Controversial of Intelligent Design Theory

Many people believe that Intelligent Design is a comparative science against Evolution theory. Actually, why intelligent design is so controversial? What types of researches have been done by those ID supporters? Is there any evidence to proof the theory? Does the theory conclude with scientific method? If we read most of the ID and evolution argument, it is clearly seen that ID is not a science.

Some arguments say that evolution is the best theory every in our history? It may sound odd in one’s hear. Why the theory that says we have a close connection with monkey is the best? It is absurd. Well, look at it this way. Since this theory is propose, how many experiments and critics are born? Besides, Darwin has evidence to proof his theory? Does Intelligent Design theory provide any evidence? Probably, they will always say, “Oh, Divine Power can be proven.” What a non sense!

In order to be considered science the theory has to have evidence and able to explain how it work. What Intelligent Design position here? How this ID work? Who is the master designer? Where is the blueprint? A design has to have a sketch or blue print, right? For example: a painting, we can tell the difference between Da Vinci and Michelangelo because each has its unique. What about ID? How can we relate the design to its designer? No wonder, people say that ID is a creation of lazy and non critical person because nothing can be answer with this theory.

Flame on (Morality Reconsidered)

The theme of movie “Flame On” is our unknowingness about quality of life. We always do thing that is out of the line (normal life) such as homosexuality and lesbian. It is taboo to have the same relationship with the same kind. Public opinion has been set that it is immoral to be a gay or lesbian. Men suppose to be with women that’s why men and women first created. Women are men companion and so are men.

In this modern world, homosexuality has been a new trend. It is luring more and more men and women into its world. Even the biggest philosopher Socrates and Plato are homosexual. Not to mention, King Edward and Queen also part of this society. Even the world isolate them, it still does not put the flame off.

All the immoral things that we do are parts of our finding stage of the quality of our life. We actually do not know the best life for us. That’s why we always dare to try new thing or breaking the law. In fact, people like to try taboo and new thing in their life. We love forbidden fruit. Once we get into it, it is too late to get away from it.

DNA and our brain - James Watson

Dr. James Watson argues that gene is more dominant in our life. He believes that nature has more influence than nurture. Well, I disagree with his idea about nature more dominant than nurture. A research proof that a child was born with high IQ can not grow up and be an instant Einstein. Once a child is isolated in his or her childhood, no matter how high his or her IQ is, it is useless.

Researches proof the declining metacognition grown of those children. In learning process, a child needs peer and adults help, besides his or her self nature cognition. In order to push the learning level, children acquire social learning technique by mimicking and gaining the knowledge from peers or adults. Even though a child has a smart gene in it, without nurture it is meaningless and so is the apposite.

It is true that intelligent parents will most likely have intelligent children as well. The biologists show the genotype of those cases. Their children have high intelligent because they get 23 pair of chromosome from each parents. Each chromosome contents trait from the parents’ gene. Those genes with the smart DNA replicate themselves, thus their children have a high IQ.

Again, our brain is not like computer's CPU that has been programmed before Dell or Sony put it up in the market. Our brains receive the software installation during our learning stage (usually childhood). If a virus is installed in the processor, it does not work well, and so it our brain. If we learn the wrong thing, we turn out to be messed up.

Nietzsche's Myth of Eternal Recurrence

Nietzsche’s myth of eternal recurrence-will it be the heaviest burden we ever had? We have to do the same thing again and again. We have to suffer from the same pain forever. Life will be very boring and meaningless. We do not have any desire anymore because we know what is going to be next, or when we are going to die and resurrected. After all, the same thing, memory, pain, and feeling will go over again.

Well, as an apposite, if we have a happy life, for sure we will love to repeat the same life. Imagine we have our family, people that we love. We don’t have to say good bye because of our mortal life. We are going to be reborn and reunited. We are having the same warm family and experiencing the joyful holiday. What a nice life! No matter who tell us the secret of eternal recurrence, we will never regret it.

Well, it is just a myth that a demon tells us the secret of life. Once we know the secret, are we going to take that life? We are people that always want freedom. If we have already known the future, are we going to go through the same process? For sure, we will make a change.

We are not robot that will do the same thing over and over. We will always try to improve our life. If we are unhappy in this life, we will try to have happiness in next. If we know that we will die by car accident, for sure we will be trying to avoid driving a car. Or, if we know that we will be murdered, are we going to kill the killer first? What’s the future is going to be like if every one is trying to be “God” and determine our own life?

John Polkinghorne interview

John Polkinghorne a theoretical physicist and also an Anglican priest argues that the existence of the universe serves a deeper purpose. The big bang is not an accident that apparently creates the universe. The universe conducive to our existence, therefore we are wondering about the universe today.

