Burgess has written a book of rare logic and power. As an engineer who teaches design in engineering, he is particularly well-placed to examine the "Hallmarks of Design" in all manner of aspects of the world/universe. He has taken careful aim at the idea of design in biology which, according to many avowed atheists, has only "the appearance" of design. He demolishes this philosophical position with his clear and convincing examination found here. Note that it is this confusion that causes much of the disagreement found today between especially the "Intelligent Design" explanation and the ubiquitous "evolutionary science" crowd. It is not that science is arguing against science; nor that science is arguing against religion, rather it is found that a philosophical position has been taken by many scientists, educators and media promoters (among others) that is claimed to be "scientific" when it is anything but!

Burgess is the latest author that I have read who makes the rather pointed observation that evolutionary explanations are seldom that. They "explain" nothing. They assume what they claim to prove. And, since evolution supposedly happened long ago, the mechanisms of "how" things evolved is a matter of speculation. Design, however, is something that can be discerned by what Burgess has called "hallmarks".

In this case, we have an author who explicitly declares his Christian faith. (He will not be welcomed in Seattle by the Discovery Institute because of this!) But, as a Christian statement, he has made careful connections to the implications of the design and what this fact means. In fact, I believe that his last chapter can and should be adapted as a sermon to incite people to consider changing their minds and putting their trust in the God who has shown His benevolence to His Creation. ( )