What is Wrong with Intelligent Design?

Dawes, Gregory W.

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What is Wrong with Intelligent Design?

Dawes, Gregory W.

Cite this item: Dawes, G. W. (2007). What is Wrong with Intelligent Design? International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 61(2), 69–81. doi:10.1007/s11153-007-9112-2

Permanent link to OUR Archive version: http://hdl.handle.net/10523/565

Date: 2007

Publisher: Springer Verlag

Pages: 69-81

Keywords: intelligent design theory; evolution; creationism; Darwinism; Christianity; theology; philosophy

Research Type: Journal Article

Languages: English

Abstract:

While a great deal of abuse has been directed at intelligent design theory (ID), its starting point is a fact about biological organisms that cries out for explanation, namely “specified complexity” (SC). Advocates of ID deploy three kind of argument from specified complexity to the existence of a designer: an eliminative argument, an inductive argument, and an inference to the best explanation. Only the first of these merits the abuse directed at it; the other two arguments are worthy of respect. If they fail, it is only because we have a better explanation of SC, namely Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.

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