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Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!uunet!bionet!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!greg
From: greg@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Gregory Nowak)
Newsgroups: sci.philosophy.tech,sci.bio,bionet.molbio.evolution
Subject: How to debate the creationists.
Message-ID: <4806@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 9 Dec 88 22:28:31 GMT
Reply-To: greg@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Gregory Nowak)
Organization: Princeton University, NJ
Lines: 54


I'm posting a query here because I need information of the
creation-science mailing list type by this Tuesday. Specifically, a
creationist is coming to Princeton, and I would appreciate any advice
I could receive on 1) who this person is 2) what his organization does
3) what is the majore line of argument of his work 4) how best to
respond with picky questions and 5) what sort of devices are used by
the speaker to control the flow of discussion. Post or email as you
wish; I'll summarize email anonymously if enough info comes that way.
Here's the announcement I received:

		DNA, Design, and the Origin of Life

				by

			Charles B. Thaxton, Ph. D.
			Director of Research
			The Julian Center
			Julian, California

				on


			Tuesday, December 13, 1988
				at 8:00

		Dodds Auditorium, Woodrow Wilson School
			Princeton University

[Show up if you want!]

Since the time of Charles Darwin, natural selection has been
considered the cause of apparent design, which the faithful mistook
for dvinely produced order in the world. Contemporary research into
the structure of DNA, however, has shown that it has high information
content, and the only evidence at present is that it takes
intelligence to produce this kind of order. Dr. Thaxton, from his
background in molecular biology and the history of science, wll
discuss how unravelling the secrets of the genetic code hae opened
again the possibility of seeing true design in the universe.

**************

There it is. It show all the signs of a weak creationist argument
which will descend into technical gibberish at the first sign of
trouble. If anyone has any information on Thaxton or the Julia Center,
I'd be grateful for it. I'll post a report on this meeting after it
takes place.


many thanks-- 

rutgers!phoenix.princeton.edu!greg   Gregory A Nowak/Phoenix Gang/Princeton NJ 
    "Take 2*3*5*7*11*13.  It's divisible by 59." --Matt Crawford