John Corrigan "Jonathan" Wells (born 1942) is an American biologist, theologian, and advocate of the pseudoscientific argument of intelligent design.[1] Wells joined the Unification Church in 1974, and subsequently wrote that the teachings of its founder Sun Myung Moon and his own studies at the Unification Theological Seminary and his prayers convinced him to devote his life to "destroying Darwinism."[2][3][4][5]
After gaining a Ph.D. in religious studies from Yale University, Wells became Director of the Unification Church's inter-religious outreach organization in New York City. In 1989, he studied at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a second Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology in 1994. He became a member of several scientific associations and has published in academic journals.
In his book Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? (2000), Wells argues that a number of examples used to illustrate biology textbooks were grossly exaggerated, distorted truth, or were patently false. Wells said that this shows that evolution conflicts with the evidence, and so argued against its teaching in public education.[6][7][8] Some reviewers of Icons of Evolution have said that Wells misquoted experts cited as sources and took minor issues out of context, basing his argument on a flawed syllogism.[7][9] Wells's views on evolution have been rejected by the scientific community.[4][6][10]
Wells was born in New York City in 1942 and grew up in New Jersey, and was brought up as a Protestant Christian. He studied geology at Princeton University, where he dropped out in his junior year. Following a brief stint as a taxi driver, he was drafted into the United States Army and spent two years serving in Germany. After his discharge in 1966, he attended University of California, Berkeley, where he publicly refused to report for reserve duty. This resulted in him being arrested and being incarcerated for eighteen months at the Leavenworth military prison. Upon his release, Wells returned to Berkeley where he completed his studies with a major in geology and physics and a minor in biology.
In 1974, Wells joined the Unification Church of the United States.[11] He graduated from the Unification Church's Unification Theological Seminary in 1978 with a master's degree in religious education.[12] Wells continued his studies at Yale University, earning a PhD in religious studies in 1986, focusing on historical reactions to Darwinism.[13] During this time he wrote extensively on Unification theology and taught at the Unification Theological Seminary.[12] Wells was on the Board of Trustees of the Unification Theological Seminary until resigning in 1997 to return to teaching.[14] He also acted as the director of the International Religious Foundation, a Unification Church affiliated organization which sponsors interdenominational conferences.[15][16]
Wells has written on the subject of marriage within the Unification Church and has been called a "Unification Church marriage expert" by church sources.[17][18][19] Wells defended Unification Church theology against what he said were unfair criticisms of it made in 1977 by the National Council of Churches.[15]
In 1994, Wells earned another PhD in molecular and cellular biology from the University of California, Berkeley.[13] After receiving his doctorate, he worked at a position he described as "a post-doctoral research biologist at Berkeley, writing articles critical of Darwinism."[3] Shortly after that Wells joined Phillip E. Johnson, father of the intelligent design movement, at the Discovery Institute.[12] He now serves as a fellow at the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture,[20] the hub of the intelligent design movement, and at the International Society for Complexity, Information, and Design,[21] which also promotes intelligent design.[22]
Wells appeared on a panel at Harvard with Stephen Palumbi in November 2001, which his supporters lauded as a "home run".[23][24][25][26] Other observers stated that Wells' performance was "uneventful".[27]
Of his student days at Unification Theological Seminary (1976–78), Wells said, "One of the things that Father [Reverend Sun Myung Moon] advised us to do at UTS was to pray to seek God's plan for our lives." Wells later described that plan: "To defend and articulate Unification theology especially in relation to Darwinian evolution."[28]
Wells stated that his religious doctoral studies at Yale, which were paid for by the Unification Church, focused on the "root of the conflict between Darwinian evolution and Christian doctrine" and encompassed the whole of Christian theology within a focus of Darwinian controversies.[3][29] He said:
...I learned (to my surprise) that biblical chronology played almost no role in the 19th- century controversies, since most theologians had already accepted geological evidence for the age of the earth and re-interpreted the days in Genesis as long periods of time. Instead, the central issue was design.[3]
Wells said that "destroying Darwinism" was his motive for studying Christian theology at Yale and going on to seek his second PhD at Berkeley, studying biology and in particular embryology:
Father's [Rev. Moon's] words, my studies, and my prayers convinced me that I should devote my life to destroying Darwinism, just as many of my fellow Unificationists had already devoted their lives to destroying Marxism. When Father chose me (along with about a dozen other seminary graduates) to enter a Ph.D. program in 1978, I welcomed the opportunity to prepare myself for battle.[3]
Wells's statement and others like it are viewed by the scientific community as evidence that Wells lacks proper scientific objectivity and mischaracterizes evolution by ignoring and misrepresenting the evidence supporting it while pursuing an agenda promoting notions supporting his religious beliefs in its place.[30][31][32]
