Thursday, August 25, 2005
ID is not science
Advocates of intelligent design criticize evolution by pointing out gaps in scientific knowledge. The wedge of intelligent design is then driven into these gaps by arguing that if something is complex then God did it. Intelligent design is not science or a theory. It is a subterfuge to replace science with a specific religious ideology.
The origin of life and how the chemical sequence for clotting blood evolved are complex questions. It is unlikely molecular biologists will determine their exact evolution. This admission is not a weakness of evolution. What is relevant, and what has been experimentally demonstrated, is that such transitions are possible within the framework of evolution.
Evolution is a solidly grounded scientific theory. That doesn’t mean that there are no questions left to answer. Evolution makes predictions about those gaps. Mammal-like reptiles with transitional jaw hinge structures exist in time and place between early reptiles and later mammals. Fossils of feathered dinosaurs have been found. These and many other transitional sequences demonstrate that if you look hard enough, given the vagaries of preservation and luck, missing links will be found.
Religion does not belong in a science classroom. Don’t be fooled by the appellation “intelligent designer.” In public, some advocates of intelligent design claim the designer might be a member of an alien culture who visited Earth, a speculation with no evidence. In private, you can be assured that none of the proposition’s adherents think the designer might be Marduk, Brahma, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Letter to the Editor published in the Lexington Herald-Leader 9/4/05.
