FAQ
Who are the participants?
William Lane Craig: Christian philosopher and theologian
Francisco J Ayala: Evolutionary biologist and theistic evolutionist
Who is the moderator?
Bradley Monton: Atheist philosopher, moderator, recently wrote Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design
Will there be any books for sale at the event?
Yes, Dr. Monton’s book will be for sale.
What is Campus Crusade for Christ’s position on Intelligent Design?
Campus Crusade for Christ International’s (CCC) stance on IDT is neutral. It neither endorses nor rejects IDT. It is in the same spirit of neutrality that CCC at Indiana Univeristy (IUCCC) offers this event. IUCCC has sought two competent academics with the knowledge to have this discussion. We are honored to have both participants and our moderator to make themselves available for this event.
What CCC affirms is God’s existence and that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth. But the question of how is a question that allows for a range of answers. Because of this range, CCC takes a neutral stance.
Please ask questions below. We will get to them as soon as possible.
Will the debate be recorded and made available?
Yes. The debate will be recorded and made available for download both in video and audio formats. Those details will be posted on this website after November 5.
As of November 18, we still do not know the ETA of the video. Our production company had a major project that immediately followed the Debate and hence the delay. We will post the video, etc. as soon as it is available.
Will this be put on to dvd? Thanks so much God Bless!
You will be able to download the debate. If it does get on DVD it will be through Dr. Craig’s site. Thank you for your question.
Will there be audio/video of the debate online?
Yes, there will be audio and video available for download for a small fee. There will be more information posted on this website as it becomes available.
Thank you!
I’m nowhere near IU, but am in Arizona. Will this debate be filmed and broadcast on the internet, or are there other ways I’ll be able to follow the debate?
Thanks!
We will not be doing a webcast of this event. However, it will be available to download shortly after the event for a small fee. We are still looking into those details. but when we know them it will be posted on this website. Thank you for your question!
Since I live in another state I will not be able to attend this event. Will the event be recorded, and if so will the audio or video be made available to the public?
How can I get a recording of this debate? I probably won’t be able to attend.
I have answered this question on the FAQ page. Thank you for your question!
We have time to collect money so that you CAN stream this live as a webcast! Do you think you may try this? I’m in Alabama, and would make the trip if it were in Nashville…but this would be 3 days away from work instead of one… 8-(
I taught Sunday School and Biology for years and years and years and… well… a LONG time! It’s a debate that we tackled every year in both venues.
Thanks!
Will there be a transcript of the debate? Would be nice, because its easier to refer to it then.
Greetings from Germany
There will be a transcript of the debate. It will come later than the video and audio downloads that we are planning. Thank you for your question.
Hello guys! When you speak of intelligent design, are you referring to evolution vs a form of creationism, or intelligent design based on other arguments such as the fine-tuning argument?
By intelligent design we are referring to the biological theories of IDT. The fine-tuning argument is another IDT but not specifically about biological systems. Michael Behe’s “irreducible complexity” would be an example of the aspect of IDT that the debate will be about. However, Dr. Craig will not be arguing for a particular IDT regarding biological phenomena. He will be weighing the criticisms against IDT by the scientific community. We hope this clarifies.
Richard Dawkins regards Darwinian evolution to be a theory of unintelligent design. Do scientists have any tests or criteria to distinguish between intelligent and unintelligent design? If not, is Darwinian evolution unscientific (i.e. the result of assuming philosophical naturalism)?
Richard Dawkins admits (The Blind Watchmaker, Chapter 3) that “We have seen that living things are too improbable and beautifully designed to have come into existence by chance.” Yet, if the arrival of the fittest was the result of purely random mutations and nature was also the result of random events, atheistic evolution boils down to “chance all the way down.” Is this why Dr. Ayala describes himself as a theistic evolutionist? Or is it because evolution points back in time to a moment of creation (life itself and ultimately the creation of the entire Cosmos)?
