The Wedge of Truth: Splitting the Foundations of Naturalism | Phillip E. Johnson

The Wedge of Truth: Splitting the Foundations of Naturalism | Phillip E. Johnson | Succint and enjoyable to read

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The Wedge of Truth...

	The Wedge of Truth: Splitting the Foundations of Naturalism Phillip E. Johnson InterVarsity Press, 2002 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 57 reviews view larger image
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Phillip E. Johnson highlights the deficiencies in science and the philosophy (naturalism) that undergirds and outlines a cognitive revolution.

How The Wedge Predicted the Obfuscation of its Opponents

Many Darwinists gloat over having supposedly exposed the allegedly secretive "Wedge project." What they never acknowledge (or realize) is that Phillip Johnson openly discussed the full meaning of the "Wedge" in this book years before the widespread internet circulation of the supposedly super secret "Wedge document," which summarized many of the points in this book in order to clarify for our supporters the important cultural implications of the battle over intelligent design, and explain the importance of forging ahead by calling attention to the growing body of scientific evidence for design in nature.

In his introduction, Johnson explains that naturalism, materialism, and modernism aim to remove any support for belief in a personal God who acted with free will to create and sustain the universe. This philosophical assumption forms the bedrock for the belief that plants and animals arose through undirected and purposeless evolutionary processes, and that humans are therefore just another animal, not created in the image of God.

The curtain of naturalistic philosophy today places a stranglehold over not only the fields of science, but also of literature, psychology, and law. Academics remain committed to naturalism as an explanation for all phenomena regardless of the facts. Johnson's strategy is to expose where naturalism is deficient in its explanations in scientific fields such as paleontology, genetics, and biology. This book outlines the various areas where the "Wedge strategy" is producing viable academic thought to challenge naturalism.

But the Wedge strategy can be countered, Johnson writes, and the Darwinists know how: through obfuscation by focusing on irrelevancies. "Dogmatism thrives by obfuscation, especially by giving the impression that the really important questions should not be asked." (pg. 16) Thus, according to Johnson, "If we in the Wedge have an enemy, it is not those in open and honest opposition to our proposals but rather the obfuscators--those who resist any clear definition of terms or issues, who insist that the ruling scientific organizations be obeyed without question and who are content to paper over logical contradictions with superficial compromises." (pg. 17)

The enemies of the Wedge are thus those who focus on side issues such as the religious beliefs and alleged motivations of Darwin doubters rather than inviting honest discussion of the evidence. Ironically, the Darwinists' current obsession with contents of this book -- the "Wedge strategy"--is proof that Johnson was right.

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Succint and enjoyable to read

Phillip E. Johnson has contributed another fine addition to the conversation (if one can call it that) about naturalism, the definitions of science, and the "fact"/"value" distinction in academia today. In my opinion, Johnson is at his best when discussing how Darwinian theory seeks to handle the topic of complex, specified, aperiodic information. He shows clearly that chance and laws of science cannot produce that kind of information, which is utterly central to the formation and continuation of life. He is also very strong in his analysis of what I'll call the "fact"/"value" distinction. This distinction is the ruling paradigm on the university campus today. In other words, "facts" are the things of science and "values" are the things of religion (and thus, are not part of real knowledge). Since only "facts" are admitted into the realm of study and discussion, anything that doesn't fall under the heading of "science" is inadmissable for consideration. Johnson asserts, correctly, that theology is an arena of true and reliable knowledge, and thus is discarded at a great cost. The cost is the nihilism we see around us in our culture. Another cost is that of reason itself. To argue that the physical world "is all there is and all there ever will be" (to borrow from Carl Sagan) is to destroy the foundations of reason and rationality themselves. One has no basis for trusting his own thoughts as reasonable if they are merely chemical reactions in the brain. Johnson does well to point out that most naturalists are not willing to consider the logical and consistent conclusions that their ideas entail. When they do, they end up arguing that things like infanticide are not moral horrors, to name just one example. For there can be no true morality if naturalism is true.

Johnson is at his weakest when discussing how "the Word", namely Jesus Christ, is the best starting place for knowledge. I agree that Jesus IS the best starting place (and I think I have good rational reasons for believing so that are beyond the scope of this review), but Johnson does not make the case as well as he could. And perhaps his greatest weakness is that he claims that "intelligent design" theory is "falsifiable," but then he essentially turns around and argues in a manner that suggests it is NOT falsifiable. He claims that if Darwinian theorists come up with a naturalistic explanation for the development of new genetic information, he then would have to reconsider his own position. But then Johnson goes on to basically say that such a naturalistic explanation doesn't exist. Thus, he is guilty, I believe, of the fault he lays at the naturalists' doorstep. The naturalists assume their theory is true, even in the absence of evidence, because they say the evidence for Darwinian evolution will no doubt come forth eventually. Johnson says supernaturalism is true and will remain so because Jesus Christ is God. So really, the only thing that would be "falsifiable" for Johnson would be whether Jesus Christ is our creator, and it doesn't seem that he would ever question the truth of this.

Further, I would also like to see Johnson add some historical analysis in his writings, that is, he should put the current controversies within "science" into some historical perspective. He should point out that those who say that admitting a supernatural intelligence into the discussion would ruin and have a "chilling effect" upon the scientific endeavor, are simply incorrect. History shows them to be incorrect. Sir Isaac Newton was a robust believer in the Bible, and yet this did not impede his science in the least. If anything, it fueled it. Keppler, Copernicus, Galileo, George Washington Carver, and vast numbers of other scientists throughout Western history have been robust theists at the least, and biblical theists at the most. Thus, Johnson would do well to inject a little history of science into his discussions, to give some added perspective. On the whole, the book was a very enjoyable, lucid, clear read and will help anyone who is interested in truth and rationality in all areas of life.

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