“The unexamined life is not worth living.”–Socrates
As best-selling author and host Eric Metaxas explained in his characteristically humorous introduction, “Socrates in the City” is a program designed to give people a chance to have respectful discourse on important topics. That’s exactly what happened on Thursday night here in the nation’s capital when Dr. Stephen Meyer presented his talk, “Why are we still talking about Darwin, and why does it matter?” to a packed room of over 150 attendees at the University Club.
Meyer began by highlighting quotes that suggest there is no controversy over Darwinian evolution. Then he proceeded to explain how Darwin’s theory presupposes information but does not explain it. He presented the mathematical improbability that the Darwinian mechanism could randomly produce functional proteins, let alone whole body plans. He stressed the need for a better explanation for the origin of biological information and presented intelligent design as the alternative that best matches the scientific evidence.
One journalist who attended the event noted afterwards, “it was several cuts above the normal think-tank event in D.C.”
An engaging Q&A followed Meyer’s talk, with a variety of thoughtful questions. The evening concluded with Meyer signing copies of Signature in the Cell and the companion Signature of Controversy. Through the talk and the stimulating questions and discussion that followed, many were reminded that the debate over Darwin is far from settled.