Stephen Meyer

Stephen C. Meyer (b. Born::1958) is a renown advocate for Intelligent Design (the claim that the universe and all living things were designed by an intelligent source). He is currently the director, one of the founders for the Center for Science and Culture (CSC) at the Discovery Institute and also one of the founders of the Intelligent Design movement. In 2009, he wrote Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, further contributing to his many other publications and articles.

Contact info

Name: Stephen C. Meyer Email: cscinfo@discovery.org or visit [1]

Education

In 1981, Meyer graduated from Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington, with a degree in physics and earth sciences. He went on to become a geophysicist at the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) in Dallas, Texas. At ARCO, he worked with digital signal processing and seismic survey interpretation. Meyer is now an Associate Professor at Whitworth College. He is the recipient of the International Scholarship, the American Friends of Cambridge Scholarship, and a Templeton Foundation science-religion teaching grant. In 1991, Meyer earned his Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University. His dissertation was on the biology of life’s origins and the methodology of historical sciences.

Career

Dr. Stephen Meyer has appeared on several national television programs such as Freedom Speaks and TechnoPolitics on PBS and Hardball with Chris Matthews on CNBC. Meyer has also written articles and editorials in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and the National Review. The following are some of the scientific books and anthologies that he has submitted articles to:

• The History of Science and Religion in the Western Tradition: An Encyclopedia
• Darwinism: Science or Philosophy
• Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins
• The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for An Intelligent Designer
• Facets of Faith and Science: Interpreting God's Action in the World *

In 2009, Meyer’s book Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design made the Top Ten Best Sellers List at Amazon.com and, interestingly enough, coincided with Darwin's own Best Seller, The Origin of Species, that was released one hundred fifty years ago. Despite evolutionists' attempts to stop debates over Darwin's theory of evolution, Meyer's book has brought about change, impressing many far and wide. Director of communications at the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute, Robert Crowther, says that although Darwin's theory was thought to be the leading explanation for the origin of life, new arguments have been brought up in this book that once again challenge evolution with strong evidence. Signature in the Cell deals with the complex digital coding in DNA and how it indicates an intelligent designer. Moreover, Meyer tackles the most important issue of all: the beginnings of life here on earth.

Stephen Meyer was awarded World Magazine's prestigious honor for his fight to show that all lives have eternal value because they are the work of a Creator and not the product of chance.

World Views

Meyer, along with many other scientists, has been persecuted for his belief on Intelligent Design. He argues the case that natural selection could not have played a role in the origin of life simply due to the fact that every living thing in the world is so complex and intricate, pointing to the presence of an intelligent designer. During a book tour in the fall of 2009, Dr. Stephen Meyer challenged prominent evolutionist Richard Dawkins to a debate upon realizing that their paths would cross in both Seattle and New York. Oddly, Dawkins refused to speak with Meyer and instead relayed his message to his publicists, denying the invitation because he does not debate creationists. It's remarked that this type of incident could best be described as an act of Bulverism. Bulverism is defined when someone accuses a party of being wrong and then goes on to explain why. C.S. Lewis was the first to bring this term to light:

"In other words, you must show that a man is wrong before you start explaining why he is wrong. The modern method is to assume without discussion that he is wrong and then distract his attention from this (the only real issue) by busily explaining how he became to be so silly. In the course of the last fifteen years I have found this vice so common that I have had to invent a name for it. I call it 'Bulverism.'"

When looking at the effects that evolution has had on American culture, Meyer states that Americans have developed a materialistic worldview. Americans have focused on materials in general, but also have developed a superficial outlook of the things of God. Americans can be influenced easily by society and its pressures. Even the morals that America's founding fathers so desperately upheld long ago have been torn down by consumer needs. Nowadays, morality is judged based on a person's own perception of right and wrong. With this, how can Americans expect to live in peaceful times? Who is to say that what one person thinks is right isn't necessarily right for someone else? If everyone went around projecting their own beliefs on others, there would be chaos. Stephen Meyer explained it best: "The fact remains that the materialistic view is a truncated view of reality."

