A CRITIQUE OF CURRENT ANTI-ID ARGUMENTS AND ID RESPONSES

Intelligent Design (ID) presents empirical evidence to support its contention that origin of the complexity in biological systems requires input of intelligence. Many scientists reject ID or any other explanation for origins that does not utilize only naturalistic principles. There have been a number of carefully written books and articles arguing that ID has failed to make its case. ID advocates have published responses to these arguments. Which of these lines of argument is most convincing, when compared to what is known about living systems? This paper evaluates a representative sample of the best anti-ID and pro-ID publications and presents a conclusion as to the present state of the evidence and arguments regarding these positions. Non-materialistic concepts of origins have generally included belief that the universe is the result of intelligent design. However, in the last two decades the term “intelligent design ” (ID) is commonly used for a specific movement developed by a group of highly educated scientists and philosophers. The movement began in the 1980s (Thaxton et al. 1984; Denton 1985) but was first brought to public attention by publications of Phillip Johnson, a law professor in the University of California. The first of these was Darwin on Trial (1991), followed by other books (Johnso