In Intelligent Design and The Return of the God Hypothesis, Dr. Stephen Meyer argues that modern scientific discoveries support the idea of an intelligent creator. He critiques materialistic views, like those of Richard Dawkins, and highlights evidence such as the fine-tuning of the universe and the complexity of DNA. Meyer contends that these findings point to a transcendent designer, aligning with the concept of God, offering a stronger explanation than random, material processes.

The God Hypothesis and Its Explanatory Power

At the start, Dr. Stephen Meyer introduces the "God hypothesis," arguing that it provides superior explanatory power over competing worldviews like deism, materialism, and pantheism. He counters biologist Richard Dawkins' claim that the universe shows no evidence of design, purpose, or morality. Meyer contends that scientific materialism, as promoted by Dawkins, is a metaphysical hypothesis that can be tested against observations of the world. Meyer asserts that the universe displays characteristics that suggest intelligent design, hinting at a theistic source.

The Rise of Modern Science in Western Civilization

Meyer then explores how modern science uniquely emerged in the Judeo-Christian context of Western Europe between 1300 and 1750. He notes that while other civilizations made advancements, the systematic investigation of nature, focusing on isolating variables and mathematizing descriptions, was specific to the Christian West. This was due to intellectual presuppositions rooted in the Judeo-Christian worldview, which emphasized the contingency of nature and the freedom of God. Meyer contrasts this with the Greek assumption of an intrinsic logic in nature, which was not empirically grounded.

Order in Nature and the Existence of a Creator

Meyer uses the analogy of different types of paintbrushes to illustrate the idea that the order we observe in nature is not predetermined but a result of deliberate choices made by a creator. He emphasizes that the order of nature must be discovered through empirical investigation. Additionally, Meyer discusses the Judeo-Christian belief in human exceptionalism, rooted in the idea that humans, made in God's image, possess the unique cognitive abilities needed to understand the design and order in nature.

The Origins of Science in a Judeo-Christian Worldview

Continuing, Meyer discusses how scientific testability and observation were developed to understand the contingent nature of the world. This approach was necessary to avoid self-deception, emphasizing the theological reflections of scientists like Kepler and Newton. However, with the rise of new scientific theories in the 18th and 19th centuries, theism as an explanatory framework was largely abandoned in favor of materialistic explanations of the universe, such as Laplace's theory of the solar system’s origins without invoking God.

The Rise of Scientific Materialism

Meyer traces the historical development of scientific materialism, highlighting how 19th-century scientific progress led to a narrowing of religious belief. He explains how scholars like Richard Dawkins and David Barash contributed to the rise of atheism and agnosticism by promoting materialistic theories. Meyer argues that this trend is unnecessary, introducing the first of three scientific discoveries that challenge materialism: the origin of the universe. Cosmology, he notes, has established that the universe had a definite beginning, implying a cause beyond the physical realm.

Causality and the Expansion of the Universe

Meyer discusses the principle of causality and its importance in understanding the universe scientifically. He explains how discoveries in observational astronomy and theoretical physics led to the conclusion that the universe had a singularity before its beginning, where physical reasoning becomes impossible. This points to a cause beyond the material universe. Additionally, he highlights the "fine-tuning" problem in physics, where the fundamental forces of the universe appear finely tuned to allow for life, suggesting an intelligent cause.

Fine-Tuning in the Universe and DNA

Meyer delves deeper into the concept of fine-tuning, using examples like the cosmological constant, which must be precisely calibrated to enable life. He argues that the improbability of such fine-tuning cannot be explained by chance or the weak anthropic principle. He further strengthens his argument by discussing the code-like properties of DNA, suggesting that the presence of information in living cells points to intelligent design rather than materialistic explanations like natural selection.

The Complexity of DNA as Evidence for Design

Meyer highlights DNA’s complexity, describing it as an advanced information storage system. He cites figures who compare DNA to a software program, to argue that the source of such complex information must be a mind, not a material process. Meyer discusses the Cambrian explosion, where numerous animal forms appeared abruptly without evolutionary precursors, questioning how such forms could have emerged without new information being introduced into the evolutionary process.

Design Inference and Its Broader Implications

Meyer discusses the development of methods for detecting design, particularly in biology, over the past 20 years. He explains that design inferences are common, such as when we recognize the human faces carved into Mount Rushmore. Meyer argues that intelligent causes, rather than material ones, best explain the large amounts of specified information found in living systems. He expands his argument to include cosmology and physics, claiming that fine-tuning and the origin of the universe point to an intelligent cause outside of space, time, and matter.

A Transcendent Designing Agent

Meyer argues that the evidence for the beginning and fine-tuning of the universe points to a designing agent beyond the universe itself. He distances this notion from the idea of an imminent intelligence or a deistic creator, suggesting instead that the designer's characteristics align with those traditionally attributed to God by faith. Meyer's argument does not claim to offer absolute proof of theism but suggests that it provides a more compelling explanation for the origins of life and the universe compared to materialism, deism, or pantheism.

Challenging the Naturalistic Explanation of Life

Meyer contrasts the naturalistic view of life’s origins—where life emerges from a chemical soup through random processes—with his view that intelligent design better explains phenomena such as DNA’s information content, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the existence of consciousness. He critiques the limitations of scientific materialism, suggesting that a theistic worldview offers a more coherent explanation for life’s complexity.

Materialism’s Inadequacy and the Theistic Alternative

Finally, Meyer critiques materialism's failure to answer key questions about consciousness and morality. He quotes astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, suggesting that materialists' faith in reason alone leads to intellectual dead-ends. Meyer advocates for rethinking science and reason within a theistic framework, arguing that this approach not only aligns with personal belief but also offers a better explanation for the discoveries of modern science, particularly in cosmology and biology.

This program was recorded on March 30, 2021.

Dr. Stephen C. Meyer, who holds a Ph.D. in the philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge, is a former geophysicist and college professor. He now leads the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. Meyer is the author of several influential books, including the New York Times best seller Darwin’s Doubt, Signature in the Cell, and The Return of the God Hypothesis. [ Full Bio ]

The New York Times bestselling author of Darwin’s Doubt, presents groundbreaking scientific evidence of the existence of God, based on breakthroughs in physics, cosmology, and biology.

Beginning in the late 19th century, many intellectuals began to insist that scientific knowledge conflicts with traditional theistic belief—that science and belief in God are “at war.” Philosopher of science Stephen Meyer challenges this view by examining three scientific discoveries with decidedly theistic implications.