William Paley's rather famous teleological "Watchmaker" argument advocating Intelligent Design goes something like this: [S]uppose I found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened to be in that place, I should hardly think … that, for anything I knew, the watch might have always been there. Yet why should not this answer serve for the watch as well as for [a] stone [that happened to be lying on the ground]?… For this reason, and for no other; namely, that, if the different parts had been differently shaped from what they are, if a different size from what they are, or placed after any other manner, or in any order than that in which they are placed, either no motion at all would have been carried on in the machine, or none which would have answered the use that is now served by it (Paley 1867, 1). Okay, it goes exactly like that...so what's the problem with the argument? An obvious one. But Paley's mistake was both simple, and an easy one to make. He assumed the possibility of an eternal universe, where a rock could have conceivably existed forever. We now believe that we cannot assume the stone was always there, any more than we can assume the watch always existed. In his defense, insufficient scientific evidence existed during his lifetime, for William Paley to assume that the universe once had a beginning and the stone could not have always been there. However, contemporary scientific evidence called "red shift" and "cosmic background radiation" allows modern day scientists to assure us with some degree of certainty that … [Read more...]
Watchmaker fallacies
Willful ignorance
A couple of years ago, I faced the rather formidable challenge of engaging in public debate against Ed Buckner, former president of American Atheists. Ed was very experienced in that sort of thing; it was my first and remains as of today, the only formal debate I've ever had in my life. Therefore, my work was certainly cut out for me. Fortunately for me, video existed on You Tube showing Ed present his best arguments while debating a Muslim scholar in the U.K. named Hamza Andreas Tzortzis. So I took copious notes, seizing upon the opportunity to anticipate Ed's best shots. In fairness, Ed also should have been able to anticipate my best shots coming, if he'd bothered to read some of my work as the Atlanta Creationism Examiner. In my opening remarks, I enumerated the seven points that Ed made that were the foundation his best arguments for atheism and then eviscerated them, point-by-point. I sort of expected that once the logical flaws in Ed's argument were systematically exposed and shredded before he'd ever opened his mouth, we would then be able to spend the remainder of our time arguing about points about the science that has now officially become the crux of my Counterargument for God. Because I knew Ed to be quite an intelligent man, I will now confess that I was expecting the alleged "freethinker" would be a little bit more open-minded. I foolishly assumed that Ed would be able to defend his own beliefs, rather than simply attacking what he supposed to be mine with every opportunity.Sadly, Ed disappointed me. Also in my opening … [Read more...]
The dishonesty of atheism
Though I'm not a public figure by any stretch of the imagination, I've learned that it's a good idea to occasionally search the internet for my name, to see if anything posted out there was directed specifically towards me. It isn't a question of vanity as much as not wanting to demonstrate bad manners by ignoring a serious attempt to communicate with me. My most recent search turned up this article by author Dianna Narciso that was originally published over two years ago. She had responded to something I wrote during my time spent as the Atlanta Creationism Examiner. For whatever reason, her article never appeared in the first few pages of search results before now. Oh well. Better late than never, I guess... Ms. Narciso asserted that she is not a close-minded freethinker. We'll see. I don't get very far into her article before Ms. Narciso writes, "Mr. Leonard, I am very sorry to disappoint you. But you do, indeed, believe what you believe without rational thought." Really! That seems an incredibly presumptuous thing to say. What sources of information gave her such great insight? On what basis was her opinion formed? Without reading my books, or more than one article I've written, how on earth can Ms. Narciso possibly know what I believe? More importantly, does she even have a clue as to why I believe what I believe? Has she read Divine Evolution? If Ms. Narciso is actually interested in learning the science necessary to present a coherent argument for her atheism, the end notes of my book Counterargument for God might prove quite helpful. My … [Read more...]
The problem with speciation theory
Speciation is the scientific theory attempting to identify the biological mechanisms by which a single ancestral species of organism differentiates, or "evolves", into more than one descendant species. The term "macro evolution" is often substituted inappropriately for speciation theory, creating the false impression that speciation is nothing more than a logical extrapolation of Darwin's theory of natural selection. But it isn't. As I wrote in my book Counterargument for God, either two members of the same ancestor species eventually spawn offspring of a new species, or members of two different species produce a fertile hybrid species. There doesn't really seem to be a viable third alternative, at least not one that doesn't involve creation by some form of supernatural intelligence. In an effort to clarify my understanding of how speciation theory supposedly worked, I wrote an open letter to biologist Dr. Jerry Coyne, author of the book Why Evolution is True. Apparently, Dr. Coyne couldn't find time to respond. However, his fellow biologist, Dr. Benoit LeBlanc, was kind enough to answer my questions. Dr. LeBlanc confirmed that my "basic understanding of the [speciation] process was sound", but suggested the reason my conclusions were all wrong because I simply don't know enough about biology. No offense intended, he said. None taken, Dr. LeBlanc. But I am still confused. In my analysis of Dr. Coyne's work previously deemed sound, I noted he speculated that speciation only seemed possible when a small breeding population comprised of members of a … [Read more...]
The 2013 Readers’ Favorite international book awards
Award-winning author John L. Leonard sounds pretty good, doesn't it? The 2013 Readers' Favorite international book awards ceremony will be held next month in Miami. My wife and I have made plans to attend. She's my editor and publisher, deserving the trip just as much as me. And why are we going? Three of my five books, edited and published last year, were entered in the 2013 contest. My collection of short stories about animal rescue called Always a Next One: true stories of dog fostering, was awarded the highest honor, the gold medal for Nonfiction/Animal books. Reviewers offered some very kind words. One said: The author wrote in a conversational manner, as if he were sitting with me and personally telling me his tales. Another critic wrote: This is a book that belongs on animal lovers' reading lists everywhere. My book Counterargument for God won the gold medal for Nonfiction in the category for Religion/Philosophy. One reader wrote, This is a must for anyone struggling with their own faith or trying to get a loved one to see that God does exist. Mr Leonard's style of writing keeps one interested while presenting very scientific material. Another review said: As I review this book, I find myself wanting to quote the author. His presentation is tactful, eloquent and stated in a logical manner. John Leonard has extensively researched the scientific arguments he discusses in this book. He also deftly asks questions that should have atheists questioning their beliefs. Even my alter-ego for fiction, Rocky Leonard, got into the act. My novel … [Read more...]