Dr. Don Johnson (with earned Ph.D.s in both informational and natural sciences), the founder of Science Integrity, once believed anyone not accepting the "proven" evolutionary scenario that was ingrained during his science education was of the same mentality as someone believing in a flat Earth. With continued scientific investigation, paying closer attention to actual data (rather than speculative conclusions), he began to doubt the natural explanations that had been so ingrained in a number of key areas including the origin and fine-tuning of mass and energy, the origin of life with its complex information content, and the increase in complexity in living organisms. It was science, and not religion, that caused his disbelief in the explanatory powers of undirected nature. The fantastic leaps of faith required to accept the undirected natural causes in these areas demand a scientific response to the scientific-sounding concepts that in fact have no known scientific basis. Scientific integrity needs to be restored so that ideas that have no methods to test or falsify are not considered part of science. Science needs to avoid unsubstantiated speculation based on "science as we don't know it." Speculation is important for investigating whether proposed mechanisms are possible, but great care is needed if those speculations are conveyed outside the scientific community. For example, the argument "we don't yet know how this feature can arise by undirected natural processes, but we will someday" is not a scientific statement. It is faith based on "naturalism of the gaps" dogma, which has no more scientific validity than the "God of the gaps" theology as an explanation for currently unexplainable complexity.
Service Activities
Science Presentations cover topics from natural and informational sciences and address questions like:
Can undirected natural processes account for mass, energy, life, or speciation?
What is the role of chance? Are we just incredibly lucky?
What is information and what does it have to do with life?
What is Intelligent Design and why is it important? Is it unambiguously detectable by known empirical science?
Targeted audience will have an interest in science, but need not have a scientific degree.
Example video: The Information of Life (.5 GB, might have been removed) or excerpts
Handout and video for "Bio-Informatics: the Information in Life" (presented 4/8/10 at UNCW)
Handout and video for "Is Undirected Naturalism Sufficient?"
Debates on Naturalism -- Does it Work?
Typically debate forum is a secular college, with both pro and anti stances presented .
Advisor on Covering Naturalistic Weakness (for a schoolboard, for example)
Avoiding "religious" (creationism) pitfalls and highlighting scientific evidence
Distribute educational material
Such as Probability's Nature and Nature's Probability: A Call to Scientific Integrity
and Probability's Nature and Nature's Probability – Lite: A Sequel for the Non-Scientist and a Clarion Call to Scientific Integrity
Soon to be published
A new book "Programming of Life" is finished. Every cell has thousands of interacting computers reading billions of bits of digital information, including implementation of extremely complex digital computer programs. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has written "Human DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software we've ever created" [The Road Ahead]. Can you imagine how believable it would be if someone were to suggest that the Windows 7 operating system just arose by natural processes? If all goes well, the book should be available In August. This project has delayed other projects, such as updates.
Table of Contents (format isn't correct, but you can get the idea)
Introduction v
A Quick Guide to Reading Each Chapter vi
1 Math Basics: Probability and Large or Small Numbers 1
2 Information Basics: Data and Information Types 7
3 Evolution of Computer Hardware and Software 13
4 Life Basics 17
5 Shannon Information in Life 35
6 Prescriptive Programming Information in Life 41
7 Combining Life’s Information Types 47
8 Programming Increasing Complexity in Life 53
9 Where Information Leads and Unresolved Difficulties 77
References 88
Science Integrity
5002 Holly Tree Rd
Wilmington, NC 28409
Phone: (952)583-0106
Email: don@scienceintegrity.net