What is the "intelligent design"?

Answer 1

Intelligent design is an argument for the existence of God,[1] based on the premise that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection."[2] Its leading proponents, all of whom are affiliated with the Discovery Institute,[3][4][5] claim that intelligent design is a scientific theory that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories regarding the evolution and origin of life.[6]

The scientific community states unequivocally that intelligent design is not science;[7] many scientists and at least one major organization of science teachers have also termed it pseudoscience,[8] and some have termed it junk science.[9] The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has stated that intelligent design "and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life" are not science because they cannot be tested by experiment, do not generate any predictions, and propose no new hypotheses of their own.[10]

In Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005), a United States federal court ruled that a public school district requirement for science classes to teach that intelligent design is an alternative to evolution was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. United States District Judge John E. Jones III ruled that intelligent design is not science and is essentially religious in nature.[11] In the hearing, intelligent design advocate Michael Behe testified under oath that no scientific evidence in support of the intelligent design hypothesis has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.[12

Answer 2

Intelligent Design is a speculation that some biochemical structures appear to be irreducibly complex, and therefore could not have evolved, but must have been designed by intelligent being(s).

Note the word "speculation" above. It is NOT a scientific theory nor even a hypothesis. There is no direct evidence for Intelligent Design.

Answer 3

Many people are confused about what this means. It is not a mask for "God."

INntelligent design is saying that the universe is so complex, and so perfectly in balance, that it is impossible to have been created by random chance.

For example, the if the ratio of strength for gravity, magnitism, and the strong/weak forces of atoms were off by even 1 part in 100,000....the universe, and life, would not be possible.
The laws of physics themselves are too perfect to be random.

Also, it is argued that life itself, is so complicated...that we can have such complicated brains to the point of being able to congnitively ponder our own existence, along with other complicated, sophisticated thoughts, are too much for random selection to account for. The proponents of this theory say that even with the billions of years the universe has been in existence, it is still not enough time for "randomness" to create all this harmony and order.

Therefore, they say that a force, resembling some kind of intellegence, seems to have a hand in it...seems to be driving evolution. Hence the term "intelligent design."

It doesn't say anything more than that about God or creation, to the best of my knowledge..only that a force that resembles some sort of intelligence (for lack of a better word) plays a part.

Answer 4

There's acutally two answers to that.

Traditionally, the arguement that the universe (or life, etc) displays a sense of order anedrationality that implies an intelligent creator is an old one in philosophy--dating back to Aristotle (at least). It was--and is--a legitimate philosophical position to take and its proponets have often argued very persuasively and logically for it.

The other answer is that today, as commonly used, "intelligent design" does not refer to that philosophical issue. Rather, it refers to "creationism"--that is, to the claim advanced by right-wing "Christians" that the Bible literally describes the origins of life. The "intelligent design" version is simply an attempt to dress up this religious doctrine so that they can fraudently slip it into science classrooms. And I'm not being insulting--if you liisten to them, they're quite open about the nature of this strategy--and unapolegetic about the outright dishonesty involved.

Answer 5

In a nutshell, intelligent design says that since we're intelligent, some intelligent being must have created us.

Answer 6

It is creationism under another name. It says the universe was intelligently designed and created by God.

Answer 7

'Intelligent design' is a concept made up by religious groups to try to explain the origin of life and the universe. It is basically science fiction and is meant to never be proven or disprooven through physical science.

Answer 8

The theory that human life (or all life) was purposely designed and planted on the planet. This is often associated with an almighty creator like God, or an advanced race of aliens preforming a long term experiment.

Answer 9

In the study of life, some people argue that all life could not have evolved from random chance, that it was intentionally 'designed' when it was originally created such that it would have evolved to the life forms that we see today.