Nature, design, and science : the status of design in natural science / Del Ratzsch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ratzsch, Delvin Lee, 1945- author.

Series:

SUNY series in philosophy and biology

SUNY series in philosophy and biology Nature, design, and science

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and science.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 220 p. )

Place of Publication:

Albany, New York State : State University of New York Press, [2001]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"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."--Jacket.

Contents:

I. Design basics

Design preliminaries

Science and finite design

II. Supernatural design

Supernatural design: preliminary basics

Identifying supernatural design: primary marks

Identifying supernatural design: secondary marks

Design in nature

III. Boundaries of scientific legitimacy

Beyond the empirical

The legitimacy criterion

IV. The permissibility question

Cases for impermissibility

Legitimacy

Are there any payoffs?

Conclusion.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780791490990

0791490998