Looking at a living cell is like looking into the future of our own designs. Within the cell, the chemical processes that make life possible are under teh control of coded inforamtion and sophisticated molecular machines. Could life be a true example of carbon-based nanotechnology that origianted from Mind? Could an intelligent agent possibly have designed life to exploit evolution? Could evolution and Intelligent Design be intimately linked in an elaborate dance we call life? Culminating with an insightful twist, Mike Gene has devised a unique, open-ended scoring methodology to help resolve such questions. With an analysis and approach that circumvents the polarization that typically plagues this discussion, he offers a truly fresh perspective on teh continuing and controversial debate between evolution and Intelligent Design. The Design Matrix: A Consilience of Clues is unlike any other book on Intelligent Design and evolution you will ever read. It is the beginning of a journey.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
Looking at a living cell is like looking into the future of our own designs. Within the cell, the chemical processes that make life possible are under the control of coded information and sophisticated molecular machines. Could life be a true example of carbonbased nanotechnology that originated from a Mind? Could an intelligent agent possibly have designed life to exploit evolution? Could evolution and Intelligent Design be intimately linked in an elaborate dance we call life? Culminating with an insightful twist, Mike Gene has devised a unique,open-ended scoring methodology to help resolve such questions. With an analysis and approach that circumvents the polarization that typically plagues this discussion, he offers a truly fresh perspective on the continuing and controversial debate between evolution and Intelligent Design. The Design Matrix: A Consilience of Clues is unlike any other book on Intelligent Design and evolution you will ever read. It is the beginning of a journey.
About the Author
Mike Gene is a controversial and respected voice in the debate on Intelligent Design. He the author of IdThink.net and the popular blog TheDesignMatrix.com.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A friend of mine has an overly strong commitment to things she learned when she was growing up. "Doctors say you need to drink eight glasses of water a day" is one. I ran across a story in which a leading researcher in his field told of his attempts to track down the source of that belief. He found no medical evidence for it; it just showed up one day in some magazine, and grew. He said there was no truth to it whatever. My friend's response: "I don't believe it." She wouldn't look at the source material; she already had her facts.
There's research out this week casting doubt on whether stretching before sports activities reduces injuries. I'm not going to bother telling my friend. She won't read the report, and she won't believe it. She knows we should all drink eight glasses of water a day and that stretching before exercise reduces injuries. She knows it because that's what she has always heard.
I expect similar reactions from evolutionists to Mike Gene's The Design Matrix: A Consilience of Clues. Everyone in the pro-evolution, anti-Intelligent Design crowd knows that
- ID is thinly disguised creationism
- ID is just negative science (nothing but picking points against evolution)
- ID has no positive research program
- ID makes no predictions
- ID relies on a "God of the gaps" approach to knowledge
- ID presents no testable hypotheses
- ID is dogmatically driven by people with a theological/philosophical agenda
Everybody knows these things. Mike Gene shows that none of them are true. The evolutionists, I fear, are not going to read it; they're just going to say, "I don't believe it." Like my friend, they will stick with what's always been "true" for them in the past.
The author says in the intro to the book that he remains anonymous so that his ideas can be evaluated for themselves, without prejudice concerning who is presenting them. It seems likely he's also carrying out some career protection, too. If he's working in a university biology department (and yes, he does know his science), it could obviously risky for him to "come out" as an ID supporter. (See his Design Matrix website for more.)
The way that he supports ID is refreshingly unique, however. He doesn't argue for a conclusion of Intelligent Design at all. He argues more modestly, for a suspicion of Intelligent Design. He would have a beef with dogmatists on either side of the issue. Quite helpfully he distinguishes between the strong evidence required for conviction by a court of law, and evidence required by an investigating detective. A detective arrives on the scene with nothing but questions. His first objective is to move toward reasonable suspicions. A little hint there, a vague clue there: these things can move him toward a theory of a crime; and from there he can begin to look for more definite signs. Eventually, much further down the road, proof may come. Mike Gene believes we should recognize ID is in the developing suspicion stage: there is no hard scientific proof of design, but there are hints and clues that raise a most reasonable suspicion, and which can lead to a search for more definite signs.