Publications

Books

• Darwinism, Design, and Public Education Edited by Stephen C. Meyer and John Angus Campbell. Michigan State University Press, 2003. 554 pp.
• Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer.
• Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe by Michael J. Behe. Edited by Stephen C. Meyer and William A. Dembski. Wethersfield Institute. Homeland Foundation, 2000. Published by Ignatius Press, San Francisco.
• Meyer, Stephen E (2013). Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. Seattle, WA: Harper One. ISBN 978-0-06-207147-7. 
• Meyer, Stephen E (2021). Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe. Seattle, WA: Harper One. ISBN 978-0-06-207150-7. 

Articles

• A Scientific History and Philosophical Defense of the Theory of Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer. in Religion - Staat - Gesellschaft, vol. 7. (October 7, 2008)
• The Cambrian Explosion: Biology's Bang by Stephen C. Meyer, Marcus Ross, Paul Nelson and Paul Chien, in Darwinism, Design, and Public Education (December 1, 2003).
• Christianity Challenges the University by Stephen C. Meyer. in Eternity. (May 1, 1985)
• Climategate Recalls Attacks on Darwin Doubters by Stephen C. Meyer. in Human Events. (December 22, 2009)
• Darwin Himself Argued for Critical Evaluation by Stephen C. Meyer and John Angus Campbell. in The Commercial Appeal. (April 19, 2005)
• Darwin's Defenders Deny Life's Evident Design by Stephen C. Meyer. in The Church Report. (October 23, 2009)
• DNA and the Origin of Life: Information, Specification, and Explanation by Stephen C. Meyer. in Darwinism, Design, and Public Education, June 30, 2007.
• Evidence for Design in Physics and Biology: From the Origin of the Universe to the Origin of Life by Stephen C. Meyer. in Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe (Ignatius Press). (December 1, 2002)
• How Should Schools Handle Evolution? Debate It by Stephen C. Meyer. from USA Today. (August 26, 2005)
• Intelligent Design vs. Darwinism: Theories in Collision by Stephen C. Meyer. from the Columbus Dispatch. (November 11, 2002)
• Jefferson's Support for Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer. in The Boston Globe. (July 15, 2009)
• The Letter Nature Wouldn't Print by Stephen C. Meyer and Discovery Institute Staff. in the Discovery Institute.(May 23, 2005)
• The Meanings of Evoluion by Stephen C. Meyer and Michael Newton Keas (Discovery Institute, 2001)
• Not By Chance: From Bacterial Propulsion Systems to Human DNA, Evidence of Intelligent Design is Everywhere by Stephen C. Meyer. in the National Post of Canada. (December 10, 2005)
• Nothing 'Pseudo' about Text's Science by Stephen C. Meyer. in The Boston Globe. (August 16, 2007)
• The Origin of Biological Information and the Higher Taxonomic Categories by Stephen C. Meyer. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, Vol. 117(2):213-239 (2004)
• Pro-Darwin Consensus Doesn't Rule Out Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer. CNN. (November 23, 2009)
• The Scientific Status of Intelligent Design: The Methodological Equivalence of Naturalistic and Non-Naturalistic Origins Theories by Stephen C. Meyer. in Science and Evidence for Design in the Universe (Ignatius Press). (November 13, 2005)
• Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer. in Harper Collins. (August 31, 2009)
• Stephen Meyer Responds to Research on Irreducible Complexity by Stephen C. Meyer. in Discovery Institute. (April 6, 2006)
• Teach the Controversy by Stephen C. Meyer and John Angus Campbell. in the Baltimore Sun. (March 11, 2005)

Videos

Below is a video of Dr. Stephen Meyer relating the complexity of DNA and its correspondence with Darwinian evolution:

This is another video covering a debate between skeptic, Michael Shermer, and Stephen Meyer:

External links

• Biography by the Discovery Institute
• Meyer's testimony at the Kansas School Board Hearings May, 2005. Talk. Origins Archive
• Meyer's testimony at the US Commission on Civil Rights Hearing: On Curriculum Controversies in Biology (unedited transcript) August 21, 1998