He has written articles for the Discovery Institute, WorldNetDaily, Origins & Design, and other sympathetic publications attacking evolution and defending intelligent design.[33] In 1997, he presented a paper entitled "Evolution by Design" at the Unification Church sponsored International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences in Washington, D.C.[34]
In 1999, Wells debated with the New Mexicans for Science and Reason.[35] He was one of the contributors to Natural History magazine's 2002 debate between intelligent design advocates and evolution supporters.[36] In 2005, he debated Massimo Pigliucci on the PBS talk show Uncommon Knowledge.[37] Pigliucci said that Wells "clearly lied" during his debates and misrepresented his agenda and science, as well as not understanding some of the theories he tried to attack.[38][39]
Wells is one of the signatories of the Discovery Institute's "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism," a petition which the intelligent design movement uses to promote intelligent design by attempting to cast doubt on evolution.[40][41] He is also the author of "Ten questions to ask your biology teacher about evolution" for high school students, which is published by the Discovery Institute.[42] The National Center for Science Education has issued a list of answers to the questions.[42][43][44]
In 2000 Wells published his book Icons of Evolution, in which he discusses 10 examples which he says show that many of the most commonly accepted arguments supporting evolution are invalid.[45]
There have been 12 detailed reviews of Icons, from scholars familiar with the subject matter, which have come to the consensus that the book's claims are a politically motivated exaggeration and misrepresentation of a scattering of minor issues.[9] Scholars quoted in the work have accused Wells of purposely misquoting them and misleading readers.[46][47] Jerry Coyne wrote of Icons, "Wells's book rests entirely on a flawed syllogism: ... textbooks illustrate evolution with examples; these examples are sometimes presented in incorrect or misleading ways; therefore evolution is a fiction."[7][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]
In 2005, Wells participated in the Kansas evolution hearings, which were boycotted by mainstream scientists. There Wells testified:
I became convinced that the Darwinian theory is false because it conflicts with the evidence. ... I think the earth is probably four-and-a-half billion or so years old. But I'll tell you this, I used to-- I would have said, a few years ago, I'm convinced it's four-and-a-half billion years old. But the truth is I have not looked at the evidence. And I have become increasingly suspicious of the evidence that is presented to me and that's why at this point I would say probably it's four-and-a-half billion years old, but I haven't looked at the evidence. ... There are already scientists-- respected scientists in this country who do experiments on things that most people consider supernatural, such as prayer. When Newton proposed the theory of gravitation it was dismissed as supernaturalism because it was action at a distance. What constitutes supernaturalism in today's science may very well not be supernatural in tomorrow's science.[55]
Prior to the evolution hearings, in December 2000 after the Pratt County, Kansas, school board revised its tenth-grade biology curriculum at the urging of intelligent design proponents to include material that encourages students to question the theory of evolution, The Pratt Tribune published a letter from Jerry Coyne challenging Wells's characterization in an article of his work on peppered moths, saying that his article appended to the Pratt standards was misused and being mischaracterized:
Creationists such as Jonathan Wells claim that my criticism of these experiments casts strong doubt on Darwinism. But this characterization is false. ... My call for additional research on the moths has been wrongly characterized by creationists as revealing some fatal flaw in the theory of evolution. ... It is a classic creationist tactic (as exemplified in Wells' book, "Icons of Evolution") to assert that healthy scientific debate is really a sign that evolutionists are either committing fraud or buttressing a crumbling theory.[47]
In 2006, Wells published his second major book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design, which was part of a series published by Regnery Publishing. The book was praised by Tom Bethell, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science (2005),[56] but was described by Reed A. Cartwright of The Panda's Thumb weblog as being "not only politically incorrect but incorrect in most other ways as well: scientifically, logically, historically, legally, academically, and morally."[57] Cartwright also edited a chapter-by-chapter critique of the book.[57] A quote from the book linking evolution to eugenics, abortion and racism appeared on Starbucks paper cups in 2007.[58]
In 1991, Wells and his mentor Phillip E. Johnson signed an open letter which said in full:
It is widely believed by the general public that a retrovirus called HIV causes the group [of] diseases called AIDS. Many biochemical scientists now question this hypothesis. We propose that a thorough reappraisal of the existing evidence for and against this hypothesis be conducted by a suitable independent group. We further propose that critical epidemiological studies be devised and undertaken.[59][60][61]
Wells and Johnson have been criticized, along with others, for their questioning of the scientific and medical consensus that HIV causes AIDS.[61] In the Washington University Law Review, Matthew J. Brauer, Barbara Forrest, and Steven G. Gey faulted Wells, Johnson, and others for denying the HIV/AIDS connection and promoting denialism via a petition designed to publicity but which did not have any scientific support.[62]
Wells, John Corrigan. 1986. CHARLES HODGE'S CRITIQUE OF DARWINISM: THE ARGUMENT TO DESIGN (EVOLUTION, THEOLOGY). Ph.D. Dissertation, Yale University, 265 pages.
