Hi @Eddie, @Faizal_Ali, @Mercer, @paulm12, @swamidass, @Rumraket and others,
Some contributors to this thread have scoffed at Eddie’s claim to know dozens of scientists within the Intelligent Design movement. I believe he is speaking the truth. I’d just like to point out in passing that there are some very intelligent scientists who are creationists and/or Intelligent Design proponents. If you want proof, take a look at the Amazon Web page for Marcos Eberlin’s book, Foresight: How the Chemistry of Life Reveals Planning and Purpose, published by the Discovery Institute. Let me hasten to point out that the book’s arguments against evolution are full of holes, and have been exposed by reviewer Puck Mendelssohn (see here). But just look at the favorable editorial reviews Eberlin’s book attracted from top scientists, some of them Nobel Prize winners:
“I am happy to recommend this to those interested in the chemistry of life. The author is well established in the field of chemistry and presents the current interest in biology in the context of chemistry.”—Sir John B. Gurdon, PhD, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2012)
“An interesting study of the part played by foresight in biology.”—Brian David Josephson, Nobel Prize in Physics (1973)
“Despite the immense increase of knowledge during the past few centuries, there still exist important aspects of nature for which our scientific understanding reaches its limits. Eberlin describes in a concise manner a large number of such phenomena, ranging from life to astrophysics. Whenever in the past such a limit was reached, faith came into play. Eberlin calls this principle ‘foresight.’ Regardless of whether one shares Eberlin’s approach, it is definitely becoming clear that nature is still full of secrets which are beyond our rational understanding and force us to humility.”—Gerhard Ertl, PhD, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2007)
“Foresight provides refreshing new evidence, primarily from biology, that science needs to open its perspective on the origin of living things to account for the possibility that purely natural, materialistic evolution cannot account for these facts. The book is written in an easy-to-read style that will be appreciated by scientists and non-scientists alike and encourages the reader to follow the truth wherever it leads, as Socrates advised long ago.”—Michael T. Bowers, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara
“In his newest book, Foresight, award-winning and prominent researcher Prof. Marcos Eberlin cogently responds to crucial questions about life’s origin, using an arsenal of current scientific data. Eberlin illustrates his points with varied examples that reveal incredible foresight in planning for biochemical systems. From cellular membranes, the genetic code, and human reproduction, to the chemistry of the atmosphere, birds, sensory organs, and carnivorous plants, the book is a light of scientific good sense amid the darkness of naturalistic ideology.”—Kelson Mota, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, Amazon Federal University, Manaus, Brazil
“Eberlin brilliantly makes use of his expertise, achieved in more than twenty-five years applying mass spectrometry in assorted areas such as biochemistry, biology, and fundamental chemistry to outline a convincing case that will captivate even the more skeptical readers.”—Rodinei Augusti, PhD, Full Professor of Chemistry, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
“Marcos Eberlin, one of the best chemists in the world today, has written a must-read, superb book for anyone considering what indeed science says of the universe and life.”—Dr. Maurício Simões Abrão, Professor at the University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.
Note that the last reviewer, who’s a professor, calls Eberlin “one of the best chemists in the world today.” According to his Wiki bio, “He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and received the Brazilian National Order of Scientific Merit in 2005 and the Thomson Medal in 2016.[1]”
It’s fair to infer that many of the editorial reviewers of Eberlin’s book are at least ID-friendly. So when Eddie says he knows top scientists in the Intelligent Design movement, I am very much inclined to believe him. Perhaps he’d like to tell us if he’s met Marcos Eberlin.
What all this shows is that science is much more compartmentalized than laypeople imagine. Some very highly regarded chemists know little or nothing about evolutionary biology, and vice versa. (Readers will have noticed that most of the editorial reviewers of Eberlin’s book were chemists, like James Tour.) What’s even more interesting is that Sir John Gurdon, a Nobel Prize winner who’s a zoologist (and therefore presumably knows something about evolution) and who has been described as the godfather of cloning, also recommended Eberlin’s book. Make of that what you will.
Finally, one thing I’m curious about is whether Professor James Tour considers abiogenesis to be ruled out by Scripture. The reason why I ask this question is that Genesis 1 can be read in a way that’s friendly to abiogenesis. For instance, on the fifth day, God says, “Let the waters bring forth living creatures,” which is much more than proponents of abiogenesis would dare to claim. (We are not told whether the event in question was a natural or a supernatural one; all we are told is that it happened at God’s behest.) Tour himself has written, “Those who think scientists understand the issues of prebiotic chemistry are wholly misinformed. Nobody understands them. Maybe one day we will. But that day is far from today.” Has anyone spoken to Tour on the subject? Cheers.