(See http://www.charlesdarwin.org)
A few questions:
1- Why are you framing this (particularly in your campus advertising) as a false dichotomy? Claiming holes in evolution (generally based on misunderstanding) does nothing to advance the Christian version of creationism. There are many other creation myths in the world (pastafarianism for example).
2- Why are you having a philosopher who does not explicitly endorse creationism arguing in favor of it? Would it not be more effective to have an actual advocate of the position?
3- Is there any plan to present evidence of creationism? Or will this simply be a philosopher deciding whether a biologists arguments about science (not philosophy) are fair?
Thank you very much for your questions.
1) The short answer is advertising is meant to catch people’s attention and give them the basic information. It is not always easy to do both on a complex topic like this. While I regret that a false dichotomy may be communicated, it is not an unfounded dichotomy. The term “evolution” is used to encapsulate the naturalistic story in contrast to any theistic scenario. The false dichotomy can, I think, be dealt with when they visit the website and also look into the issue. Our hope is that people will see that “evolution” has several different meanings as well as “intelligent design” and help them understand the tensions and agreements between the two.
2) What do you mean by “creationism”? If you use “creationism” to refer to any theistic position, then Professor Craig is a proponent of creationism. I would think that anyone arguing for theism would be a proponent of any creationist position.
3) I do not know what Dr. Craig will be presenting, but any discussion “about science” is in the realm of philosophy, not science, of which Dr. Craig is ably suited to discuss.
1- Your advertising does not point to this (or any) website, so I don’t see how that could possibly clear up the position. Also, “Intelligent Design” is not “any theistic scenario;” it is explicitly an advancement of Christian creationism. I don’t understand what you mean by the statement ” ‘evolution’ has several different meanings.”
2- Creationism (in the context of the ID-evolution discussions) refers quite explicitly to the Genesis creation myth, in one of its interpretations. Intelligent Design is creationism. The literature promoting creationism was changed with simply Find-replace functions to Intelligent Design once teaching creationism was blocked by the courts.
3- Your site asks “Is Intelligent Design Viable?” And your advertising suggests that the debate will be over whether evolution or creationism is true. That is a question of the science, not the philosophy of science. This site makes it clear that all you intend to address is whether ID stands any chance of becoming actual science. This may be, in part, a philosophical discussion- but it relies heavily on the merit of the science which underlies the claims. Without addressing the validity of the science, any discussion of the viability of ID says nothing about the truth of the position- which makes it unscientific.
In a number of discussions on this topic, either the person taking the Design position is a “young earth” creationist (some of whom have glommed onto the term “Intelligent Design”) or the person arguing against Intelligent Design insists on arguing against “young earth” creationism, even when the ID supporter has explicitly said that is not his position.
I hope this debate commits neither of these sins.
Me, too. However, I have confidence that both Dr. Craig and Dr. Ayala will deal with each others’ position and not a straw man characterization.
If you would read on in The Blind Watchmaker, you would understand the distinction between chance and natural selection. Evolution does not say that all creatures are merely the result of chance. Selection acts on chance events (mutations), but is not random itself. A good demonstration of this is the Weasel Program which Dawkins wrote specifically for chapter 3 of The Blind Watchmaker to illustrate this point. If you are going to quote mine an author, it might be a good idea to at least find a chapter in which he doesn’t directly refute what you are claiming.
Evolution says nothing about the origin of life or the cosmos. Nothing. Evolution describes how to get diversity of forms after their is already life. For natural selection to work, three things are required 1-Variation in a trait 2- That the trait is heritable (i.e. has a genetic basis) 3- That there be differential reproductive success based on the trait. If you want to argue about abiogenesis or the big bang, fine- but don’t conflate them with evolution.
I do not know why Dr. Ayala is a theistic evolutionist apart from his Catholic faith. So I cannot satisfactorily answer you question.
How are you guys doing in terms of covering the costs for the debate? Is everything OK, or are you still looking for more donations?
We are still in need of about $1K to fully fund this event. We are very grateful for everyone who has given to this so far. Thank you for you question.