Contact: Robbie Ward
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Wichita State University professor and critic of the intelligent design creation theory will speak Wednesday [Feb. 14] at Mississippi State.
"Darwin, God and the Daughters of Time" will be the topic of Niall Shanks' presentation at a 4 p.m. public program in the Shackouls Honors College Forum Room of Griffis Residence Hall.
Shanks, a professor of history and philosophy of science, will discuss theories about the creation of life on Earth as proposed by 19th century English scientist Charles Darwin--usually referred to as Darwinism--and intelligent design, which was formulated in the 1990s in the United States.
Both theories seek to explain how life has changed through time. Intelligent design is a spin-off from the creationism theory that many intellectual supporters have embraced in recent years. While some researchers in the scientific community believe intelligent design can coincide with scientific standards and principles, others consider the two mutually exclusive.
Shanks, a native of England and author of "God, the Devil, and Darwin" (2004, Oxford University Press), is among the latter group.
Lynn Holt, head of MSU's department of philosophy and religion, said Shanks' lecture should invite wide discussion about the theories and encourage further thought on the origins of nature and humanity.
"Shanks doesn't say that religion and science are incompatible," Holt said. "He says creationism inspired by fundamentalist Christianity is incompatible with science."
A doctoral graduate of the University of Alberta, Canada, Shanks is the Gridley Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at WSU.
In addition to the department and honors college, his address--a part of MSU's Literature, Science and Philosophy Learning Community--is cosponsored by the Office of the Provost, Center for Teaching and Learning, College of Arts and Sciences, and Bagley College of Engineering.
Following his remarks, Shanks will be available to sign copies of his book, which is available locally.
For more information, contact Holt at (662) 325-7518 or dlh4@msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.