 PM

I think ID is a failure of humans to imagine all the possible the contingencies that can create life.

lucaspa · #10 16th April 2003, 02:26 PM

Yesterday at 09:44 PM SplitRock said this in Post #8

That said, I do not think very much of Dembski's arguments. I see no way (and Dembski has provided no way) to determine if complicated information is "specified" without knowing its history... and that is not possible unless you can somehow access the blueprints used by the "designer".

It's worse than that.  If you follow Dembski's Explanatory Filter you find that natural selection is an intelligent entity.  If you follow Dembski's argument against genetic algorithms, you find out that not even God can create specified complexity, but must "borrow" it.  So, according to Dembski, not even intelligent entities can really create.  Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater!