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THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS INTELLIGENT DESIGN!
I purposely and intelligently designed this Lens so people can have a better understanding of the (un)scientific nature behind the Intelligent Design Theory.
<-- pseudoscientist looking for evidence of intelligent design
What is Intelligent Design?
The pseudo-science Intelligent Design (ID) is a form of Creationism. In short it says that observed complexity in the universe can best be explained by an intelligent cause and not by undirected natural processes. The Disco Institute, homebase to the ID-ers claims that their theory is strictly scientific and superiour to evolution and the origin of life. ID carefully omits to specify the creator but most supporters of the theory believe that the Designer is in fact the Christian God. The theory is often seen as a new attempt to get creationism back on the menu.
Fundamental(ist) claim for Intelligent Design
"there are natural systems that cannot be adequately explained in terms of undirected natural forces and that exhibit features which in any other circumstance we would attribute to intelligence." - W. Dembski
Main arguments as evidence for Intelligent Design
In this lens I will go into the flaws and assumptions of these arguments and show you why it is pseudo-science. I hope I can be clear enough to make you able to withstand any debating creationist that may want to convince you of "His" ways.
Irreducible Complexity - M. Behe
Specified Complexity - W. Dembski
Fine-tuned Universe - G. Gonzalez
Irreducible Complexity
"...a single system which is composed of several well-matched interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning." - M. Behe
That's how Behe first described Irreducible Complexity IC in the context of ID. Another famous example of his IC is the mousetrap, wherein it is impossible to remove any of its parts without causing loss of function. He claims that no evolutionairy mechanism can be sufficient to create such a function. All parts need to have arisen simultaneously and therefor show design. In his view Behe claims that evolution and natural selection are insuffiecint to explain the arrival of a new complex function. Of course it is debunked now. An evolutionairy sound mousetrap
IC debunked
Next their team went out and tried to identify IC in nature. Famous examples:
-The eye (even Darwin himself had problems explaining the origin). Nowadays scientist have enough evidence that the eye could evolve through a series of random mutations only requiring (2000 simple) steps and have evidence the eye has originated from a lensless one (like the eye of an octopus).
- Bloodclotting system, Cilia, Flagellum... all got the IC tag. All of them have now been shown to have arisen from evolution.
The latest example of IC, the complex key-lock mechanism of the hormone and receptor, was in April 2006 shown to be the result of evolution. It shows that in nature keys and locks do evolve and arise seperately.
C. Adami - Reducible Complexity
In court in 2005 Behe himself finally disproved IC and showed it is merely a product of wishful thinking and sloppy science.
Behe on trial transcript
Perhaps Irreducibly Complex just means we haven't got the answers yet. Which in itself is no just reason to jump to any conclusion and point at design.
Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution
Behe's book on Irreducible Complexity. An incomplete tome filled with scientific gaps and deliberate omissions. Behe in court testified to the fact that he rarely reads scientific papers on evolution. He thinks it's a waste of time. That's how his books evolve. PseudoScience!
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The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
In this book Richard Dawkins comes up with clear solutions for seemingly Irreducibly Complex mechanism or features of life. All this work evolved from his dedication to nature and science. Clear and well-written and a must-read for every person that seeks answers to complexity.
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Specified Complexity
Theologian, philosopher and mathematician W. Dembski came up with the Specified Complexity argument. Note that his fields of expertise have nothing to do with biology and nature.
Dembski has the weird idea that when something exhibits specified complexity (both complex and specified, simultaneously), one can infer that it was produced by an intelligent cause (that it was designed) rather than being the result of natural processes.
Definition
"A single letter of the alphabet is specified without being complex. A long sentence of random letters is complex without being specified. A Shakespearean sonnet is both complex and specified."
He states that details of living things can be similarly characterized, especially the "patterns" of molecular sequences in functional biological molecules such as DNA.
Why Dembski has his noodles twisted
Of course he makes a big mistake in comparing Nature to Shakespeare. DNA is no book that can be read. It is more like a recipe. Adding or substracting letters in both of them result in different things. A book becomes unreadable, whereas a biological function may well stay the same or may even be improved. Furthermore we cannot judge if anything is specific.
