During my recent sabbatical I found myself enjoying reading a variety of things on the question of origins--as in the origin of man and the world.  One of the most fascinating persons I discovered was Steve Fuller.  Fuller teaches Sociology at the University of Warwick (remember--in the UK it is pronounced "Warick" :)).

Fuller is a fascinating man.  Not a confessing Christian, he nonetheless argues that the Christian faith has historically been an impetus, not a hindrance, for science.  Indeed, Fuller ultimately argues that contemporary science (on the whole) can no longer justify its own existence, at least in the sense of providing some sort of captivating and compelling reason for why someone would want to spend a lifetime exploring the traditional domains of science: man and the created order.  Fuller argues that (1) the traditional evolutionary/Darwinian mechanism (random mutations and natural selection) cannot ultimately account for the nature of reality as we know it, and (2) that it is traditional Christianity (or what Fuller sometimes calls the "Abrahamic faiths"--a broader category) which provides a compelling justification for the scientific quest.  The book I read of Fuller's was his Dissent Over Descent: Intelligent Design's Challenge to Darwinism (Icon Books, 2008).  Another book by Fuller, Science Vs Religion? Intelligent Design and the Problem of Evolution (Polity, 2007) is perhaps a tad less provocative and punchy in its tone and presentation, but it is perhaps a bit clearer.

Fuller is interesing for lots of reasons, not the least being that he testified in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District court case (2005), and he testified on behalf of the Intelligent Design folks. This was the case where the judge parroted the "Intelligent Design is creationism, and is not science at all" line.  Fuller offers a compelling criticism of the judge's thinking and decision.  Fuller is prolific, and has a number of additional books in the works.

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