These hints and clues he summarizes into his "Design Matrix," four relatively independent factors to test for in nature:
- Analogy with known instances of design
- Discontinuity with observed or means by which evolution works
- Rationality apparent in the design of the natural feature
- Foresight apparent in the design of the natural feature
These are defined such that they can all lead to testable research hypotheses. We're not talking about black/white, unambiguous research results, however ("Evolution never could have done this!" or "Evolution absolutely could have done this, it's easy!"). Natural phenomena can be scored on a continuum, Mike Gene says; we're still in the detective stage, not the judge and jury stage. We're looking for suspicions of ID, so we should be open to gradations on the scales of the Design Matrix. Only one of them, by the way (Discontinuity), bears any relationship to the tired stereotype that ID is nothing but a negative science that resorts to god-of-the-gaps thinking.
Mike Gene wrote this book with a sense of humor. (Thank God for an evolution/ID-related book with a sense of humor!) The book wraps around a theme of the Rabbit and the Duck. It's a metaphor about our preconceptions, and the way they can color our perceptions. I won't try to replay it for you; I'll just quote the book's final paragraph, and leave it to you to read the book and chase down the metaphor for yourself:
"So as we begin our journey, these lessons, coupled with all the lessons in these chapters, must be kept in mind. We are not engaging in a Duck Hunt; we are going to chase the Rabbit. So, do you see that rabbit hole over your shoulder? Yeah, that one. Wanna have some fun? Well, grab your Design Matrix, and follow that Rabbit."
(There's much more Rabbit fun on the Telic Thoughts blog, where Mike Gene writes frequently.)
Some of you reading this "know" that ID is nothing but negative science, it's just god-of-the-gaps, and it's a mere religious ploy. You won't read the book; you won't accept that ID-related thinking can lead to genuine research questions; you'll just say, "I don't believe it." I strongly urge you to get your hands on a copy of this uniquely creative approach to Intelligent Design, and find out where the Rabbit leads you.
There's research out this week casting doubt on whether stretching before sports activities reduces injuries. I'm not going to bother telling my friend. She won't read the report, and she won't believe it. She knows we should all drink eight glasses of water a day and that stretching before exercise reduces injuries. She knows it because that's what she has always heard.
I expect similar reactions from evolutionists to Mike Gene's The Design Matrix: A Consilience of Clues. Everyone in the pro-evolution, anti-Intelligent Design crowd knows that
- ID is thinly disguised creationism
- ID is just negative science (nothing but picking points against evolution)
- ID has no positive research program
- ID makes no predictions
- ID relies on a "God of the gaps" approach to knowledge
- ID presents no testable hypotheses
- ID is dogmatically driven by people with a theological/philosophical agenda
Everybody knows these things. Mike Gene shows that none of them are true. The evolutionists, I fear, are not going to read it; they're just going to say, "I don't believe it." Like my friend, they will stick with what's always been "true" for them in the past.
The author says in the intro to the book that he remains anonymous so that his ideas can be evaluated for themselves, without prejudice concerning who is presenting them. It seems likely he's also carrying out some career protection, too. If he's working in a university biology department (and yes, he does know his science), it could obviously risky for him to "come out" as an ID supporter. (See his Design Matrix website for more.)
The way that he supports ID is refreshingly unique, however. He doesn't argue for a conclusion of Intelligent Design at all. He argues more modestly, for a suspicion of Intelligent Design. He would have a beef with dogmatists on either side of the issue. Quite helpfully he distinguishes between the strong evidence required for conviction by a court of law, and evidence required by an investigating detective. A detective arrives on the scene with nothing but questions. His first objective is to move toward reasonable suspicions. A little hint there, a vague clue there: these things can move him toward a theory of a crime; and from there he can begin to look for more definite signs. Eventually, much further down the road, proof may come. Mike Gene believes we should recognize ID is in the developing suspicion stage: there is no hard scientific proof of design, but there are hints and clues that raise a most reasonable suspicion, and which can lead to a search for more definite signs.
These hints and clues he summarizes into his "Design Matrix," four relatively independent factors to test for in nature:
- Analogy with known instances of design
- Discontinuity with observed or means by which evolution works
- Rationality apparent in the design of the natural feature
- Foresight apparent in the design of the natural feature
These are defined such that they can all lead to testable research hypotheses. We're not talking about black/white, unambiguous research results, however ("Evolution never could have done this!" or "Evolution absolutely could have done this, it's easy!"). Natural phenomena can be scored on a continuum, Mike Gene says; we're still in the detective stage, not the judge and jury stage. We're looking for suspicions of ID, so we should be open to gradations on the scales of the Design Matrix. Only one of them, by the way (Discontinuity), bears any relationship to the tired stereotype that ID is nothing but a negative science that resorts to god-of-the-gaps thinking.
