Intelligent Design the Future

Designing an Olympic bicycle requires the very best materials and lubricants. And the smallest of engineering choices can make the difference between winning and losing the race. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid speaks with award-winning British engineer and designer Stuart Burgess. This time, the topic is his engineering work as lead transmission designer on the Olympic bikes used by Team Great Britain in the last three summer Olympic Games. Burgess reveals that the human body boasts a level of engineering that far surpasses the best things humans have been able to engineer. This optimal design in living things points to intelligent design instead of an evolutionary origin for life.

Curiosity can lead to unexpected adventures. For self-taught scientist Forrest Mims, it inspired a successful career in science and technology that continues to this day. On this classic ID The Future out of the vault, host Andrew McDiarmid reads an exclusive excerpt from Mims’s memoir Maverick Scientist: My Adventures as an Amateur Scientist.

If a friend, family member, or colleague lodges an objection to the fine-tuning argument for intelligent design, are you ready to respond? On this installment of ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his two-part conversation with philosopher and intelligent design scholar Peter S. Williams. Williams reviews the most common objections to the fine-tuning arguments for intelligent design and explains why each proposal falls short scientifically, logically, and philosophically. Who knew there were over 20 objections to fine-tuning? Even host McDiarmid admits he didn't know about all of them! The more well-versed you are in responding to objections, the better you'll be able to stand your ground and offer substantive arguments when you hear them pop up.

In Part 1, Williams and McDiarmid reviewing two groups of objections: the "fine-tuning isn't real" set and the "fine-tuning is real but no big deal" group. Today, Williams unpacks several objections related to the multiverse and shows why each one fails to adequately explain the fine-tuning evidence.

This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

By now, you may be familiar with the fine-tuning argument for intelligent design. Scientists have discovered a whole suite of parameters and initial conditions appear to be exquisitely tuned to allow for complex life to exist, and the argument is that intelligent design better explains that evidence than chance or necessity. But you may not know the most common objections to the fine-tuning argument, or how to respond to them. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes philosopher and intelligent design scholar Peter S. Williams to the show to equip us to answer the most common objections to the fine-tuning argument. Objections to fine-tuning typically fall into three categories: the "fine-tuning isn't real" bunch, the "fine-tuning is no big deal" group, and objections that posit a type of multiverse proposal. Over two episodes, Peter teaches us how to respond to almost 20 objections! So buckle up!

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation!

Major General Bobby Hollingsworth had a distinguished 38-year career as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot and in leadership roles including commanding the Marine Corps Reserve Support Command and serving as vice commander of Marine forces in the Pacific. After retiring, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

In this full-length interview with Mind Matters News host Robert J. Marks, Hollingsworth shares his life journey from dairy farm to fighter pilot, his perspective on the current state of U.S. military preparedness and leadership, and his insight into the evolution of military technology throughout his career.

Everywhere you turn, you’re likely to see evidence of error in thinking, and the realm of science is no exception. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with J. Budziszewski, a professor of government, philosophy, and civic leadership at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the new book Pandemic of Lunacy: How to Think Clearly When Everyone Around You Seems Crazy. In his book, Budziszewski identifies thirty irrational ideas that are prevalent in modern society. He argues that many people have abandoned common sense and objectivity, leading to a cloud of confusion regarding human nature, science, and morality.

In Part 2, we jump into more lunacies relevant to the scientific debates around human beings, biological life, and design in nature.

Bad ideas have consequences. We don't have to look far to see evidence of it. Every day the news headlines are filled with conflicting versions of the same story. Biological facts are treated as “opinions,” logic is labeled as “hate,” and to speak up for common sense is seen as a revolutionary act. We're seeing this in every area of life, including science. So what's going on? How can we get back to clear thinking and respectful discourse? Helping us answer those questions today is J. Budziszewski, a professor of government, philosophy, and civic leadership at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the new book Pandemic of Lunacy: How to Think Clearly When Everyone Around You Seems Crazy.

In his book, Professor Budziszewski patiently explains 30 delusions that beset us in the modern age. Ranging over the topics of morality and happiness, politics and science, family and sexuality, the real and the unreal, and God and religion, Budziszewski makes the case for sanity in accessible, commonsense language. In Part 1 of the conversation, we start zooming into some of the bad ideas that are specifically relevant to science and the arguments for intelligent design.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

The Big Bang theory changed how we understand our universe. But who do we have to thank for it? On this classic ID The Future out of our archive, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with esteemed cosmologist Jean-Pierre Luminet, who sets the record straight on the real heroes of the Big Bang Theory with his book The Big Bang Revolutionaries, available from Discovery Institute Press.

In Part 2, Dr. Luminet begins by shedding more light on Georges Lemaitre, the Big Bang theory's chief architect. Lemaitre demonstrated a rare humility, concerned more with pursuing an accurate understanding of the universe than with who got credit for the theory. Luminet explains why it took so long for scientists to accept Lemaitre's theory over other competing theories of universal origins. Luminet also shares insight into two other architects of the Big Bang theory - Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann and Russian-American physicist and cosmologist George Gamow.

Is it possible to personally alter the physical structure of your brain? Today’s episode of ID The Future comes to us from our sister podcast Mind Matters News. Host Dr. Michael Egnor sits down with fellow neurosurgeon and author Dr. Lee Warren to discuss his book The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery. Dr. Warren shares how his medical training and Christian faith collided after the tragic loss of his son. The experience helped him realize that the mind is more than just brain activity. Dr. Warren unpacks the main thrust of his book, describing self-brain surgery as the intentional practice of choosing different thoughts to physically change the brain’s structure and improve overall health. Dr. Warren has observed the effects of such self-driven change in real-time brain scans, which deliver positive results like reducing the body’s stress response and promoting healing.

One thing that makes the new documentary film The Story of Everything so stunning is the inspired musical score written for it. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes composer, producer, and arranger Hannah Parrott to discuss her experiencing of putting the cosmos to music, from the farthest galaxies to the inner recesses of the cell. The movie, showing in theaters for one week only (April 30 - May 6, 2026) is a cinematic exploration of the cosmos that unpacks three scientific discoveries of the last century that reveal mind and purpose behind the universe.

In this conversation, Hannah explains why she loves the medium of film music and gives us a glimpse into her process of creating music for The Story of Everything. She says music can bypass analytical thinking to reach a viewer's emotional core. She also values that the music she writes is able to work together with the visuals to create a lasting impression: "And it's just this overload of experiencing the story on every visceral level you can," Hannah notes. "And I think music is a huge part of that and works in tandem as this choir of voices telling the same story."