Science and Culture Today Discovering Design in Nature

ID the Future

with Andrew McDiarmid

As Neo-Darwinism Fails, Vitalism Makes a Comeback

2237
Daniel Witt
July 10, 2026
Vitalism is the age-old idea that living things possess a vital force – some fundamental element that generally does not exist in non-life. As a Darwinian paradigm took hold of the natural sciences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, vitalism fell out of favor. But as writer and teacher Daniel Witt reports on this classic episode of ID The Future from the vault, a willingness to flirt with vitalism seems to be growing in certain scientific circles.

Mind Over Matter: Darwin, AI, and the Future of Reason

2236
Rebekah Valerius
July 8, 2026
If our minds are the product of a blind and aimless process, what reason do we have to believe what we think? But if we can be rational because a rational intelligence designed life and the universe, how does that change how we should think about thinking? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with science teacher and writer Rebekah Valerius about an essay she recently wrote unpacking the argument from reason and its implications for Darwinism, materialism, and atheism. In Part 2, Valerius shows why a Darwinian process cannot be responsible for our powers of reason. She also offers the argument from reason as a lens to better understand modern technology like artificial intelligence. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

The Anchor of Reason: Beyond Naturalism and Materialism

2235
Rebekah Valerius
July 6, 2026
Before we can ask whether the universe is designed, we should first ask if we can trust the minds we’re using to investigate it. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes to the show science teacher and writer Rebekah Valerius to discuss an essay she recently penned unpacking the argument from reason and its implications for Darwinism, materialism, and atheism. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

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Is Our Body Perfectly Designed? — Stuart Burgess

Stuart Burgess
July 6, 2026
2026 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith

Stuart Burgess, an award-winning engineer, argues that biological systems surpass even the best human engineering. As detailed in his book, the human body exhibits “Ultimate Engineering” that operates at near-perfect physical limits. Using examples like synovial fluid, the human foot, and the heart, Burgess explains how biological performance far exceeds human technology and cannot be explained by evolutionary processes.

Junking the Myth of Human/Chimp Similarity — Casey Luskin

Casey Luskin
June 22, 2026
2026 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith
Casey Luskin shows how the common claim that humans are about 99% genetically similar to chimpanzees is misleading. Citing newer research, Luskin suggests the difference may be closer to about 15% when the entire genome is considered. Earlier comparisons overstated similarity due to methodological choices, such as aligning genomes in ways that minimized differences. Moreover, much of the genetic difference — especially in repetitive DNA — is functionally important, not “junk.” It influences things like brain development and gene regulation. Luskin notes that in any case percentage similarity alone cannot prove common ancestry, since similarities could also be explained by “common design.” The human genome, it turns out, supports a view of human uniqueness rather than

Intelligent Design

Misinterpreting Teleology

It’s a “self-evident truth,” as Thomas Jefferson, an early ID proponent himself, might have put it: organisms necessarily exist by virtue of purpose.

Historical Sciences

Origin of Life

Evolution

Paleontology

Cosmology

Human Origins

Archaeology

The Joy of (Neanderthal) Cooking

The Darwinian account of the human race would be much easier to believe in good faith if scientists could point to a clearly inferior and clearly human being.

History of Science

Geology

Life Sciences

Life Sciences

Neuroscience

Medicine

Biology

Physical Sciences

Physics

Chemistry

Astronomy

Fine-Tuning

Earth Sciences

Geophysics

Environment

Rare Earth

Planetology

Culture

Human Exceptionalism

Why AI Won’t Replace Us Spiritually

AI systems increasingly resemble human intelligence. But resemblance alone does not make them image bearers. It cannot. AI systems do not represent God.

Arts

E.T., Phoned In

Steve Deace has called the film a direct assault on Christianity. This wasn’t exactly my impression. I didn’t feel assaulted so much as vaguely condescended to.

Ethics

Social Sciences

Endowed with Spontaneity

That’s 1930s-German-philosopher-speak for the power and freedom human beings have to know themselves, be known to others, and be active agents in the world.

Faith and Science

E.T., Phoned In

Steve Deace has called the film a direct assault on Christianity. This wasn’t exactly my impression. I didn’t feel assaulted so much as vaguely condescended to.

Science Education

Scientific Freedom

Science Reporting

On the Origin of Our New Name

First, the conversation delves into the site’s launch in December 2004, when the modern intelligent design movement and the Internet were both relatively new.

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