Delving into the world of Intelligent Design
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology through the School of Biological, Physical, Mathematics and Actuarial Sciences, hosted a team of professionals from BioCosmos and the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute. The team delivered a public lecture which targeted faculty members, Dean of Students, postgraduate and undergraduate students. The aim of the lecture was to introduce and explore the concept of Intelligent Design (ID) while examining the positive case for design in various domains. The presentation quested to foster critical thinking and engage attendees in a thoughtful examination of the interface between science, psychology, philosophy, and the concept of purpose in the universe.
Setting the stage was Dr. Richard Ochieng’, Chair of Biocosmos Kenya Trust Foundation. He is also in-charge of all operations of the foundation. Dr. Ochieng’ took the members present through the Background of BioCosmos Kenya before providing a comprehensive introduction to Intelligent Design. BioCosmos Foundation is a registered trust foundation in Kenya whose main mandate is to advance the theory of Intelligent Design which holds that many features of the universe and life are best explained by an intelligent cause. This multi-disciplinary concept cuts across all disciplines. The attendees were introduced to the fundamental principles underlying this concept, highlighting its distinction from other scientific and philosophical viewpoints, with the objective being to establish a foundation of understanding for further exploration.
Other speakers included Dr. Lencer Ndede, a Board member of BioCosmos Kenya Trust Foundation and also the National Coordinator of BioCosmos Students Clubs in Kenya. She tackled the place of Intelligent Design in the question of origin of life and the universe. Fr. Martin Tanui unpacked the Introduction to Intelligent Design and Intelligence Vs Religion while Dr. Morris Mwatu engaged the thrilled audience on Intelligent Design in fine tuning the Universe and the Earth.
At the end of the lecture, Dr. Angeline Ochung’-Orwa from the Department of Physical Sciences thanked the participants for turning up and the trainers for taking the audience through such an informative lecture and further emphasized on the importance of intelligent design especially to students. “Students will be able to have a broader perspective in science through Intelligent Design.” She reiterated.
The participants gained a thorough understanding of Intelligent Design, its relationship with scientific inquiry, and the positive case for design in various domains at the end of the lecture before being provided with books on Intelligent Design by the teams from both BioCosmos and the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute. The lecture sought to promote an environment of intellectual curiosity, respectful discourse, and open-minded exploration while empowering the attendees to engage with complex topics at the intersection of science, psychology and philosophy.
BioCosmos has student clubs from some of the Universities in Kenya including University of Eldoret, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Rongo University, Kaimosi Friends University, Moi University among others. The team is also in the process of forming student clubs in Pwani University, Catholic University of Eastern Africa , St. Paul’s University and most recently Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology. The students from these learning institutions will be drawn from diverse backgrounds and brought together with a view to realizing a common goal of upholding and advancing the core theory of Intelligent Design which states that “many features of the universe and life are best explained by an intelligent cause.”
