Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Colleagues at Iowa State Critical of Privileged Planet Author Guillermo Gonzalez
Iowa State Daily correspondent Brian Oltman reports on assistant astronomy and physics professor Guillermo Gonzalez, co-author of the book "The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery." Oltman's article makes clear the intelligent design connections in the book that the Discovery Institute film -- to be screened at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, but no longer co-sponsored -- is based on.
Oltman's article also recounts the controversy surrounding the Smithsonian screening of the film and quotes retired professor John Patterson, who calls Intelligent Design "scientifically bankrupt." Patterson describes his thoughts on "The Privileged Planet" in a review of the book,
Hector Avalos, an associate professor of religious studies at Iowa State compares the screening of the film at the Smithsonian to a group renting a room at the Memorial Union at Iowa State. "However, I fear that ID people will try to represent such a screening as legitimizing their pseudo-science," he said.
"Gonzalez said the basic thesis of "Privileged Planet" is that the rare conditions which make Earth habitable show it was designed for humans. He said the book also goes a step further by arguing the universe was meant for discovery and that Earth's rare conditions make it the optimal place from which to study the universe.
"Gonzalez said he became a proponent of Intelligent Design in 1995 after viewing a total eclipse in India and believing it was not a coincidence that he could see it from Earth as a result of the Earth's conditions."
Oltman's article also recounts the controversy surrounding the Smithsonian screening of the film and quotes retired professor John Patterson, who calls Intelligent Design "scientifically bankrupt." Patterson describes his thoughts on "The Privileged Planet" in a review of the book,
"And should bewildering mysteries remain, it is always better to address them with the time-honored methods of modern science, than to posit things like Intelligent Designers, Supernatural Creators and such, that serve only to increase the levels of confusion and mystery around us, rather than clear it away."
Hector Avalos, an associate professor of religious studies at Iowa State compares the screening of the film at the Smithsonian to a group renting a room at the Memorial Union at Iowa State. "However, I fear that ID people will try to represent such a screening as legitimizing their pseudo-science," he said.