Mike Gene wrote this book with a sense of humor. (Thank God for an evolution/ID-related book with a sense of humor!) The book wraps around a theme of the Rabbit and the Duck. It's a metaphor about our preconceptions, and the way they can color our perceptions. I won't try to replay it for you; I'll just quote the book's final paragraph, and leave it to you to read the book and chase down the metaphor for yourself:
"So as we begin our journey, these lessons, coupled with all the lessons in these chapters, must be kept in mind. We are not engaging in a Duck Hunt; we are going to chase the Rabbit. So, do you see that rabbit hole over your shoulder? Yeah, that one. Wanna have some fun? Well, grab your Design Matrix, and follow that Rabbit."
(There's much more Rabbit fun on the Telic Thoughts blog, where Mike Gene writes frequently.)
Some of you reading this "know" that ID is nothing but negative science, it's just god-of-the-gaps, and it's a mere religious ploy. You won't read the book; you won't accept that ID-related thinking can lead to genuine research questions; you'll just say, "I don't believe it." I strongly urge you to get your hands on a copy of this uniquely creative approach to Intelligent Design, and find out where the Rabbit leads you.
19 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is probably the first book on Intelligent Design, on either side, to which I've given five stars. I'm not sure it's a brilliant book, and it's certainly not a satisfying one: "Mike Gene" hardly even pretends to begin to answer the main question, whether there is good evidence for purposeful, conscious design in the biosphere. In fact, Design Matrix is best understood by analogy to C. S. Lewis' Miracles: A Preliminary Study, in which Lewis discusses the philosophy of miracles for most the book, then looks briefly at a few examples once he has explained why he thinks they're possible, in theory. There's a big chunk of philosophy here, too. (Though also enough science both to persuade me that Mike knows what he's talking about, and to illustrate basic concepts.) It is only at the end that he feeds a few critters into his "Design Matrix," for a taste test, nothing more.
The Design Matrix is a preliminary study to a full and fair-minded scientific study of the evidence for design in biology. Unlike Lewis, Mike does not so much interogate the theoretical rationality of "miracles," (or rather intelligent intervention) as prepare a methodology for finding it. He seeks to place the question of ID on a really scientific footing -- which of course makes this primarily an exercise in the philosophy of science.
This he does quite well. Mike cites a broad range of mostly primary literature. His discussion of Irreducible Complexity is open-minded and illuminating. Logically, in a step-by-step manner, he takes us down different evolutionary pathways, showing dead-ends, detours, and "go" signs. He should win fair-minded readers on both sides over with his even-handed discussion -- if (I am tempted to add) there are any.
There's lots of good stuff in the book, but two things I don't miss are hype and hysteria. Once the jihadists find this volume, they will no doubt find nits to pick (harder hunting than usual), and issue fatwas, anathamas, and excommunications. Don't buy it. Mike is competent, underspoken, careful, fair, informed, and very much worth reading. Some parts of the book are a bit technical, but he also adds a touch of whimsy from time to time. He shows what an open mind might look like, studying biological forms in the light of design. The question seems broader and more open when he is done. This book is a challenge to pat answers on both sides. Still, this is a preliminary, and it can be frustrating to talk methodology when the real question is substance. I look forward to more filling entrees in the future. But this is a thought-provoking and mouth-watering hors d'oevre.
Author, The Truth Behind the New Atheism
The Design Matrix is a preliminary study to a full and fair-minded scientific study of the evidence for design in biology. Unlike Lewis, Mike does not so much interogate the theoretical rationality of "miracles," (or rather intelligent intervention) as prepare a methodology for finding it. He seeks to place the question of ID on a really scientific footing -- which of course makes this primarily an exercise in the philosophy of science.
This he does quite well. Mike cites a broad range of mostly primary literature. His discussion of Irreducible Complexity is open-minded and illuminating. Logically, in a step-by-step manner, he takes us down different evolutionary pathways, showing dead-ends, detours, and "go" signs. He should win fair-minded readers on both sides over with his even-handed discussion -- if (I am tempted to add) there are any.
