TalkDesign - Dembski, William A.

Grist for the EF mill

Wesley R. Elsberry — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 02:33:43 -0500

Original: Grist for the EF mill, by Matt Brauer, posted on March 25, 2004 06:36 AM.

Dembski's "Explanatory Filter" (EF) claims to be a reliable technique for detecting design. To date, the EF is the only method presented by the "science" of ID. How well does it do? Nobody knows. It has been applied precisely once, by Dembski in his book No Free Lunch. And that application was a dismal failure.

Before going into the reasons that the EF is a psuedo-algorithm, I'd like to present an example of what Dawkins calls a "designoid," that is, something that appears designed but isn't. A "false positive" for the EF, if you will.

You Missed a Spot, Dr. Dembski

Wesley R. Elsberry — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 21:57:11 -0500

Original: You Missed a Spot, Dr. Dembski

William A. Dembski recently published a book, The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design. The subtitle offers a promissory note, and so do several of the blurbs on the dust jacket and front matter to the effect that Dembski covers herein all the criticisms that have been offered about "intelligent design" and Dembski's particular contribution, "specified complexity". This is untrue, as I will attempt to demonstrate.

Not a Free Lunch But a Box of Chocolates: A critique of William Dembski's book No Free Lunch

admin — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:57:07 -0500

Richard Wein's review of No Free Lunch argues that Dembski's case is nothing more than a god-of-the-gaps argument dressed up in misleading pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo.

Read the full article PDF (off-site).

Response? What Response?

admin — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:46:36 -0500

Richard Wein replies to William Dembski's reply to Wein's Not a Free Lunch But a Box of Chocolates.

A Presentation Without Arguments

admin — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:34:11 -0500

Mark Perakh evaluates William Dembski's presentation at the CSICOP conference in Burbank, CA on June 21st, 2002.

- DR. DEMBSKI'S COMPASS - or, How to lose one's way while looking for misdirection.

admin — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 21:29:04 -0500

Andrea Bottaro responds to a criticism made by "intelligent design" advocate William A. Dembski about Bottaro's review of Unlocking the Mystery of Life.

The Design Revolution? How William Dembski Is Dodging Questions About Intelligent Design

admin — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 21:01:15 -0500

Mark Perakh's essay on the tactics used by William Dembski in responding to, or not responding to, criticism and critics.

Read the full article PDF (off-site).

How Intelligent Design Advocates Turn the Sordid Lessons from Soviet and Nazi History Upside Down

admin — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 20:55:04 -0500

Wesley R. Elsberry and Mark Perakh examine the invidious comparisons made by "intelligent design" advocates where they liken evolutionary biologists to Soviet and Nazi leaders. In particular, the bizarre misuse by ID advocates of the example of Trofim D. Lysenko, pseudoscientist extraordinaire, is examined.

Read the full article in PDF (off-site).

The advantages of theft over toil: the design inference and arguing from ignorance

admin — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 14:51:31 -0500

John Wilkins and Wesley R. Elsberry examine the claims made by "intelligent design" advocate William A. Dembski for his "explanatory filter". This is an online version of the 2001 Biology and Philosophy peer-reviewed paper, one of the few papers in the peer-reviewed literature that is explicitly about "intelligent design".