MHCC instructor of philosophy Chris Jackson will be arguing against the views of many creationists and their theories on Monday.

From noon to 1 p.m. in the Town and Gown Room, Jackson will be discussing the ideas of creationism and the intelligent design theory. The theory attempts to prove natural evolution is not sufficient enough to explain Earth and its many complexities. Jackson, however, takes the more scientific side.

“I’m not about de-bunking creationism,” Jackson said.

Jackson, whos interest in epistemology and pseudoscience led him to question more complex issues such as creationism, thus leading him to the intelligent design theory. He said that in order for a theory to exist it needs to make some sort of prediction and he says the Intelligent Design Theory doesn’t do that.

The theory, in its simplest form, argues that the Earth and the life that lives on it is too complex to have just evolved. There is irreducible complexity, which is the idea that natural evolution has loop holes and is not a completely sufficient enough answer for the way that Earth works and the way that all of the different species exist.

Jackson decided then, to e-mail Duane Gish, a scientist and well-known debater on the subject of creationism. Gish is also the vice-president of the Institute for Creation Research, which focuses on the use of science and natural phenomenon’s to explain the existence of a higher being.

In hopes of a discussion, Jackson asked Gish to provide him with five predictions from the intelligent design theory and according to Jackson, Gish could not come up with them.
Jackson said, “The intelligent design is a good criticism of evolution, but not really an arrival theory.”