Evolutionism and intelligent design in the writingsof Józef Życiński (1948 – 2011)

Abstract

More than 150 years ago, Charles Darwin’s major work, On the Origin of Species,revolutionized science and the approach to explaining the biological complexity of theworld. This happened because Darwin was the first naturalist to propose in a systematic and scientific way a theory intended to explain the creation of all the complexityof the world without resorting to supernatural causes.66 The theory of evolution hassince become a paradigm for practicing natural sciences. However nowadays molecularbiology sheds new light on the issue of the origin of life and the evolution of the naturalworld. Hence at the end of the 20th century, the scientific theory of intelligent designwas developed in the United States, which postulates that there are very serious reasons – related to the very structure of biological molecular systems – to believe that themechanisms of life can never be explained in accordance with Darwinian principles.67The article will present the essence of evolutionism and intelligent design in the lightof Józef Życiński’s writings and their interpretations put forward by some researchers.The last part will attempt to evaluate the final conclusions presented by the philosopher