Professor Polkinghorne gives an example of Quantum theory which was discovered 75 years ago. Until today, this theory is still not completely understood. There is still a missing link and can’t be explained yet. Thus, this explains that there is a divine power involve in those events.

He has two reasons to explain why physicists find more evidence of divinity in their work than evolutionary biologists. First of all, physicists see the beauty of the universe while biologists see the ups and down and the extinction. Secondly, biologists discover the DNA and can explain how it all comes from. On the other hand, physicists also make a remarkable discovery: gravitation by Newton for example, but they can not explain the reason, why it happens. Still, Professor Polkinghorne assures that the biologists have not discovered the secret of life yet, for there is still a lot of work to be done.

Beyond Good and Evil- Nietzsche Channel

Nietzsche argues religions are our sacrifice of freedom, pride, self confidence, enslavement, self-mockery, and self mutilation. He uses a huge field as symbolize of our soul needs. How we lose our self confidence because of religion. How we depend on religion in our daily life.

We do not know what is science and conscience any more. We hope that the “Power” above will send help, but there is no body there that can help us. To get us out from the misery, we have to do self finding. Since we are losing our keen eyes and nose, we do not have our self confidence and free will anymore.

Nietzsche believes that religion is lack of philology. All the claims of the religious leader that the closest truth is only gain when one believe in God is nonsense. He gives an example of Christianity conquered to Europe where people were killing each others assuming that their religions were the only truth. In fact, it is the fatal self assumption ever made, the worst mistake of mankind history. Religion creates happiness and yet sorrows to its believers.

Hidden Side of “Perfect” Master

Thakar Singh claims to be the channel of God. In the appearance and teaching, he sounds so perfect. Thus, his followers devote and will die for him. Anything that he does is believed to be God’s comment. The followers do not question his method of healing or teaching. It is all because of his followers faiths.

Blindfolding children to release their pure consciousness as Thakar Singh claims sound like a lie to me. Toddlers and preschools suppose to learn about everything by using all of their senses, such as seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and touching. Lack of one of the senses will create the instability in learning about the life. Besides, children need to have a social life, so they can learn from their peers. Once children are blindfolding, they lack of self confidence and depend on adults.

In that short film, adults that suppose to teach them the life even are destructing them with sexual harassment. Not only children, women, as always, become the victim of man. It is strange if we think about it. We know that not only men have the right of life, as women we have that same right too. Why don’t we do something and refuse the discriminative behavior? Why we let the cult believes to do the bad thing to us? Can we put our brain in use for our own sake?

Critical Thinking-Steven D. Schfersman

I agree with Steven D. Schfersman about the importance of critical thinking in modern education. It is true that we get all the basic education from school, such as numbers, grammar, and scientific facts that we need to survive in this life. Most of the teachers forget the most valuable lesson that they should have though the students: critical thinking. Basic education provides us basic education to survive, but critical thinking gives us better life.

At school we learn how to do math, thus we can do business in our real life because we know math. Imagine what will happen in business if we don’t know how to calculate number. Maybe we still live in a cave and only do barter for our needs. Once we know math, we know how to do business. In fact we want to have a better life. We do not satisfy with our simple business, for we want to make money and retire soon. Then critical thinking plays an important rule here. In order to achieve the dream, one has to plan how to make more money today and retire tomorrow.

Imagine a world would be if Eistein did not wonder why apple fall from the tree. If he only looked at it as a natural phenomenon, we would not have our modern technology today. Luckily, he did it. He learned about the critical thinking, thus he did more research to find the answer. Finally, here we are today with all of his contribution to make our life better.

It is sad to know that US education system is declining. We are a big nation, yet we fail in teaching our next generation. Well, if we look at the education today, it is clearly show that we only require memorizing all the terminologies and facts. One of my personal experiences is mathematic. It is surprise me when I look at the calculus text book. I have a funny feeling when reading pages by pages just to learn one math concept. At the end of the chapter, we do the numeric calculation. Even though there is a small section in the book that content critical thinking skill, but it is just an enhancement that is rarely covered in the class. So, what is the main purpose of studying math if we do not know how to put it in use in out daily life? Shouldn’t we been thought about the real math usage instead of adding or multiplying numbers which can be easily done if we know the formula?

Terror in the Mind of God-Mark Juergensmeyer

Mark Juergensmeyer discovers the religion has been used by the politician to get the support from their people. He gives several examples from Iraq to India where the extreme believers fight for their faith. The battle in Iraq in the eyes of American is the fight to support the democracy in Iraq. On the other hand, the Middle East has a different opinion: they believe that American tries to prevent the spreading of Islam there. They have a strong faith that God is in their side if they keep fighting in the long run American can not win, for someday Islam will prevail. Juergensmeyer is surprised to hear that because religion causes a terror instead of peace and happiness.

