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How Black Holes Figure in the Argument for Cosmic Intelligent Design

intelligent design

This month the world thrilled at the first ever image of a black hole, this one in the galaxy M87. Astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez and philosopher Jay Richards are the co-authors of The Privileged Planet, and in a new ID the Future episode they talk about how black holes figure in the thesis about cosmic intelligent design. And what is a black hole, anyway? (Hint: It is not a hole.)

The takeaway in a nutshell: What Steve Meyer calls the God Hypothesis got what is arguably its biggest boost with the confirmation of Big Bang cosmology. That the universe had a beginning, coming into existence apparently ex nihilo, would seem to be the most powerful evidence for theism yet from the world of science. In the face of this, materialists scramble for a variety of self-defeating counter-hypotheses. The Big Bang was a straightforward inference from general relativity. And so are black holes. The two are, in a sense, intellectual siblings. It’s a great conversation between Dr. Richards, as host of the episode, and Dr. Gonzalez. Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Photo credit: Event Horizon Telescope [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

David Klinghoffer

Senior Fellow and Editor, Evolution News
David Klinghoffer is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and the editor of Evolution News & Science Today, the daily voice of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture, reporting on intelligent design, evolution, and the intersection of science and culture. Klinghoffer is also the author of six books, a former senior editor and literary editor at National Review magazine, and has written for the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Seattle Times, Commentary, and other publications. Born in Santa Monica, California, he graduated from Brown University in 1987 with an A.B. magna cum laude in comparative literature and religious studies. David lives near Seattle, Washington, with his wife and children.

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Big Bangblack holescosmologyex nihilogalaxy M87general relativityGod HypothesisGuillermo GonzalezID the Futureintelligent designJay RichardspodcastStephen MeyerThe Privileged Planettheismuniverse