Dr. Steve Fuller speaks to Eastern students and faculty about intelligent design and science

On Feb. 2, McInnis auditorium was filled with students and professors who had all come to Windows on the World to hear Dr. Steve Fuller speak on the topic of intelligent design.

History professor Stephen Gatlin excitedly introduced Fuller, calling him “a polymath,” a person of great learning in several fields of study.

Fuller has studied the history and philosophy of science and earned a master’s degree from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. from Pittsburgh University in this subject.

He has written several books and published many articles on various subjects within the field of science.

This particular lecture dealt with the history of intelligent design and the individuals who contributed to its development.

Fuller focused on three specific people: Isaac Newton, a scientist who believed that God and science were inseparable; William Whewell, the man who coined the term “scientist” and Charles Darwin, a scientist who denied that evolution was part of an ultimate purpose created by God.

Fuller also addressed the complications of what he termed the “cultural schism” between religion and science which first arose during the 19th century.

This schism was caused by the attitude many people have adopted that they need to choose between creationism and evolutionism.

David Wilcox, professor in the biology department and author of God and Evolution: a Faith-based Understanding, commented on Fuller’s presentation, saying that he agreed with many of Fuller’s statements. However, there is more to it than that.

“The relationship between the matter of intelligent design and evolution is complex,” Wilcox said, adding that he has some unanswered questions of his own.

Unfortunately, Fuller ran out of time before his lecture came to a conclusion. Many students, including senior Mary Cromwell, were disappointed that the lecture ended so abruptly.

“I felt like Dr. Fuller had more to say, because he was still in the middle of the history of intelligent design when Windows ended. I wish he had gotten to how intelligent design is seen by scientists today,” Cromwell said.