Nature, Design, and Science: The Status of Design in Natural Science (Philosophy and Biology) - Softcover

Ratzsch, Del

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0791448940 ISBN 13: 9780791448946

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 2001

Synopsis

Explores the question of whether or not concepts and principles involving supernatural intelligent design can occupy any legitimate place within science.

Although the scientific illegitimacy of supernatural design is typically asserted with enormous confidence and vigor, there has been surprisingly little actual work on such key foundational issues as even what design is and on specific criteria for assessing its legitimacy, or lack, as a scientific concept. However, intelligent supernatural design is again surfacing in discussions both of anthropic principles and of certain types of biological complexity. This book develops a definition of design, explicates the more specific concept of supernatural design, defends a general criterion for scientific legitimacy, and argues that in some cases the concept of intelligent supernatural design can meet the relevant requirements for scientific legitimacy.

About this title

About the Author

Del Ratzsch is Professor of Philosophy at Calvin College. He is the author of Philosophy of Science: The Natural Sciences in Christian Perspective; The Battle of Beginnings: Why Neither Side Is Winning the Creation-Evolution Debate; and Science & its Limits: The Natural Sciences in Christian Perspective.

From the Back Cover

Although the scientific illegitimacy of supernatural design is typically asserted with enormous confidence and vigor, there has been surprisingly little actual work on such key foundational issues as even what design is and on specific criteria for assessing its legitimacy, or lack, as a scientific concept. However, intelligent supernatural design is again surfacing in discussions both of anthropic principles and of certain types of biological complexity. This book develops a definition of design, explicates the more specific concept of supernatural design, defends a general criterion for scientific legitimacy, and argues that in some cases the concept of intelligent supernatural design can meet the relevant requirements for scientific legitimacy.

Edition details

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0791448940
• ISBN 13: 9780791448946
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 230