If Demski does prove one thing, it would be the old saying:
"ignorance is bliss"
Debating Design: From Darwin to DNA
Note that the author is not familiar with science. Also note that the crosssection on the front of the book is a nice example of repetition of a simple shape with nearly no complexity.
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Mendel's Demon
More scientific than the book above. In depth and thorough study of complex features and unexplained phenomena.
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The Cooperative Gene: How Mendel's Demon Explains the Evolution of Complex Beings
Want to know the truth behind complexity? Nature becomes even more intrigueing and wonderous after reading this book.
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Fine-tuned Universe
Nature however shows that life can exist just about anywhere if some criteria are met. Mathematicians have shown that it really isn't that unique and hard to come into existence.
This ID argument is often called "the lack of imagination argument" because it states that only life as we know it could exist.
Atheist Universe: Why God Didn't Have A Thing To Do With It
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Decoding the Universe: How the New Science of Information Is Explaining Everything in the Cosmos, from Our Brains to Black Holes
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The Great Wedgie
Read it and be shocked: The Original "Wedgie" document
This document shows the true nature and aims of their movement. It also shows that the main goal is to get Christianity and God back on the menu. It also gives a detailed explanation of the ways they intend to achieve this goal. They want to crack open the log of science at its weakest point enforcing an opening for ID.
The main reason for the origin of the document lies in the fact that evolution contradicts the sayings in the Bible from beginning to end.
The statements made in the Wedgde make the Disco Institute and followers of ID a possible funadamentalist threat to society in respect to the fact that they wish to "overthrow" materialistic world views. They blame science for this.
Intelligent Thought: Science versus the Intelligent Design Movement
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Unintelligent Design
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Intelligent Design: The Bridge Between Science & Theology
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Hopes for the future
Rulings of a judge in Kansas stated that Intelligent Design is no science and teaching it at schools is in direct violation with the US constitution. He also stated that ID is nothing other than religion. This precedent will probably stay succesful and keep ID theory from poisoning the minds of future generations.
100's of thousands of scientist have rejected ID as being scientific. This way ID will not get a foothold anywhere in the scientific world. (other than in church that is)
FSM
A lot of people get informed now of the pseudo-scientific nature of ID. A nice example is the new religion "Spaghetti Monsterism" which claims to have even better evidence of design. They claim that their God which they call the Flying Spaghetti Monster is in fact the Intelligent Designer. If any school ever wants to introduce Intelligent Design into a science/biology class the FSM movement said it wants equal rights and equal time. They are even willing to go to court for this. Info about FSM
The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
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1,000,000 Verses Direct from the Flying Spaghetti Monster
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Guestbook
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jamesal
Amazing! I teach in a non-evangelical liberal arts college. We have a member of the science faculty who is absolutely brilliant. Still, he continues to belong to the Faraday Society and even finds ID too far out for him. For him it is 6 days and done. In view of that, ID seems an improvement. Still, one has to wonder why so many people feel compelled to offer various varieties of warmed-over creationism. They cannot believe unless every "jot and tittle" are beyond question. I think there is a better way! There is! Posted May 03, 2008 |
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TalkingBull
Theists will grasp at anything without a full understanding of its origins or purpose if it supports their delusions. ID was created by the Discovery Institute for the specific purpose of teaching Creationism in high school biology classes. This was tried in Kansas and struck down in court. ID is by no means a scientific theory because it can't be tested. Remember the scientific method from the third grade??? If something can not be tested, it is not science but philosophy/theology. KEEP RELIGIOUS AGENDAS OUT OF SCHOOLS! This is NOT a theocracy but a democracy!!! These people are really pissing me off. Posted April 18, 2008 |
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TalkingBull
We need more lenses like this. Intelligent Design sickens me. Posted April 12, 2008 |
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dnev
Looks good to me. Glad to have another voice in the battle against scientific ignorance. Posted February 12, 2008 |
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Forgiven
Your hard work shows! When you get time I would appreciate it if you would visit and rate my lens The Lunacy of Atheism and faithography Posted August 11, 2007 |
