Intelligent Design?

Question

What are your thoughts on Intelligent Design?

Answer 1

I believe it's wishfull thinking. The bad thing about our intelligence, is that we're smart enough to realise that we DON'T know everything- & that brings out the insecurities in us. To make THAT easier to deal with- we rationalize that there must be a "reason" for everything, and that everything is arranged by plan. The PROBLEM with that is- we STILL need to go out & find the answer to the questions of the Universe...-because THAT'S what we, as human beings- have always done. So Intelligent Design does nothing but get in the way of our "getting on with" our search for answers in the Universe. It's nothing more than our insecurities trying to make sense of it all- without having to explain anything.

Answer 2

The "scientific premise" of Intelligent Design is that there's the signature of "intelligence at work" in numerous examples in the natural world. As an example, the SETI project hypothesize that there's extraterrestrial intelligence, and evidence of it can be found through analysis of radio signals collected from space. This is an interesting and difficult problem, how may "sentient design" be detected in a data stream, radio signal, or processes in nature, or structures in nature? How do we know that what we are seeing is in fact a deliberate design by a sentient agency? Unfortunately, the Intelligent Design movement is filled with people that have no idea about the scientific methodology, nor have made any significant advances in information theory on the matter of discerning sentient agencies. You know that there's something wrong when they spend most of their time attacking evolution, when they could be making better use of their time in actually developing a science. I'll listen to them when they've done the math. Something a little better worked out than "Specified Complexity" or "Irreducible Complexity", which is about all they've got now.

Answer 3

I believe intelligent design was created to try to explain things that our feeble brains cannot. It begs more to a question of religion though. Just because we cannot yet explain something does not mean that it was God.
If you remember, there was a time when people thought the Earth was the center of the universe, the Earth was flat, Mars had canals and "bleeding" could cure most diseases.
Pagan worship including the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks once thought to be the most intelligent and learned people on earth, believed in a different "God" for everything.
So, intelligent design? I think the jury is still out and will wont be determined until we are dead, which is when we will have ALL the answers.

Answer 4

Intelligent Design is quite reasonable, in the same sense that Christianity might be considered to be a reasonable belief system. The notion that Intelligent Design is a scientific argument is ludicrous. Only religious people might actually believe Intelligent Design. As a religious concept, it has about the same merit as other religious arguments. Religious types who claim that Intelligent Design is scientific do nothing more than show that they cannot distinguish their personal religion from science.

Answer 5

Strictly speaking, the idea that the complexity and order of life and/or the universe implies a "Designer"" is a very old philosophical arguement--dating at least back to Aristotle. And it is still a defensible (or r"respected") philosophical position--and probably always will be.

But as used currently, the term "Intelligent Design" does not refer to a philosophical arguement. Rather, it actually refers to Creationism. This is the religious belief--held by some right-wing chruches (or, more correctly from a sociological perspective, cults)--that the Bible (Genesis) is a literal description of creation. "Intelligent Design" is simply this religious doctrine presented dishonestly as a supposed "sceintific therory" with the explicit --and openly stated--intent to introduce that religious doctrine into schools (particularly public schools) by falsly claiming it is a secular theory. The goal--again explicitly stated by these cults, is to undermine teachings and eliefs of other religions taught to most children and make them vulnerable to recruitment into these same cults.

Answer 6

I believe that there's some kind of All Powerful Supreme Being that at the least made it possible for our universe to come into existence. Whether or not that happened by 'intelligent design' or not I have no idea.

Answer 7

I believe in a Creator, and evolution but not intelligent design.

And I will not argue with a Creationist because they do not understand or respect the scientific principle.

Answer 8

Machines are made by intelligent designers. Things like cars, airplanes, jet engines, electric motors, computers, stuff like that.

Answer 9

would not the universe violate the 2d regulation of thermodynamics - Nope. Sandcastles do no longer spontaneously look interior the sea coast - try a controversy that may no longer orientated in the direction of 6 twelve months olds in Jesus camp. It takes a human to return alongside and create the sandcastle, otherwise it is going to never ensue. - You stated one subject real. the comparable with a universe, real? - back, try a controversy for adults, no longer 6 twelve months olds. i'm an Atheist, yet my chum set me a project to produce a controversy for sensible layout. anybody care to refute it?) - there's a distinction between a controversy and an sensible argument.

Answer 10

First responder has it right. The problem with the theory is not that it is necessarily wrong -- it is that it is necessarily useless. It can be shown that the theory has no predictive power -- it is totally useless. Scientists construct theories because they want to predict how things will happen, and what would be the point of a theory that can't do so?