Wells, John Corrigan. 1994. A confocal microscopy study of microtubule arrays involved in cortical rotation during the first cell cycle of Xenopus embryos. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 124 pages.
As I stated earlier, Johnson, Dembski, and their associates have assumed the task of destroying 'Darwinism,' 'evolutionary naturalism,' 'scientific materialism,' 'methodological naturalism,' 'philosophical naturalism,' and other 'isms' they use as synonyms for evolution.
Biological evolution is the theory that all living things are modified descendants of a common ancestor that lived in the distant past. It claims that you and I are descendants of ape-like ancestors, and that they in turn came from still more primitive animals.[...]...much of what we teach about evolution is wrong. This fact raises troubling questions about the status of Darwinian evolution. If the icons of evolution are supposed to be our best evidence for Darwin's theory, and all of them are false or misleading, what does that tell us about the theory? Is it science, or myth?
Several of them grossly exaggerate or distort the truth, while others are patently false. Yet they are found year after year in almost all textbooks dealing with evolutionary theory, and they invariably accompany other material promoting that theory. When someone points out that the textbook examples misrepresent the facts, Darwinists don't rush to correct them. Instead, they rush to defend them.
In order to advance his thesis, Wells has to convey the idea that 'Darwinism' pits itself against traditional Christianity: to allow pupils to learn it is to give them up to atheism, decadence, liberalism and to lose the culture war.Note that Wells does not wage war against evolution. In fact, he is at pains to make it (somewhat) clear that he wages war against 'Darwinism', which in context might sound like the sort of thing any sensible Christian would want to guard against. Unfortunately, Wells isn't exactly clear what he means by Darwinism as opposed to evolution.[...]Easily, one of the prominent faults of Wells's screed is a pervasive confusion between terms. Words, like 'Darwinism' and 'Traditional Christianity', seem to mean whatever Wells wants them to mean for that specific sentence. In many cases words are used without regard for his own stated definitions and usually without regard to usage elsewhere in his book. There are several possible reasons for this confusion in terms. First, Wells confusion may be by design. I have argued elsewhere that creationists intend to confuse their audiences when they argue. Second, if you review the acknowledgements page, you'll read how Wells used many authors to help him prepare this text. It is possible that Wells's editorship was so insufficient that he allowed a term that makes up part of the book's very title to have a flexible meaning. My suspicion is that there was both disparity between the understanding of key terms by different authors as well as an intention to confuse.
Creationists such as Jonathan Wells claim that my criticism of these experiments casts strong doubt on Darwinism. But this characterization is false. ... My call for additional research on the moths has been wrongly characterized by creationists as revealing some fatal flaw in the theory of evolution. ... It is a classic creationist tactic (as exemplified in Wells' book, 'Icons of Evolution') to assert that healthy scientific debate is really a sign that evolutionists are either committing fraud or buttressing a crumbling theory.
