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No ID Research: The Latest Excuse
By Ed BraytonWed Oct 04, 2006 at 10:29:34 AM EST
topic: Attack on Science section:Front Page printable version print this story
Bruce Chapman of the Discovery Institute provides us with the latest excuse for why ID has produced no supporting research: it's being done under double secret probation at an undisclosed location. He begins with this lurid metaphor:
The most important is that the Darwinist establishment would like nothing better than to "out" research programs before they are finished. The idea is to shut down damaging evidence as early as possible. Strangle the infant in the crib. Demand answers now to questions still being explored.

Ah, the ubiquitous "Darwinist establishment", that evil cabal of scientists whose name must only be whispered for fear of Them finding out. I'm sure a little digging will reveal that this is merely part of a larger conspiracy, like the Illuminati. Come on, you don't think it's a coincidence that the lead attorney in Dover was named Rothschild, do you?

Paranoia? Hardly. There are too many examples of ID scientists and other scholars who have been hassled and harassed by the Darwinist Inquisition. (I include in the Inquisition those supposed science writers who long ago became propaganda agents rather than serious reporters.) Even a non-scientist in academia who writes favorably of ID can be assailed. It appears that the distinguished Baylor University philosopher and legal scholar Frank Beckwith will get tenure after all, but that decision came only a few days ago and on appeal at the very end of a long, painful process where his adversaries were well organized, persistent and reckless of facts and decency. His real problems were that he was pro-life and that he had written that it is constitutional to teach about intelligent design. Against those PC liabilities, his long record of outstanding publication didn't matter at all to his foes. On the contrary, it was his success that most alarmed them and excited their envy.

This is just funny. Beckwith's tenure fight had exactly nothing to do with the "Darwinist establishment", it had to do with the internal politics of Baylor University and the Baptist church establishment behind it. I happen to agree, as I've written before, that Beckwith deserved tenure at Baylor and I'm glad, as I've also written, that he got it. But citing this as proof of some evil Darwinist conspiracy to destroy anyone who advocates ID is utterly laughable, and only undermines the following claim:

Friends of ID know the cases of a number of ID-friendly scientists who have lost their lab privileges or otherwise been discriminated against at universities here and in the UK. We are not trumpeting very many cases because the situations of several such scientists remain difficult. It is an appalling commentary on the state of academic freedom that ID-friendly scientists should have to work in an atmosphere of fear, but it's true. We just want friends of ID who wonder why we don't publicize work in progress more than we do to take a moment and reflect about that!

This would be a lot more credible a claim if they didn't have such a history of exaggerating claims of persecution. We still hear constantly about how persecuted poor Richard Sternberg was. But what actually happened to him? Absolutely nothing. He got a few cross comments from colleagues at the Smithsonian. That's it. He still has everything he had before he decided to skirt the regular peer review procedures of the journal he edited on his way out the door. He was not fired from his job. He wasn't denied access to anything. He got a few nasty comments from people. My heart bleeds.

It would also be a lot more credible if the past research they've hailed as supporting ID actually did. We all remember a few years ago as Dembski spoke breathlessly about how Behe and Snoke's upcoming 2004 paper "may well be the nail in the coffin [and] the crumbling of the Berlin wall of Darwinian evolution." In fact, that paper ended up as one of the nails in the ID coffin in the Kitzmiller trial, as Behe was forced to admit under oath that their computer simulation had in fact concluded that an irreducibly complex protein binding site could evolve in only 20,000 years even when the parameters of the experiment were purposely rigged to make it as unlikely as possible.

And we heard the same thing about Axe's 2000 paper on perturbation in enzymes. Dembski hailed this research as proving the existence of biochemical systems "for which any slight modification does not merely destroy the system's existing function, but also destroys the possibility of any function of the system whatsoever." In fact, this was a wildly inaccurate claim about the nature of Axe's research, as Matt Inlay documented in this post at the Panda's Thumb. Axe's paper was a classic "knockout" experiment, where greater and greater numbers of point mutations were induced and at each step, measurement of the ability of the enzyme to function was measured, in an attempt to find out how many such substitutions had to take place before all function was lost.

