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Five Years Ago, Yale’s David Gelernter Gave Up on Darwin

Photo: Darwin in 1868, by Julia Margaret Cameron, via Wikimedia Commons.

Five years ago, Yale University professor of computer science David Gelernter wrote that he was bidding farewell to neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory. Why would he take such a bold step? What convinced him that the neo-Darwinian paradigm no longer satisfied the scientific evidence? On a new episode of ID the Future, I mark the anniversary of Gelernter’s important essay by reading it aloud in full. 

Gelernter’s confession raised many an eyebrow when it was published in 2019, and for good reason. Here’s an accomplished writer, artist, and thinker, famed both for his specific scientific expertise, and for his cultural, political, and historical reflections, publicly declaring that Darwin’s “brilliant and beautiful scientific theory” has now been overtaken by science. Gelernter credits reading Stephen Meyer’s book Darwin’s Doubt as the primary cause of his rejecting neo-Darwinian evolution, calling Darwin’s Doubt “one of the most important books in a generation. Few open-minded people will finish it with their faith in Darwin intact.” Gelernter is no creationist, nor is he a proponent of intelligent design. But he is one of a growing number of scientists and thinkers bold enough to look beyond a Darwinian paradigm to explain the development of life on Earth.

Find the podcast and listen to it here. If you’ve read the essay, this will likely be a good refresher on Gelernter’s arguments. If you haven’t read it yet, by all means enjoy!

Dig Deeper

  • Watch David Gelernter discuss the mathematical challenges to Darwin’s theory of evolution in this episode of Uncommon Knowledge:

Andrew McDiarmid

Director of Podcasting and Senior Fellow
Andrew McDiarmid is Director of Podcasting and a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute. He is also a contributing writer to MindMatters.ai. He produces ID The Future, a podcast from the Center for Science & Culture that presents the case, research, and implications of intelligent design and explores the debate over evolution. He writes and speaks regularly on the impact of technology on human living. Discovery Institute co-founder and bestselling author George Gilder has called McDiarmid "a scintillating venturer beyond the surfaces of technology to their hidden depths and meanings." His work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Post, Houston Chronicle, The Daily Wire, San Francisco Chronicle, Real Clear Politics, Newsmax, The American Spectator, The Federalist, Technoskeptic Magazine, and elsewhere. In addition to his roles at the Discovery Institute, he promotes his homeland as host of the Scottish culture and music podcast Simply Scottish, available anywhere podcasts are found. Andrew holds an MA in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University and a BA in English/Creative Writing from the University of Washington. Learn more about his work at andrewmcdiarmid.org.

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Charles Darwincomputer scienceDarwin’s DoubtDarwinian evolutionDavid GelernterID the FuturesciencescientistsStephen MeyerthinkersUncommon KnowledgeYale University