Stephen Iacoboni

In earlier posts in this series on the science of purpose, I pointed out that dualities have been employed as fictions of language, a façon de parler, throughout the history of western science as a means of describing complex phenomena in terms compatible with our subject-object metaphysical (SOM) framework. But while these dualities have practical value, they actually confound our deeper understanding of physical reality. The best solution is the idea of the complementarity, where context-dependence is necessary to explain the observed phenomena.  Even something as basic as m (mass) itself illustrates this problem where it can either be a (gravitational) force in one context or […]

In previous posts in this series on the science of purpose, I have claimed that scientific atheism, aka scientism, emerged from the mistaken belief that randomly generated structure-function relationships (SFRs) were reducible to the neo-Darwinian randomness-selection hypothesis. I further argued that SFRs themselves must by definition rely on an inherent underlying duality which defines their very nature, such that a “relationship” must obtain when a structure randomly materializes, resulting “secondarily” in the consequent function. Thus came the mistaken claim that since all natural structure is derived from random processes, the resultant function must likewise be understood as random and unintended.  Here I will endeavor to point […]

In my last post on the science of purpose (“Emergence and Irreducible Complexity: A Unified Theory”), I pointed out that structure-function relationships, or SFRs, which lie at the very foundation of modern science, including biology, form the basis for describing “how things work,” from windmills to rockets to cats’ claws to enzymes. What’s missing is not the mechanics of structure-function relationships, which are rigorously understood, but the genesis of SFRs in organisms.  The genesis of structure-function relationships in human artifacts is as well understood as are their mechanics. Engineers design structures suitable to perform the desired function. That “design” is what Aristotle called telos, or […]

Few questions weigh heavier on the human heart than death. Is there anything beyond this life? How do we face death without fear? Dr. Stephen Iacoboni has wrestled with these questions every day for more than forty years as a medical oncologist. Once a committed scientific atheist, he sought answers in medicine, science, and humanism—only to find them insufficient in the face of mortality. Through the witness of his patients and the growing cracks in naturalistic explanations, Dr. Iacoboni came to embrace faith in God, discovering a hope that transforms both life and death. In this conversation, he shares his […]

On a new episode of ID the Future, I welcome Dr. Stephen Iacoboni, an award-winning cancer researcher and medical oncologist with 40 years of experience, to discuss the undeniable element of purpose in all living things. Our conversation dives deep into the question of whether this purpose can be explained purely by the physical world, or if it points to a source beyond nature and science. Dr. Iacoboni, who regularly contributes at Evolution News, shares his unique reconciliation between faith and science, as explored in his latest book, Telos: The Scientific Basis for a Life of Purpose. He recounts his personal journey and profound […]

As I have mentioned repeatedly in this series on the science of purpose, the debate between intelligent design (ID) and naturalism has shifted decidedly in favor of ID over just the past two decades.  I have warned that one of the few remaining avenues that naturalism can take to rescue its paradigm is to appropriate “purpose” within a materialist framework. Not surprisingly, an overt attempt is underway by atheist scientists to do just that. “Evolution on Purpose” MIT Press has recently published Evolution on Purpose, a collection of essays by leading theoretical biologists whose overt goal is to demonstrate how purpose, in the […]

In my most recent post in this series on the science of purpose, I reemphasized the claim that telos is the fundamental element that establishes the validity of intelligent design philosophy. Of course, that’s an ancient assertion, famously offered by Anaxagoras, Aristotle, and further confirmed by Aquinas. One finds perhaps the most declarative statement to this effect in the third of the famous Gifford lectures by James Hutchison Stirling:  “For the very existence of Natural Theology, is bound up with the existence of final causes. Destroy final causes and you destroy Natural Theology forever.” Natural theology, the 19th-century name given to what is known today as intelligent design theory, posits the discernment of the […]

Editor’s note: For more on the Greek philosopher Plato as an inspiration to modern life science, see the forthcoming book on the thought of ID biologist Richard Sternberg, Plato’s Revenge: The New Science of the Immaterial Genome, by David Klinghoffer. Over time, socio-political debates readily evolve. What once was liberal is now conservative, and vice versa.  But scientific debates should not be nearly so fluid or changeable. Scientific concepts ought to remain consistent, pending some discovery demanding a whole-scale paradigm shift. Such tectonic shifts are rare. Copernicus altered our celestial framework from geocentric to heliocentric. Newton formalized natural law. Lamarck overthrew belief in the fixity […]

In reading David Klinghoffer’s post here, “Medicine’s ‘Sacred Space’ — Grossly Violated,” I was grateful for his mention of my previous Evolution News post (“My Briar Patch: Notes of a Country Doctor”). I was struck by his comment, “When my dad was dying, I saw both sides of the healthcare world, one that fought stubbornly to save a life and the other that was coldly indifferent and even eager to end it.” The unfortunate fact is, there really are those two conflicting sides in medicine. Allow me to provide a deeper perspective on this, borne of over 40 years of experience. I believe that most of […]