This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Shimamoto, Osaka – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Town in JapanShimamoto 島本町Town FlagLocation of Shimamoto in Osaka PrefectureShimamotoLocation in JapanCoordinates: 34°53′N 135°40′E…
Cet article est une ébauche concernant la guerre de Sécession. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?) selon les recommandations des projets correspondants. Bataille de Somerset Informations générales Date 31 mars 1863 Lieu Somerset, Kentucky Issue victoire de l'Union Belligérants États-Unis États confédérés Commandants Quincy Adams Gillmore John Pegram Forces en présence 1 300 hommes 2 800 hommes Pertes 10 tués25 …
Sofia Karlsson kan verwijzen naar: Sofia Karlsson (Centrumpartij), Zweeds politica voor de Centrumpartij (Centerpartiet). Sofia Karlsson (Feministiskt initiativ), Zweeds politica voor het Feministiskt initiativ. Sofia Karlsson (muzikant), Zweeds folkmuzikant. Sofia Karlsson (voetbalster), Zweeds voetbalster voor Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC. Sofia Karlsson (oriëntatieloopster), Zweeds oriëntatieloopster Bekijk alle artikelen waarvan de titel begint met Sofia Karlsson of met Sofia Karlsso…
SK Planet Co., Ltd. 에스케이 플래닛JenisAnak perusahaanIndustriInternetDidirikan1 Oktober 2011KantorpusatPangyo, Provinsi Gyeonggi, Korea SelatanTokohkunciSungWon Suh (CEO)ProdukE-CommerceOnline-to-OfflinePemasaran digitalPerdagangan seluler11st.co.krOK CashbagSyrupShopkickKaryawan2.283IndukSK TelecomSitus webwww.skplanet.com Artikel ini berisi konten yang ditulis dengan gaya sebuah iklan. Bantulah memperbaiki artikel ini dengan menghapus konten yang dianggap sebagai spam dan pranala luar…
Comando de NiñosThe Boy Commandos Personaje de DC Cómics Primera aparición Detective Comics Vol.1 #64-65 (junio-julio de 1942)Creado por Jack Kirby y Joe Simon (Escritores, dibujantes y guionistas)Editorial DC CómicsInformación personalEstatus actual InactivoNombre de nacimiento Boy CommandosNacionalidad Varios; Estadounidense, Francés, Inglés, y HolandésCaracterísticas físicasRaza HumanaSexo MasculinoInformación profesionalOcupación Héroes jóvenes soldadosEspecialidad Jóvenes ado…
Academic journalArtificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and BiotechnologyDisciplineBiochemistry, biotechnologyLanguageEnglishEdited byThomas M.S. ChangPublication detailsFormer name(s)Artificial Cells, Blood Substitutes, and Biotechnology; Biomaterials, Artificial Cells and Immobilization Biotechnology; Biomaterials, Artificial Cells and Artificial Organs; Biomaterials, Medical Devices, and Artificial OrgansHistory1973–presentPublisherTaylor & FrancisFrequency8/yearImpact factor6.355 (2021)St…
Diskografi OneweAlbum studio2Extended play4Singel11Album soundtrack1Album demo3Album singel5 Diskografi Onewe ini terdiri dari dua album studio, empat album mini, satu soundtrack, sebelas singel, tiga album demo, dan lima album singel. Album studio Judul Detail album Posisi grafik puncak Penjualan KOR[1] One Released: May 26, 2020 Label: RBW Formats: CD, digital download, streaming Track listing Crazy Good (미쳤다미쳤어) End of Spring (나위 계절 봄은 끝났다) Feeling Good (…
مثال لبيضة الفصح في الصورة. (انقر على القنفد). بيضة عيد الفصح أو بيضة الفصح (بالإنجليزية: Easter egg) هي وظيفة مخفية ضمن برنامج حاسوب أو لعبة فيديو تكون عبارة عن (رسوم حركية أو لعبة أو رسالة أو ما إلى ذلك). يمكن الوصول إليها من خلال كلمة مفتاح أو الضغط على مجموعة من مفاتيح لوحة الأزر
Italian Renaissance painter from Florence (1448–1494) Domenico GhirlandaioConsidered a self-portraitfrom Adoration of the Magi, 1488BornDomenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi(1448-06-02)2 June 1448Florence, Republic of FlorenceDied11 January 1494(1494-01-11) (aged 45)Florence, Republic of FlorenceResting placeBasilica of Santa Maria NovellaNationalityItalianKnown forPainterNotable workPaintings in: Church of Ognissanti, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Trinita, Tornabuoni Chapel in Flore…
