Recorded at Colby College on November 16, 2005, this debate pits mathematician and intelligent design theorist William Dembski against skeptic Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Society, on the merits of intelligent design as an explanation for the origin and complexity of life. Dembski presents his “explanatory filter” and design inference arguments, contending that certain biological structures show hallmarks of design rather than the product of undirected natural processes, while Shermer challenges intelligent design’s scientific standing, arguing it functions as a placeholder for what evolutionary science hasn’t yet explained rather than a testable theory in its own right. The debate captures one of the more substantive public exchanges between the intelligent design and evolutionary science communities during a period of intense national attention on the issue, including the landmark Kitzmiller v. Dover ruling that same year.
Details
Associated Dates:
- 2005, Debate
Author: William Dembski & Michael Shermer
Type: Debate
Runtime: 01:00:07
