Phillip Johnson said he believes that the complexity of living organisms alone is enough to disprove Darwinian theory.
Johnson, a University of California Berkley law professor and a national spokesman against evolution, addressed the UNM community about his belief in creationism during his presentation of "The Real Evolution/Creation Debate" in Woodward Hall early Monday afternoon.
"If nature is made of the particles that physicists study, how do we get plants and animals?" Johnson asked while criticizing natural selection before an audience that almost filled Woodward Hall to the brim. "You have to have a theory that tells you how the particles change into a living organism."
During the lecture, some people in the audience nodded their heads, others either snickered or shook their heads in disagreement. A few people in the audience also rudely offered their own opinions out loud, interrupting Johnson while he was still speaking.
Johnson said the theory of evolution, or any theories like it, will not survive the 21st century because evolution is a philosophical theory.
He went on to say that one of the major flaws of the theory of evolution is that it excludes the possibility of divine intervention within the creation of living organisms.
"What we have is a theory that supports a moral view that nature is all there is and God is completely out of the picture," Johnson said.
He said that one of the reasons God is left out of the theory is because scientists are either atheists or very liberal about religion.
Johnson's speech concluded on the proposal that students should be taught a variety of theories regarding the way life is started - not just evolution.
The real debate, however, began after a heated audience applauded Johnson, but then grilled him with questions that criticized his opinions.
One audience member sitting in the far back section of the auditorium yelled to Johnson that his argument is flawed because it focuses on law and the possibility of chance.
Daniel Garcia, a biochemistry student at UNM, said the lecture was useful for him because he wants to broaden his knowledge on the subject, but said he isn't sure what he thinks of Johnson's opinions.
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"I think it's important to hear both sides of the issue coming from an objective perspective," Garcia said. "It's important for students, especially at universities, to be exposed to all perspectives."
Dave Thomas, who gave a speech Monday in response to Johnson's visit said, "The reason the leader of the intelligent design movement is a lawyer is because they can't prove design on their own terms."
Thomas is a physicist and mathematician for Quasar International, Inc., who hoped to prove evolution is a scientific reality at his lecture.
"It's exactly what I expected," Thomas said on his way out of Woodward Hall.
Harold Delaney, a UNM psychology professor who invited Johnson to speak, said he was pleased with the turnout.
He added, however, that he thinks some audience members misinterpreted Johnson's focus.
Delaney said that Johnson was only attempting to pose the question of whether biological law has the power to create large volumes of information or if something more than science is at work.
