Which Origins Theory Better Explains Altruism and Morality?

Intelligent Design the Future

Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture

Science, Philosophy, Astronomy, Society & Culture, Life Sciences

4 • 993 Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Do evolutionary models adequately account for the reality of human altruism, moral conviction, and cooperation? Does intelligent design offer a better explanation? On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid begins discussing these questions and more with geologist and attorney Casey Luskin. McDiarmid's recent article exploring scientific worldview in the Marvel universe generated some lively back-and-forth in the comments section, particularly about whether evolutionary processes could account for humans looking out for other humans. Luskin tackles the question head-on, putting it in the larger context of evolutionary psychology's penchant for explaining every possible human behavior through the lens of a Darwinian past. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look for Part 2 in a separate episode. Source

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0:00.0	So they're kind of setting the situation up where if you want to be taken seriously,
0:03.8	then the idea that the human mind was created by God or that we were created for higher purposes
0:09.5	other than mere survival and reproduction, then you have to reject that view completely
0:16.1	if you want to be taken seriously in the scientific community.
0:23.9	ID. if you want to be taken seriously in the scientific community. ID, The Future, a podcast about evolution and intelligent design.
0:31.2	Does evolution adequately account for the reality of human altruism, moral conviction, and cooperation? Does intelligent
0:39.3	design offer a better explanation? These are the questions on tap in today's episode. Joining me to
0:45.3	discuss them as geologist and lawyer, Dr. Casey Luskin. Luskin is Associate Director of Discovery
0:51.0	Institute's Center for Science and Culture. He holds a PhD in geology
0:55.2	from the University of Johannesburg, as well as graduate degrees in science and law. That gives
1:00.4	them expertise in both the scientific and the legal dimensions of the debate over evolution.
1:06.2	Dr. Luskin has been a California licensed attorney since 2005, practicing primarily in the area of evolution
1:12.4	education in public schools, as well as defending academic freedom for scientists who face
1:17.8	discrimination because of their support for intelligent design. Welcome, Casey. Great to be with
1:23.8	you, Andrew. Yeah, thanks for catching up with me. This was a great idea.
1:28.4	We talked previously and came up with this idea.
1:32.2	Let me just share a little bit of the background for our audience on the inspiration for today's conversation.
1:37.7	I recently published an article at The Daily Wire using the latest Marvel movie Fantastic Four, First Steps, as a springboard to discuss scientific
1:46.2	worldview. In one of the post-credit bonus scenes in that movie coming after the movie ends,
1:53.0	Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species, makes a cameo appearance in the home of the
1:57.9	Fantastic Four. And I was left, you know, kind of scratch in my head wondering
2:02.0	about that. So I explored whether the experiences of the Four better match up with an evolutionary
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