According to Dembski, the experiment showed that any slight modification of the sequence not only destroyed the enzyme's function but also destroyed the possibility of any function of the system whatsoever. That claim could scarcely be less credible. Axe performed the knockouts in groups of 10 amino acid substitutions and found that none of the four substitutions, by themselves, seriously affected the enzyme's function. It found that you had to combine three sets of substitutions to reduce function by 99%, and had to combine all 4 sets of substitutions to kill function completely. This means that you could substitute 10 or 20 amino acids at a time and only get a negligible decrease in function. If you substituted 30 amino acids all at once, you lost 99% of the function. And if you knocked out 40 at a time, you could kill all function. But this is a full 10% of all the amino acids in the entire protein, and 20% of the exterior residues, which is what the experiment was dealing with. As Inlay tells us:

As previously mentioned, at least 30 substitutions were required to reduce activity greater than 99%, and 40 mutations to completely abolish it. This amounts to about 20% of the exterior residues, or 10% of the total protein. This can hardly be considered "slight", by any definition of the word. One substitution would be considered slight, not 30 to 40. This is not just a semantic quibble, as the changes that occur during the course of gradual, 'Darwinian' evolution occur one substitution at a time (except in cases of recombination and exon shuffling).

It should also be noted that, contrary to Dembski's claim, Axe's experiment made no attempt to study any other function other than the original function of the enzyme. But in fact, other functions do in fact increase with those changes:

I don't know how Dembski can claim that the mutations destroyed other functions of the system, since Axe never tested for other functions. This is basically an appeal to ignorance. However, as it turns out, another group analyzed mutations in the active site of the exact same gene (TEM-1) and found that certain "slight modifications" drastically reduced the original function of the system (penicillin and ampicillin resistance), but increased a separate, distinct function (cephalosporin resistance).

Given this history of the ID movement wildly exaggerating, even completely distorting, the conclusions of what little research their advocates have even attempted, one can be forgiven for being a tad skeptical when they talk about secret research being carried out by anonymous scientists from parts unknown that only they know about. All of this actually fits rather well with John Baez's crackpot index and I think this excuse should be added to his list: 20 points for referring to forthcoming research that must be performed under cover of night lest They find out about it and storm the laboratory with guns blazing. The ID movement already scores off the charts on Baez' index.

We'll add this latest excuse to the growing pile of excuses. During the Dover trial, Behe said that while his theories are testable, he's never bothered to test them because it's not a "fruitful" use of his time and, after all, it's up to his detractors to disprove them, not up to him to prove them. This, like most other ID arguments, stands science on its head. And it is precisely what a crank would say.




Display:
There was a great piece about Danny Hillis' "breeding" of software : when Hillis set up "evolutionary" mechanisms - software programs had to compete with each other for resources ( CPU cycles ), with the'fittest' programs surviving - the programs quickly developed strategies that Hillis said were quite incomprehensibly complex.

That raises a question - does "irreducibly complex" mean "incomprehensible to human scale intelligence" or something technically specific ?


by Bruce Wilson on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 11:05:31 AM EST

Thanks for mentioning "The Crackpot Index".

by Bruce Wilson on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 11:08:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]


This started back in the 1800s with the idea of an intelligent designer.  The entire arguement was philisophical in nature and did not touch on science in any way.

In 1996, Michael Behe publishes Darwin's Black Box inwhich his concept of irreducible complexity is immediately debunked by scientists from many different disciplines.  It's not just a matter of dumping on a guy's ideas but is in fact a very careful disection where each of his points is shown to be in error.  Basically, Behe was shown to be at best a poor scientist.

