Jonathan Wells (intelligent Design Advocate)

Jonathan Wells (intelligent Design Advocate)

John Corrigan "Jonathan" Wells (born 1942) is an American author and advocate of intelligent design. Wells joined the Unification Church in 1974, and subsequently wrote that the teachings of church founder Sun Myung Moon, his own studies at the Unification Theological Seminary and his prayers convinced him to devote his life to "destroying Darwinism": the term Darwinism is often used by intelligent design proponents to refer to the scientific consensus on evolution. He gained a PhD in religious studies at Yale University in 1986, then became Director of the Unification Church’s inter-religious outreach organization in New York City. In 1989 he went to the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a PhD in molecular and cell biology in 1994. He became a member of several scientific associations and was published in academic journals.

In his book Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth?, Wells said that a number of examples used to illustrate biology textbooks were grossly exaggerated, distorted the truth, or were patently false; he said that this shows that evolution conflicts with the evidence, and so argued against its teaching in public education. Some reviewers of Icons of Evolution have said the Wells misquoted experts cited as sources and took minor issues out of context, basing his argument on a flawed syllogism. Wells's views on evolution have been rejected by the scientific community.