The Advantages of Theft over Toil: The Design Inference and Arguing from Ignorance

Authors: Wilkins J.S.¹; Elsberry W.R.²

Source: Biology and Philosophy, Volume 16, Number 5, November 2001 , pp. 709-722(14)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Intelligent design theorist William Dembski has proposed an ``explanatory filter'' for distinguishing between events due to chance, lawful regularity or design. We show that if Dembski's filter were adopted as a scientific heuristic, some classical developments in science would not be rational, and that Dembski's assertion that the filter reliably identifies rarefied design requires ignoring the state of background knowledge. If background information changes even slightly, the filter's conclusion will vary wildly. Dembski fails to overcome Hume's objections to arguments from design.

Keywords: Bayesian inference; Darwin; Dembski; intelligent design; natural selection

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: History and Philosophy of Science, The University of Melbourne, PO Box 542, Somerville 3912, Australia E-mail: wilkins@wehi.edu.au 2: Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, 3027 Macaulay Street, San Diego, CA 92106, USA E-mail: welsberr@inia.cls.org

Publication date: 2001-11-01