The acts that we, American, believe as a terrorist acts such as the Federal building bombing and World Trade Center repeal to be as a wake up event to show us that the government is the enemy. They are trying to tell us that the government has been killing million of people in the world, such as Hiroshima and Nagazaki bombing during World War II. The bomber is trying to tell us and to convince us in the hard that we are at war at this moment. They will not responsible for the bombing because they believe they do God's will.

Juergensmeyer concludes the terror in the world happens because of religion. Each has a different belief, thus put his or her faith in the line for every terror that appears. When he saw the ground zero, where people from all background and believe were praying with candles and flowers for the victims, he convinces it was our faith that caused all the terrors in this world and the same faith that turn the world into shrine.

Secret of Faqir Chand

Faqir Chand gains his realization after the battle where he and other soldiers were saved miraculously by his dream. He dreams that his guru comes, gives them moral supports, and advices them for not wasting their ammunitions to fight for the enemies that will banish soon. They listen and interpret his dream, thus they are save. People are worshipping him more than his guru. This worship makes him wondering. Why these people do this? He does not even care about the other soldiers at that time, is he worthy to be praised?

Finally, he realizes that there is no other helper besides our selves. Our faith that is the focus of our consciousness is the main help when we are distress or desperate. There is no God form from nothing. Just have the faith, and believe in what you are doing, you have created the great helper of your own

Design of the Universe - Freeman Dyson

Freeman Dyson advises that religion and science are two different ideologies. Religion believes that universe exist because of “God” while science claims that universe exist because of some kind of theory that has been proven. Even though science has a theory about some of the creation of the universe; but there are still a lot that left unanswered. He suggests we are separated those two different view of universe (religion and science) and start action instead of thinking.

When we have faith of what we are doing, the life will have much more meaning to us. Stop arguing about the origin of the universe will bring happiness to our life. Religion and science are two great idea for our life, and yet different point of view of the universe. All the theories are trying to explain the design of the universe, but even left more mystery that need to be solved.

Why I'm Not a Christian

Bertrand Russell admits that he is not a Christian due to the reason that Christ is cruel and creates unhappiness to the world. He gives several examples about Christ’s life. How He curses the fig tree for not having a fruit when He needs it. At another moment, he curses the Babel for their sin and destroys their city. The most recent of his preaching is heaven and hell including all the cruel punishments.

From his point of view, Buddha and Socrates are as high as Christ or even above the Christ. Those philosophers teach forgiveness and not cursing others. When Christ creates the cruelty of hell, He shows the world the extreme and immoral practice of sin. While at the other hand, He always say about forgive others.

He assumes that in order to live in a good life; we do not have to be a Christian. Other religion, such as Buddhist, Hindu, and Muhammad also teach the same thing. What is so special about the cruel preaching of God?

Intelligent Design - Ken Miller

Ken Miller argues that human exist because of intelligent design and not because of evolution. According to his argument, human are designed to be the superior. If human exist because of an accident or random changes, human will not have to care about moral value. He gives an example of bacteria Flagellum where one part is removed but still functioning. Thus, this proves that every part is designed and created to have a certain function.

Intelligent Design theory more looks like a creation. He even point out several book that originally is about creation theory. Intelligent Design’s argument seem too vague and weak. When there is a broader answer, they always conclude the theory back to Intelligent Design. There is not enough evidence to support the arguments, just like the religion teaching. People are only listening without arguing.

The film "Eleven"

The film “Eleven” about the reporter’s short life carries a message that anything can happen to anybody. Even though the most planned event, such as murdering the Muslim, still has unpredictable incident. Samoan Jones, the founder of the gang, established the group of army of his own after his father unfortunate death on 911. He has a dream to free the world from terrorism. Thus, the group formed and started its mission “Killing the Muslim.”

The well planned strategy but lack of research and evidence had cost two innocent lives. Those two people suppose to have a bright future (the biologist student and the reporter) died for nothing. They never planned to be murdered because of their dreams. Many things cross our life, even a well planned life still has to face the unpredictable incident.

The Himalayan Connection

The short story about Faqir Chand’s dream is really beyond someone belief. There is an increasing doubt for his dream. What can a dream do to our life? Can it really tell something? Should we rely on one’s dream? For us who just listen to the amazing story of the dream that save solder’s life, it may sound like a coincidence. In scientific explanation, it is the most accurate mathematical calculation about the prospective of the war. When the soldiers will be out of supply, when they will be defeated, and even the help will come.

