Since this topic really is off-topic for this list, and since I
am responsible for it, I want to take initiative in bringing it
to a close before the gavel is pounded by the list owner.  I am
happy to discuss the issue off-list with anybody who is
interested.

For those who expressed an interest in learning more, I suggest
William Dembski's _The Design Inference_ (Cambridge U. Press,
1997).

For the record, I do not belong to any religious denomination.
Until a few years ago I completely accepted neodarwinism.  But I
have taught philosophy of science regularly for a number of years
and eventually I decided to take a closer look at the matter.
The book that eventually changed my thinking was _Darwin's Black
Box_ by biochemist Michael Behe.  This book deals only with the
problem of abiogenesis, the "evolution" of life itself from
nonliving substances.  I won't rehearse Behe's arguments here; if
you're interested in this sort of thing the book is not to be
missed.

Anyway, I was so shaken by what I read in that book that I began
to do research to attempt to show that it was wrong.  I exchanged
e-mail with Behe and consulted other biochemists and molecular
biologists.  To my astonishment, I could find nobody with an even
remotely plausible refutation.

When I started to look at the case for mutation-driven natural
selection, i.e., neodarwinism proper, I was again surprised to
find very little of it above the "nanoevolution" level.  That is,
again and again bacterial resistance to antibiotics and insect
resistance to certain insecticides are offered as key evidence.
And these *are* cases in which point mutations alter a protein
structure in a manner that changes the organism's response to
certain chemicals. I had always *assumed* that something similar
was going on to cause, say, variations in finch beaks.  When I
actually tried to find empirical documentation for this sort of
thing, I found only *assertions* that mutations must be
responsible.

This makes me suspicious, especially after having read Behe's
book.  I am prepared to have my suspicions allayed if the right
evidence is out there, but this list is not the place to pursue
it.  So, again, if anyone has a mind to talk about this, we'll
take it off-list.

Todd Moody
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