Dembski Confused and a new graduate program in science education
TheCenter for Inquiry in Amherst is providing an exciting new program in collaboration with the University of Buffalo Graduate school of Education to offer a two year degree, available online to “prepar[e] for careers in research, science education, public policy, and science journalism, as well as further study in sociology, history and philosophy of science, science communication, education, or public administration.”
The required courses include scientific writing, critical thinking, history and philosophy of science, research ethics, educational research, statistical research and a thesis or project.
An excellent opportunity for ID creationists to get a degree in science education providing them with a foundation for scientific literacy from the comforts of their homes.
Dembski is not impressed, which by itself seems like an endorsement most any educational institute would take with pride.
The Center of Inquiry is, like the Discovery Institute a non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) but without the wedge.
The purpose of the Center for Inquiry is to promote and defend reason, science, and freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavor. The Center for Inquiry is a transnational nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that encourages evidence-based inquiry into science, pseudoscience, medicine and health, religion, ethics, secularism, and society. The Center for Inquiry is not affiliated with, nor does it promote, any political party or political ideology.
Through education, research, publishing, and social services, it seeks to present affirmative alternatives based on scientific naturalism. The Center is also interested in providing rational ethical alternatives to the reigning paranormal and religious systems of belief, and in developing communities where like-minded individuals can meet and share experiences.
I am not sure why Dembski believes that the education will include a “hopping dose of Darwinism and an assault on ID” other than from the logical extrapolation that any self respecting course in science education would include the well established science of evolution and address the scientific vacuity of Intelligent Design.
I am even more confused why Dembski considers the Discovery Institute to be less sectarian than the Center for Inquiry. But perhaps the Institute has its own “Wedge Document” or a rationalist’s equivalence to sponsored Christian conferences? How sectarian is the goal “To replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and human beings are created by God.”?
The Center of Inquiry released an in depth position paper on intelligent design creationist movement. Written by Barbara Forrest, the paper exposes the historical, and legal background of the ID movement.
While ID at best has a few scatter so called IDEA clubs, the CFI has been far more successful:
Both internationally
By 1997 CFI had begun expanding its efforts internationally through an association with Moscow State University. CFI Moscow now operates an exchange program where Russian students and scholars are able to visit CFI headquarters in Amherst, NY and participate in a summer institute each year. Additional international programs exist in Germany (Rossdorf), France (Nice), Spain (Bilboa), Poland (Warsaw), Nigeria (Ibadan), Uganda (Kampala), Kenya (Nairobi), Nepal (Katmandu), India (Pune) (Hyderabad), Egypt (Cairo), China (Beijing), New Zealand (Auckland), Peru (Lima), Argentina (Buenos Aires), Senegal (Dakar), Zambia (Lusaka), and Bangladesh (Dacca).
as well as in the US
Since 2006 CFI has been expanding rapidly with a series of new branches in cities across North America and around the world. These include new Centers for Inquiry in Toronto, London, Washington DC, Indianapolis IN, Grand Rapids, MI, and Austin TX. The Center for Inquiry in Washington DC is headquarters to CFI’s Office of Public Policy, which represents CFI’s interests on Capitol Hill.
As an excellent example of a success story, when Dembski was invited by a Baptist group to give a talk at the University of Oklahoma, a group of students, who were forming a chapter of the Center for Inquiry, successfully educated the student population as to scientific vacuity of Intelligent Design.
Pastor Ronnie Wrogers writes in an article ironically titled “Intelligent Design: Intellectually and scientifically solid”
Recently, we invited and hosted Dr. William Dembski to speak on Intelligent Design (ID) at The University of Oklahoma. In preparation for his coming, some of our members produced a pamphlet that answered some of the most oft heard criticisms/objections to ID.
The answers are clear and concise. For anyone wanting to better understand the ID position and not be misled by “religious evolutionist’s” misinformation and misrepresentation regarding ID, this article should prove quite helpful.
As I wrote earlier
The Baptist Trinity Church had invited Dembski “to penetrate the university campus with the gospel” (source). After all, what better way to introduce the students to the gospel than through the ideas of William Dembski? Dembski presented a talk titled “Why Atheism is no Longer Intellectually Fulfilling: The Challenge of Intelligent Design to Unintelligent Evolution”. During the Q&A, Dembski found out that the students were not impressed by his arguments. While Dembski may have contributed to the successes of Atheism on the University, he also managed to show to the audience present why ID is scientifically vacuous.
Dembski wonders what would happen if the Discovery Institute did something similar
In reading it, ask youself what would happen if Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, which is far less sectarian than the Center for Inquiry, were to partner with a state university to offer a program in “scientific literacy.
I’d say we can say with reasonable certainty that Hell would have frozen over.