A. E. Wilder-Smith

A. E. Wilder-Smith
Religion Christian
Website
WilderSmith.com

Professor Arthur Ernest Wilder-Smith, Ph.D. (Physical Organic Chemistry), Dr. es Science (Chemotherapy), D. Sc.(Natural Sciences), P.D., F.R.S.C.[1] (1915–1995), more commonly known as A. E. Wilder-Smith, was an organic-chemist, humanitarian, lecturer and author.

Contents

Biography

He became a professor of pharmacology at the University of Illinois Medical Center in 1963.[2][3] He had serious problems with evolutionary views of the origin of life in his book The Creation of Life and Man's Origin, Man's Destiny according to Walter L. Bradley. He contended "that the conversion of energy flow into information remains, at present, undemonstrated and without theoretical basis."[4] Some considered him Europe's leading creationist.[5] He was not afraid to correct creationists when they were wrong as when he made the comment to Francis Arduini in 1984 that Morris "didn't know a thing about thermodynamics".[6]

In 1966 he published the book Herkunft und Zukunft des Menschen[7] which promoted Burdick's and other's claims that dinosaur and human footprints existed together at Paluxy River. Wilder-Smith included in his book [8] plates showing the Paluxy site including plates attributed to himself, Burdick and Taylor. With the exception of plate 6 from Burdick all plates claiming to be man tracks were in situ. In the mid 1980s the footprints were shown to be not of human origin, and some specimens were shown to be doctored or carved, in particular the loose blocks attributed to Burdick.[9][10]

According to the National Center for Science Education, Wilder-Smith's 1981 work The Natural Sciences Know Nothing of Evolution contains a variety of falsehoods and errors.[11] Kenneth Christiansen, Professor of Biology at Grinnell College, reviewed the book stating "the most fundamental flaw of the book is an apparent confusion or ignorance (it is hard to tell) concerning our present understanding of the evolutionary process."[12] He further noted that Wilder-Smith's work disregarded basic literature in the field discussed.[12] In 1986, Wilder-Smith and creationist physicist Edgar Andrews (President of the Biblical Creation Society) debated biologists Richard Dawkins and John Maynard Smith at the Oxford Union.[13] In 2005 intelligent design advocate William A. Dembski wrote that Wilder-Smith's "intuitive ideas about information has been the impetus for much of my research."[14]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ Wilder-Smith, Arthur E. and Beate (1998). Fulfilled Journey. Costa Mesa, CA: TWFT Publishers. pp. 538–539. ISBN 0-. 
  2. ^ Blaine, Graham B. (1 July 1971). "The Drug Users: The Psychopharmacology of Turning On, by A. E. Wilder Smith (review)". Pediatrics (American Academy of Pediatrics) 48 (1): 171–172. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/48/1/171. 
  3. ^ http://www.wildersmith.org/biography.htm
  4. ^ Bradley, Walter L.. "No Relevance to the Origin of Life". Access Research Network, vol. 10, no. 1. Leadership U. http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/arn/orpages/or101/101brad.htm. Retrieved 20 September 2011. 
  5. ^ Numbers, Ronald (1992). The Creationists. Berkley and LA: University of California Press. pp. 334, 405–406 n38. ISBN 0520083938. 
  6. ^ Numbers, Ronald (1992). The Creationists. Berkley and LA: University of California Press. pp. 408. ISBN 0520083938. 
  7. ^ "Bibliographic Information". Open Library. http://openlibrary.org/search?wisbn=0871233568. Retrieved 20 September 2011. 
  8. ^ Wilder-Smith, A.E. (1980). Herkunft und Zukunft des Menschen, 5th ed. Neuhausen-Stuttgart: Hanssler-Verlag. ISBN 37751-0070-9. http://www.scribd.com/doc/45776454/Herkunft-und-Zukunft-des-Menschen. 
  9. ^ Kuban, Glen J.. "The "Burdick Print"". Kuban's Paluxy Website. Kuban. http://paleo.cc/paluxy/wilker6.htm. Retrieved 20 September 2011. 
  10. ^ The Texas Dinosaur/"Man Track" Controversy, Talk.Origins
  11. ^ "Analysis of the Melvindale Science Curriculum Sub-Committee Book Recommendations". National Center for Science Education. October 30, 1998. http://ncse.com/book/export/html/1447. Retrieved 2008-04-06. 
  12. ^ a b Kenneth Christiansen, "The Natural Sciences Know Nothing of Evolution Review" in Reviews of Creationist Books ed Liz Rank Hughes, National Center for Science Education, 1992. page 134 ISBN 0-939873-52-4
  13. ^ [1] from Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
  14. ^ Intelligent Design's contribution to the debate over evolution: a reply to Henry Morris, William A. Dembski, 1 February 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2008.

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