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Isaac Newton — Proto-Intelligent Design Advocate

David Klinghoffer
Image: Isaac Newton, by William Blake [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Great scientists of the past anticipated aspects of the modern case for intelligent design. As philosopher of science Stephen Meyer notes, the greatest of all these proto-ID advocates was Sir Isaac Newton. Some atheists, like Neil deGrasse Tyson, have miscast Newton as a mechanist and a materialist, in their own image. But as Dr. Meyer learned in studying Newton at the University of Cambridge, Newton’s theism is crucial to understanding his science. 

Meyer’s new book, Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe, continues the Newtonian tradition of recognizing the action of a divine creator, a personal God, in the workings of nature and in the origin of the universe. See here for a list of scientists who have endorsed the book, including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Brian Josephson, also at Cambridge. Meyer explains Newton’s thoughts on intelligent design here:

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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atheistscreatorintelligent designmaterialistsmechanistic viewNeil deGrasse Tysonpersonal Godphilosophy of scienceReturn of the God HypothesisscientistsStephen MeyertheismuniverseUniversity of Cambridge