Now that his ideas have been shown to have more holes than a screen door in Alabama, the right wing religious fanatics grab onto the concept and run with it saying, "Look here, look here!  We have proof of intelligent design!"  

This would be like somebody trying to bring back the concept of electromagnetic propagation relying upon the "ether" in order to move from point to point because there is no way it could pass through a vacuum.  Once it gets stomped on by legitimate science, a bunch of loonies then take up the banner and cry, "See!  Here's proof of the ether!"  

It is utterly ridiculous that people with absolutely no understanding of basic science and the scientific method should have any say about the funding of science or any of its policies.  Whenever we hear this kind of ignorance from people trying to argue the merits of intelligent design we should immediately kill the lights, cut their mics and leave the room.  The best way to win an arguement with an idiot is not to argue at all because they will never understand that they have been beaten.  Instead, just don't let them argue.

by Ross Raymond on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 03:03:04 PM EST


As a Christian by faith and a scientist by training, I've never understood why so many "people of faith" need so desperately to "prove" anything about God, including "Intelligent Design." If anything, the mad scramble to jack up belief and run a foundation of purported (and greatly distorted) "fact" under it represents a gross failure of faith.

Faith requires no "proof." On the contrary, faith by its very nature is ineffable, nonrational (something very different from "irrational," as many atheists claim), and deeply experiential, and therefore impervious to "proof." (So sayeth my Existentialist streak. -----grin-----)

Faith exists to explore why we're here, and science exists to explore how we got here. If there's an "intelligence" in design (and I'm convinced there is), it's in the awesome subtlety of a God who could set up the universe in the beginning in such a way that it would grow and evolve into the unfathomably complex thing it is, including a species of being that can participate in a direct relationship with its creator.

Faith and science can coexist peacefully -- and they do in many (if not most) scientists, no matter what people at both extremes would have us believe -- but to mix the two results in bad religion and bad science.


by anomalous4 on Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 12:45:44 PM EST


Ed quotes Bruce Chapman:

The most important is that the Darwinist establishment would like nothing better than to "out" research programs before they are finished. The idea is to shut down damaging evidence as early as possible. Strangle the infant in the crib. Demand answers now to questions still being explored.

From the very first, Chapman betrays his abysmal ignorance of the real world of scientific research. No one I've ever heard of is specifically targeting ID "research" out of spite; it's being rejected across the board because it's bad science.

The scientific "Darwinist establishment," as Chapman calls it, is not out to "shut down damaging evidence" or "strangle the infant in the crib." If it seems to "demand answers now to questions still being explored," what it's really demanding is honest, rigorously done science on an ongoing basis.

Like everyone else, scientists are only human and have their prejudices and pet theories, and as such, they can't be completely objective. While there are rivalries (a few of which do turn into bitter enmity, but that's uncommon), rejection of a new theory most often indicates not hostility to a particular person or point of view, but a challenge either to go back and gather more corroborating evidence, or to re-examine the theory. In turn, those who reject the new development have every right to go back and provide counterevidence if they are able, according to the same rigorous standards they demand of the proponents. (A doctor I know who's a leader in pediatric cancer research refers to presenting new results at a conference as "kicking the beehive.")

As for "outing" ID research programs too soon, the scientific world "outs" itself on a daily basis. The academic arena, where the vast majority of basic research takes place, is a contentious, squabbling free-for-all in which everyone wants to be first to publish the latest discovery, often as much (and sometimes more) because such visibility improves their chances of continued funding for the project in question and of retaining their livelihood as for the sake of the science itself. "Publish or Perish" is a fact of life, no two ways about it. The rule of the game is "publish early, publish often."

(In the process, every author runs the gantlet [not "gauntlet"] of "peer review." Any paper submitted for publication has to be vetted for content and passed on by three to five experts in the field. Only then can it appear in a reputable scientific journal. If it's junk, it just doesn't get out there. Period.)