Czech volleyball player Michaela MlejnkováPersonal informationNationalityCzechBorn (1996-07-26) 26 July 1996 (age 27)Height184 cm (72 in)Weight70 kg (154 lb)Spike305 cm (120 in)Block298 cm (117 in)Volleyball informationPositionOutside-spikerNumber12 (national team)Career YearsTeams 2015 PVK Olymp PragaNational team 2015 Czech Republic Michaela Mlejnková (born (1996-07-26)26 July 1996) is a Czech volleyball player, playing as an outside-spiker. She i…
Hindu Shaiva text Part of a series onShaivism DeitiesParamashiva(Supreme being) Shiva Sadasiva Bhairava Rudra Virabhadra Shakti Parvati Sati Durga Kali Ganesha Kartikeya Forms of Shiva Others Scriptures and texts Vedas Agama-Tantras Shivasutras Tirumurai Vachanas Svetasvatara Philosophy Three Components Pati Pashu Pasam Three bondages Anava Karma Maya other aspects 36 Tattvas Yoga Satkaryavada Abhasavada Svatantrya Aham Practices Vibhuti Rudraksha Panchakshara Bilva Maha Shivaratri Yamas-Niyamas…
Georgian politician This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (April 2021) This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living p…
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2023) Web browser for autistic children and teenagers ZAC BrowserZAC Browser 1.1.7 running on Windows XPDeveloper(s)People CD Inc.Stable releaseGold / June 10, 2009 (2009-06-10) Operating systemMicrosoft WindowsTypeWeb BrowserLicenseProprietary EULAWebsitezacbrowser.com ZAC Browser (Zone for Autistic Children) is a web browser designed specifically f…
Resolução 38do Conselho de Segurança da ONU Data: 17 de janeiro de 1948 Reunião: 229 Código: S/651 (Documento) Votos: Prós Contras Abstenções Ausentes 9 0 2 Assunto: A questão entre a Índia e o Paquistão Resultado: Aprovada Composição do Conselho de Segurança em 1948: Membros permanentes: República da China França Reino Unido Estados Unidos União Soviética Membros não-permanentes: Argentina Bélgica Canadá Colômbia S…
هيئة متاحف قطر إحداثيات 25°17′19″N 51°32′45″E / 25.28863889°N 51.545925°E / 25.28863889; 51.545925 معلومات عامة الموقع الدوحة الدولة قطر سنة التأسيس 2005 معلومات أخرى الموقع الإلكتروني الموقع الرسمي تعديل مصدري - تعديل مبنى هيئة متاحف قطر تعمل هيئة متاحف قطر كصلة وص…
Racket/paddle sport PickleballHighest governing bodyInternational Federation of Pickleball[1]First played1965, Bainbridge Island, Washington, U.S.CharacteristicsContactNoTeam membersSingles or doublesMixed-sexYes, separate singles, doubles, & mixed doublesTypeOutdoor or indoor, racket sportEquipmentPlastic pickleball, composite or wooden paddle, and netVenueOutdoor or indoor, pickleball courtGlossaryGlossary of pickleball termsPresenceCountry or regionWorldwideOlympicNoPara…
French painter Jacques Gamelin sculpted by Alexandre Falguiere Alexandre et Diogène, the artist is depicting the scene where Alexander asks Diogenes, Is there anything I can do for you? and Diogenes answers, Yes, stand out of my sun. Jacques Gamelin (October 3, 1738 – October 12, 1803) was an artist born in Carcassonne, France, the son of a successful merchant. After receiving an education from the Jesuits, he went into the service of Nicolas Joseph de Marcassus, baron de Puymaurin (1718–17…
الهجرة إلى إسبانيا حسب الدولة (2008) زادت معدلات الهجرة إلى إسبانيا بشكل ملحوظ في بداية القرن الحادي والعشرين. في عام 1998، شكل المهاجرون 1.6٪ من السكان، وبحلول عام 2009، ارتفعت النسبة لتتجاوز 12٪ - واحدة من أعلى النسب في أوروبا في ذلك الوقت. وحتى عام 2014، كانت الأرقام تنخفض بسبب الأزمة…
1657 pamphlet by William Allen This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Photo of the French edition of Killing No Murder Killing No Murder is a pamphlet published in 1657[1] during The Protectorate period of the English Interregnum era of English history. The pamphlet of disputed a…
2005 studio album by Yasmien KurdiIn the Name of LoveStudio album by Yasmien KurdiReleasedMay 27, 2005GenrePopLabelGMA RecordsProducerBuddy C. Medina (executive), Freddie Saturno (album supervising), Kedy Sanchez (album supervising)Yasmien Kurdi chronology In the Name of Love(2005) Love Is All I Need(2007) In the Name of Love is the first album of StarStruck finalist Yasmien Kurdi. It was released on GMA Records. In 2006, the repackaged version of the album were released.[1] Trac…
Lokasi Pengunjung: 3.22.61.128