Michael Denton
Michael John Denton | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 25, 1943 |
| Citizenship | British/Australian |
| Alma mater | King's College London Bristol University Hebrew University, Jerusalem University of Toronto |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medicine, Biochemistry |
Michael John Denton (born 25 August, 1943) is a British-Australian author and biochemist. In 1973, Denton received his PhD in Biochemistry from King's College London.[1]
Denton wrote Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (1985), which was instrumental in starting the Intelligent Design movement,[2] and Nature's Destiny (1998). [3]
Denton was an influential proponent of Intelligent Design and is a former Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, hub of the Intelligent Design movement.[4]
Denton's views have changed over the years. His second book Nature's Destiny argues for a law-like evolutionary unfolding of life and therefore assumes evolution as a given.[5] He no longer openly associates with Discovery, and the Institute no longer lists him as a fellow.[6]
Many people continue to associate Denton with the Intelligent Design movement because his work, especially his early work, is cited in movement literature, for example Evolution: A Theory in Crisis is cited in the appendix of the controversial creationist intelligent design textbook, Of Pandas and People.[page needed]
Publications
Books
- Evolution: A Theory in Crisis. Adler & Adler, 1985
- Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal Purpose in the Universe. New York: Free Press, 1998.
Selected Articles
- Denton MJ, Marshall CJ, Legge M. "Protein Folds as Platonic Forms," Journal of Theoretical Biology 2002 Dec 7;219(3):325-342. Abstract
- Denton MJ, Arnstein HR, "Characterization of developing adult mammalian erythroid cells separated by velocity sedimentation," Br J Haematol. 1973 Jan;24(1):7-17.
References
- ^ The characterisation of developing adult mamalian[sic] erythroid cells separated by velocity sedimentation, Thesis database entry, King's College London
- ^ It had a profound influence on Phillip E. Johnson, founder of the ID movement, and George Gilder. See: Barbara Forrest and Paul R. Gross. Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design. Oxford University Press, 2004. pages 17, 259.
- ^ 29+ Evidences for Macroevolution: A Response to Ashby Camp's "Critique", Talk.Origins "Interestingly, it appears that Denton has finally rectified his misunderstanding about nested hierarchies and common descent, since in his latest book he unconditionally assumes the validity of the nested hierarchy, common descent, and the tree of life."
- ^ Barbara Forrest and Paul R. Gross. Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design. Oxford University Press, 2004. page 153
- ^ "[T]he second argument, developed in Part 2, that the cosmos is fit also for the evolutionary development of life" (p. xiv). See also especially chapter 12.
- ^ See lists here and here.
External links
- Are We Spiritual Machines? Ray Kurzweil Vs. the Critics of Strong A.I. with an essay by Michael Denton
- Review of Michael Denton's Evolution: A Theory in Crisis Mark I. Vuletic, Talk Origins