Intelligent Design Creationism and the Mechanisms of Postmodernity

This article provides a critical reading of Intelligent Design proponents' attempt to create a wedge in secular society to reinsert a theistic worldview. It argues they assert their wedge via the mechanisms of postmodernity: following Frederic Jameson, those informational elements of mass cultu...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion and popular culture
Main Author: Carbonell, Curtis D. 1970- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: University of Saskatchewan [2011]
In: Journal of religion and popular culture
Further subjects:B third culture
B Critical Theory
B Literature
B Intelligent design
B Science
B Evolutionary Biology
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:This article provides a critical reading of Intelligent Design proponents' attempt to create a wedge in secular society to reinsert a theistic worldview. It argues they assert their wedge via the mechanisms of postmodernity: following Frederic Jameson, those informational elements of mass culture that allow them to present their ideas as an alternate to that posed by evolutionary biology. It centres on a representation (by the philosopher of science Robert Pennock) of Intelligent Design advocate, Philip E. Johnson as a postmodern thinker. This article revises Pennock, claiming that while Johnson does attack modern science in his project to champion Intelligent Design, Johnson is not a representative of many precepts of postmodernity. In particular, this chapter reads Johnson as clearly supporting a Christian metanarrative. Moreover, Johnson is a representative of a strategy formulated by the conservative organization, The Discovery Institute, and their campaign called the Wedge Strategy. Exemplified by an internal document leaked to the internet, "The Wedge" is a clearly explicated strategy to combat secular society.
ISSN:1703-289X
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and popular culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3138/jrpc.23.3.276