Theistic realism

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Theistic realism is a philosophical justification for intelligent design proposed by Phillip E. Johnson in his book, Reason in the Balance. According to Johnson, true knowledge begins with the acknowledgment of god as creator of the universe, the unifying characteristic of which is that it was created by god. Theistic realism relies on a god that is real, personal, and acting in the world through mechanistic creationism.

In 1987 Johnson became convinced that creationists had lost in Edwards v. Aguillard because in his opinion the methodological naturalism used by the scientific community in defining science does not include supernatural processes, and therefore unfairly excluded creationism. He concluded that creationists must therefore redefine science to restore the supernatural, and developed the Wedge Strategy.^[1] The intelligent design movement began with the publication of Of Pandas and People in 1989,^[2] and Johnson later became its de-facto leader.^[1]

Theistic realism was developed by Johnson as a counter to naturalism. To Johnson, nature cannot be understood without acknowledging god as its creator. He and his supporters believe that neither life nor the universe can be fully explained using naturalistic terms.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Understanding the Intelligent Design Creationist Movement: Its True Nature and Goals. (pdf) A Position Paper from the Center for Inquiry, Office of Public Policy Barbara Forrest. May, 2007, Retrieved 2007-06-12.
2. ^ Of Pandas and People, the foundational work of the 'Intelligent Design' movement by Nick Matzke 2004, Retrieved 2007-06-12.