Shenanigans? Interesting. I think I'll have to leave my interest in that on the back burner for now; the sudden shift from 'creation science' to 'intelligent design' rings a bell; especially in regards to the textbook subpoena in Kitzmiller v. Dover.
PaulK writes:
Certainly it fails to elucidate how we actually recognise design, focussing instead on a method that is impractical - and, as Dembski has since admitted, flawed.
Prepended: this next bit is a sort of position statement. Sorry.
I haven't read The Design Inference, but I have printed out several pages of his seminal thesis (upon which the book and his subsequent writing about Complex, Specified Information is based) for reference. When I first started reading the arguments from the Intelligent Design community I was immediately interested in their claim (based on Dembskis claim) that it is being used in Forensic Science and Archaeology.
It was a short order for me to cook up an argument probing my interlocutors as to
exactly how the Design Inference would differentiate between four scenarios. Needless to say, they merely told me I should read the Design Inference (a seeming tacit admission that they haven't read it, or at least haven't understood it).
Taking their bait, that's how I came to accessing Dembskis thesis (my library didn't have a copy of The Design Inference, but did have a copy of The Design Revolution which I was unimpressed by, to say the least). I've tried my best to comprehend it, but as I mentioned even Dembskis academic peers have criticized his writing for being misleading or hard to comprehend (and not because it's a difficult topic).
Suffice it to say, those actually involved in Forensics and Archaeology aren't impressed. See:
Chapter 8, written by Gary S. Hurd in 'Why Intelligent Design Fails'.
quote:
...focussing instead on a method that is impractical - and, as Dembski has since admitted, flawed.
I'm being tangential, pardon me.
How do you mean impractical? I've been reading the peer review and it's quite negative, but are you alluding to how the Design Inference (the Explanatory Filter) doesn't positively indicate design, but
negates the (purportedly) only other explanations?
I'm also interested to read Dembskis admission, if you could find it. I have noticed though that he shifts his explanations from the Design Inference in earlier work to the Explanatory Filter in later work, and uses different diagrams, flow-charts, etc. each of which are slightly different iterations of the same concept.
Addendum Sorry for the roundabout, merry-go-round of a reply. I do intend to collate my ideas and criticisms of Intelligent Design in the future. This is a late-night reply so it's off the cuff.