| The Privileged Planet | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards |
| Publisher | Regnery Publishing |
| Publication date | Hardback March 2004, Paperback 2006 |
| Media type | Hardback and Paperback |
| ISBN | ISBN 0895260654 |
| OCLC Number | 54046478 |
| Dewey Decimal | 523.2 22 |
| LC Classification | QB501 .G66 2004 |
The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery is a book by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards which claims scientific evidence for intelligent design. Both Gonzalez and Richards are associated with the Discovery Institute, identified with the intelligent design movement; Gonzalez works as a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture.
Contents |
William H. Jefferys, a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin, reviewed the book writing "the little that is new in this book isn't interesting, and what is old is just old-hat creationism in a new, modern-looking astronomical costume."[1]
Victor J. Stenger, a physicist and atheistical campaigner, reviewed the book explaining that it not only "ignores" Gonzalez's Washington colleagues paleontologist Peter Ward and astronomer Donald E. Brownlee's 2000 book Rare Earth, but it goes against "the consensus of astrobiologists in adopting the Rare Earth position."[2] He further said the book is "another form of stealth creationism, claiming to be science but motivated by religion."[2]
The book served as the basis for a movie by the same name. The Institute donated $16,000 to the Smithsonian Institution, which according to policy, must allow a special event on its premises. The Institute chose to show the film at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian withdrew its cosponsorship, stating: "We have determined that the content of the film is not consistent with the mission of the Smithsonian Institution's scientific research." They allowed the film to be shown but turned down the payment.[2]
Charles G. Lambdin reviewed the film, concluding that while life on planets may be remote, there are a lot of planets and "Using Gonzalez and Richard’s own odds of habitability, this suggests that there may be one billion habitable planets due to chance alone."[3] He also argued that the film's claim that the fact that we can do science at all suggests the universe was designed so that we can understand it is no different than the old quip that the nose must have been designed so that we can wear spectacles.
The film is listed on IMDB.com as being distributed and produced by Illustra Media and Randolph Productions.[4] IMDB also lists one of the producers Larry Frenzel who has produced the films "The Lightkeepers" (2009), "The Case for Faith" (2008), "The Case for Christ" (2007) and "The Privileged Planet" (2004).[5]
The Institute has alleged that the book is "at the heart of the attacks on Iowa State University astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez" and played a role in his denial of tenure and that it provoked 124 of Gonzalez's faculty colleagues [6] to sign a petition in 2005 denouncing intelligent design and urging all other faculty members to do the same.[7] The statement did not mention Guillermo Gonzalez or his involvement with the creationism movement, and faculty members, including Hector Avalos have denied that the statement was directed at Guillermo Gonzalez.