A few days ago we dared to write Guess Who’s Returning to the Discovery Institute, in which we predicted — based on information we were told but couldn’t confirm — that Casey Luskin would soon be returning to the Discovery Institute. Well, guess what — it really is happening!
This just popped up at the Discoveroids’ creationist blog, and it was written by none other than Casey himself: I’m Excited to Return to Discovery Institute to Find Intelligent Design Stronger Than Ever! His post is far too long, but at the end they have some bio info about him. After referring to Casey as “Associate Director, Center for Science and Culture,” they say:
Casey Luskin is a geologist and an attorney with graduate degrees in science and law, giving him expertise in both the scientific and legal dimensions of the debate over evolution. [Ooooooooooooh! Casey has expertise!] He earned his PhD in Geology from the University of Johannesburg, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in Earth Sciences from the University of California, San Diego, where he studied evolution extensively at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. His law degree is from the University of San Diego, where he focused his studies on First Amendment law, education law, and environmental law.
Incredibly impressive! Okay, let’s dig into his post — briefly — to see what he says about his dramatic return. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:
[I]t is with a mixture of joy and excitement that I write to announce that I’m grateful to return to Discovery Institute as Associate Director of the Center for Science & Culture (CSC). [We’re excited too!] And I’m very optimistic about the future! Over the past few years, I’ve seen critics of intelligent design (ID) advance some wild and amusing conspiracy theories about the reasons for my departure and absence. Fortunately, none of them are true. I chuckled when they wishfully and confidently asserted that I had, alternatively, “jumped ship,” “abandoned ID,” was “fired” or “retired.”
We don’t recall saying such things about Casey. Anyway, after several paragraphs describing his studies, he says:
As I return to Discovery Institute, I remain as optimistic about ID’s future as I was when I wrote my farewell post in December 2015: “my personal support for ID and confidence in its future have never been stronger … the fundamentals of ID are sound.” In that post, I discussed four general areas where ID was forging ahead: (1) scientific advancements and peer-reviewed papers, (2) failed attempts by critics to suppress ID, (3) ID’s performance in high-level debates against top critics, and (4) a growing community of ID-friendly graduate students and scientists. Considering various developments over the past few years while I was doing the PhD, I believe this optimism remains warranted, and that ID is in an even stronger position than when I left[.]
Casey is optimistic. Isn’t that cute? Then he tells us:
Evidence supporting ID and/or challenging standard materialistic evolutionary models has continued to grow these past few years. There are so many examples it’s hard to know where to begin. [We’ll omit a few paragraphs of that stuff.] I suppose little has changed in the past five years while I was doing the PhD: attempts to suppress ID continue, but the evidence for ID grows stronger — apparently so strong that it can’t be answered on the merits and must be suppressed. One wonders why there can’t just be a serious, civil conversation about ID.
He’s right. We’re so desperate about the progress the Discoveroids are making that we have to suppress them. Casey continues listing “achievements” his Discoveroid colleagues have made. We probably blogged about a lot of that stuff, so there’s no need to list it all here. Near the end he says:
Over the last few years, many other scientific advances turned out to support ID and/or challenge Darwin. I hope to discuss those in depth on other occasions. [We’re looking forward to it!] For now, I want to list one final reason for optimism. Prior to my leaving Discovery in 2015 I helped craft the vision for the ID 3.0 research program [Link omitted!] — a vision that has since become a reality. As Associate Director of the CSC, I’m excited about helping to manage the research that is being funded by Discovery Institute and about renewing my contributions to the ID community in many other ways.
This is Casey’s final paragraph:
Despite this positive outlook, I must again confess a lingering sadness: I left a major part of my heart in the South Africa. With its wonderful people, rich multicultural society, cheerful vibe, and unmatched natural beauty, including incredible wildlife testifying to nature’s design, South Africa will always be a special place for me. If you ever plan to go there, feel free to contact me and I’ll offer some tips for your trip!
Okay, dear reader, there you have it — Casey really is back! Happy days are here again!
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