Dream is one of the proofs that the brain is the most powerful part of our body. Even though we are not awake, it is still firing the neurons and keep sending message. As a result, our brain produce dreams that we always thought meaningless. The fact is, for some religion, dream has meaning. The story about Faqir Chand’s dream is believed to save soldier’s life.

Astrology and mystical topic are among the favorites topic that we like. Most of the time, we just love to know that a good future is waiting for us. We believe all the astrology says about out zodiac. We have the faith of it all. How it effect us? Probably the most make sense answer is, it gives us confidence and courage. Why it doesn’t carry the same effect when we get the advice from our best friend, friends or sibling instead of some unknown writer? Our brain is easily been tricked. When we get advice or knowledge from others, our consciousness creates superior effect as some nature works to our life. On the other hand, when the advice comes from the person that we know, it is just an advice from some one care about us.

Physic behind Demonstration-Willey

It is interesting to study science if someone knows how to spark other's interests. Most teachers always do talking and explaining theory to their students. Our brains are designed to believe and accept a phenomenon when one can provide real evidence to it. Instead of speaking of foreign science language, it is most effective to demonstrate an amazing physical event. As in the assigned reading “The Physics Behind Four Amazing Demonstration” of David G. Willey, he gives four simple bizarre demonstrations and explain the mystery behind it.

The technique that Willey's teacher uses to persuade the students in physic studying has successfully proven. Human brain is the biggest mystery and miracle of life. It can be useless when the person does not care and have an effort to explore the life. Willey says it himself that he almost fails the class because he was bored. To the society, whenever someone fails, they believe it is because of that person's stupidity. They do not try to understand the real reason of the failure.

A good teacher always knows how to get the students' attention. It is a fortunate to have that kind of teacher. Maybe the same reason applies to this online critical thinking class. We are bored at listening to the teacher's prophecy and try to pursue a different technique with different kinds of reading and videos instead of reading the hundred pages text books.

Karma

The movie “Karma” main idea is about Hinduism and Buddhist believes in Karma. What goes around comes around. If one does a good thing, for sure he or she will receive a good result in his or her life. That movie gives several examples about that. One man beats other and probably kills that poor guy. The next moment, that killer is killed by his girl friend. Another moment, a kid robs a man in a parking lot. Because that kid does something wrong and in a hurry, he forgets his own safety and is hit by another car in that parking lot.

Those are an obvious examples regarding karma. Maybe we will not see that immediate result of one’s wrong attitude or behavior. Sometimes we heard that a serial killer strikes and murders several innocent victims. We are wondering when that psycho will be caught. Why? Because we believe in Karma, “what goes around comes around.”

In our point of view those psycho has killed several “innocent” victims. According to some religious, those victims are not necessary innocent. They believe that those poor victims had done something wrong, and now they get the result of their past behavior. Is it true? How can we prove that? Of course, we can not. It is purely a belief.

Cargo Cult - Feynman,R

Richard Feynman critics the learning culture that we are taught to adopt. Prof. Feynman believes, in scientific method, there is a hypothesis and experiment before getting to the thesis. Some how, people tend to avoid previous experiment because it has been established. Scientist is changing and continuing others experiment without proving or making sure the established theory is right or not. This is the culture of people are taught to avoid wasting time by repeating the original experiment and jump to the conclusion with difference equipments.

This is how we are taught to accept the science without question and soon becomes nature attitude. If we look back when we have killed hundred of women because of witch accusation, we should be ashamed of. Those innocent women had been died for false accusation.

Imagine a difference scenario, where we are taught to believe in something after proving it is right or wrong with several experiments. Those women probably still alive and their families did not have to suffer. The education system taught us this cargo cult believe, so we have to pay the price.

Pleasure of Finding Things Out

Richard Feynman always believes that one should enjoy science and apply it to his or her daily life. One should not do science because of an award or honor. First, interested in simple and silly event and apply science to it. Life will be more colorful and fun. His father seems to be a strong influence to his life and his principle. The same attitude, he is trying to share to his children. He applies science through daily life and finds its pleasure.

Prof. Feynman shares an excellent technique in teaching his children about science. He figures out that reading all the stuff from books is boring. He tries to spark the children interest by explaining the physic or chemistry through a make story in a game and showing the real example instead of pictures in a book. He also admits that some children might learn science difference way, such as his daughter. She learns science by listening to others reading from books and not a make-up story.

In real life, people only attract in something because of it physical appearance. If we look at amazing scenery, we only admit the physical appearance of the scene, maybe because of the amazing stream surrounding the hills or maybe because of the trees and the mountain. Have we ever stopped and thought? How it happened? Why? Or even apply science to explain the nature? If we do apply science to daily life because of pleasure, we will make a massive improvement to human knowledge.