There's lots of good stuff in the book, but two things I don't miss are hype and hysteria. Once the jihadists find this volume, they will no doubt find nits to pick (harder hunting than usual), and issue fatwas, anathamas, and excommunications. Don't buy it. Mike is competent, underspoken, careful, fair, informed, and very much worth reading. Some parts of the book are a bit technical, but he also adds a touch of whimsy from time to time. He shows what an open mind might look like, studying biological forms in the light of design. The question seems broader and more open when he is done. This book is a challenge to pat answers on both sides. Still, this is a preliminary, and it can be frustrating to talk methodology when the real question is substance. I look forward to more filling entrees in the future. But this is a thought-provoking and mouth-watering hors d'oevre.
Author, The Truth Behind the New Atheism
19 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Design Matrix: A Consilience of Clues is one of the best books I have read on the problems with Neo-Darwinism and the evidence for Intelligent Design. The author, a friend has informed me, is a professor at an Ivy league university and uses a pseudonym to avoid repercussions for questioning orthodox Neo-Darwinism. He stresses that his arguments should be accepted on their own merits, a point I agree with. He points out, correctly, that the internet can be an extremely hostile environment but, nonetheless, he learned a great deal about the now hot topic of Intelligent Design (ID) from internet discussions on his web site. There are people out there who are willing to debate this topic on a scientific level, and this book is a result of the debates Mike Gene has encountered. Dr. Gene stresses that there are people like him that are tired of the "name calling, innuendo, and political fights" and would rather debate the scientific issues. Dr. Gene stresses that he is an evolutionist and does not favor teaching ID in the schools, but does find the topic "tremendously intriguing." And knowing what has happened to others who took this position, he wisely prefers to say in the closet. Having said this, both supporters and detractors of ID will find his book excellent. Most of the text focuses on molecular biology, cell biology, evolution, and general biology. As such, it was an excellent read and I find many of the author's arguments very persuasive, often compelling. One example of many is the discussion of the optimized code on page 74-75 and the dozen or so complex proofreading systems covered on page 77-80. Highly recommended. I did noticed very few mistakes in the book, but I plan to reread it more carefully and may pick up some then.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
lucid and logical
I enjoyed the read and found the work not only readable but heavy enough in science to keep me interested. A nice lucid and logical discussion of a very emotionally charged issue.
Published 19 days ago by Charlie
2.0 out of 5 stars
Critique of The Design Matrix by Alan Fox
The subject of this book would appear to be "Intelligent Design" as the phrase (capitalised) appears five times in the first page of the introduction. Read more
Published on July 5, 2010 by Alan Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doing Science with Intelligent Design
Mike Gene, a maverick in the field of intelligent design, has succeeded in publishing a book that provides a way to do actual scientific research, using intelligent design. Read more
Published on September 8, 2009 by Bilbo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doing science with Intelligent Design
Mike Gene, a maverick in the field of intelligent design, has succeeded in publishing a book that provides a way to do actual scientific research, using intelligent design. Read more
Published on September 4, 2009
4.0 out of 5 stars
Designer verses Design
Mike Gene and I have had several frank discussions (some would say "heated") over his tendency to presume a designer with "human-like intelligence" as a starting point. Read more
Published on March 19, 2009 by Thought Provoker
1.0 out of 5 stars
still no option for a rating of zero stars
Executive summary - Don't waste your money on this book.
Chapter 1 - The example of the Face on Mars is used to show that we can detect design without detecting or... Read more
Chapter 1 - The example of the Face on Mars is used to show that we can detect design without detecting or... Read more
Published on March 3, 2009 by David A. Rintoul
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bioporn for Incestuous Playbunnies
Why 5 stars? The author admits that ID is not science and should not be taught to kids (perhaps for concerns with ideological pornography, but we'll never know). Read more
Published on June 20, 2008 by James Safranek
5.0 out of 5 stars
A balanced view with thought-provoking ideas
I bought this book based on the positive reviews and it didn't disappoint me: not pro- or anti- either side of the evolution/intelligent-design debate, but willing to view all the... Read more
Published on May 27, 2008 by T. Hadley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very nearly a top-tier ID book
No matter what you think about the ID debate, there is little doubt that a lot of smart people on both sides are writing books about it. Mike Gene (pseudonym) is no exception. Read more
Published on March 4, 2008 by Glenn Yates
5.0 out of 5 stars
The middle path
Is there a middle way between the design inference and natural causation? Between teleology and non-teleological evolution? Read more
Published on February 28, 2008 by Stephen P. Smith
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