As a result, even small advances are out there for the entire community to see, and in that way the community keeps itself more or less honest. It also allows for communication and collaboration among researchers doing similar work, reducing duplication of effort.

About the only group of researchers who typically play it close to their chests are those in private industry, who have a vested interest in keeping new developments private so as not to give their competitors a leg up in their own development efforts. For that reason, frequently they don't even patent their discoveries, because patents are a matter of public record. But even private-sector scientists often publish the results of their basic research, as long as it doesn't betray any "company secrets."

If ID "research" wants to be accepted as valid, it's up to its proponents to broaden their inquiries and the range of evidence they're willing to consider, to do their utmost to remain objective, and to bring their work up to existing scientific standards of honesty and rigor. In the mean time, if ID thinks it's being shot down disproportionately, it's because it's painting the target on its own tail.


by anomalous4 on Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 03:42:26 PM EST

Anomalous4 has really hit the proverbial nail on the head.  When the ID crowd whines about not being allowed to do research that should raise an immediate red flag.  Science isn't a democracy.  The peer review process is very tough even on theories that are generally accepted.  When someone comes along with an extraordinary claim, especially one that goes against established understanding then that claim is going to get tossed, turned, jostled, jolted and run through every concievable test.  In the end, if the idea stands up to scrutiny then it becomes part of the collective knowledge.

It wasn't long ago that scientists thought the universe would eventually stop expanding and start to collapse in on itself.  This was based on the best information available at the time.  As techniques in astronomy improved, better measurements could be taken and it became apparent that the universe wasn't slowing down.  Eventually it was figured out that the expansion rate was in fact increasing.  This was a radical concept but it has stood up to scrutiny and has opened all kinds of new doors in astronomy and cosmology.

If ID really  had any merit to it at all, scientists would be fighting tooth and nail to be the first ones to publish about it.  To be able to prove intelligent design would be such a monumental discovery that it would alter society at the most basic level.  As it stands, ID simply has nothing to observe, quantify, test or record.  

Just a small note...according to Webster's Third New International Dictionary, gantlet is an alternate form of gauntlet.  It is also a section of railroad where one set of tracks has a rail inside another set of tracks and is usually used for narrow spaces.  Gauntlet, besides the glove, is defined as "two rows of men facing each other and armed with clubs or other weapons with which they strike at an individual who is made to run between them."

Sorry to nitpick.  

by Ross Raymond on Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 06:10:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I stand with my nits thoroughly picked.

What can I tell ya, I'm one of those weirdos who break out in hives at the sight of "alright," go nuts when people confuse things like flout/flaunt and imply/infer, and would love to hang all danglers of modifiers. ----grin----


by anomalous4 on Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 06:27:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes, it drives me rather insane to hear and see the intense mangling of the English language in our everyday world.  I get especially antsy when people can't figure out they're, their or there and how to properly use them.  Today's texting lingo is especially weird to me.  I still write full sentences on my cell phone to my wife.  Sometimes I may shorten them into a more military lexicon for the sake of saving time but that's about it.  It actually gives me a headaches sometimes when I am reading other people's posts in forums.  

Now granted, I am no English major and I know I make mistakes but I would like to think that I come across as at least reasonably literate.  Certainly more so than our decider-in-chief.  

by Ross Raymond on Fri Oct 06, 2006 at 03:00:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]





I just e-mailed both my above comments to the Discovery Institute [cscinfo@discovery.org]. We'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted.


by anomalous4 on Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 06:53:37 PM EST

I once told one of my professors that I could give a much stronger argument than any of the ID nonsense for a Creator- and the argument would include evolution (including random mutations).  It involves chaos, quantum mechanics, and chemistry.

However, since it cannot be shown to be false, it would not be science.  

Behe and the ID crowd were at our school a few days ago.  I was braced for an "attack of the fundamentalists", but so far have not had any fallout (except an occasional expression of disgust for their presence on campus).

by ArchaeoBob on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 08:01:47 PM EST


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