"The basic concept of intelligent design comes in two parts and is as simple as it is satisfying for those unwilling to think deeply about the natural world, science, or the nature of religion. Part one, stretching way back to the ancient Greeks, notes that nature is so perfectly integrated that it must have been designed just as we see it. Part two, largely attributed to Lehigh University biologist Michael Behe, says that while some aspects of nature might certainly have changed (evolved?) over time, others are so complex that they must always have existed in the form we find them in today. Indeed, he coined the term “irreducibly complex” to explain such structures. Change anything at all in these irreducibly complex structures and they fail to work.
"Both parts of ID are spectacularly wrong.
“Indeed, demonstrating imperfect design in humans has become something of a fascinating cottage industry. Listen, for example to Abby Hafer, a physiologist at Curry College, discuss five serious flaws, from the blind spot in the human retina to the placement of human testicles, on NPR’s Here & Now. In his PNAS article, Avise simply extends this analysis to the human genome discussing myriad serious problems arising from “gratuitous gene complexities” that no self-respecting designer would tolerate.”
huffingtonpost.com/michael-zimmerman/intelligent-design-scient_b_571703.html
spectacularly – Hyperbole is one clue. Intelligent Design presents sound reasons. It can be shown that the cell contains intricate nanomachinery far beyond the present capabilities of human engineering. The way the codes are read and the way they are stored are analogous to the way humans store and utilize information on a computer. The argument is not a simple matter of arguing for complexity but specific instructions that are read in more than one way and used for a specific outcome.
At the web site uncommondescent, one poster in particular indicated his fear that the Designer might turn out to be the Christian God while at the same time pointing out how ‘incorrectly’ the eye was designed. Another poster pointed out, incorrect compared to what? Given the capability, how would anyone design a better or ‘perfect’ eye? He went on to ask if anyone reading the comments ever had trouble with the ‘blind spot.’ Apparently, no one had.
The ongoing attempt to deflect attention from Intelligent Design, and to have a Scope’s Monkey-like show trial over it, has not stopped continuing research. Intelligent Design proponents, including Stephen Meyer, predicted that “Junk DNA” would turn out to be functional, which has come to pass, as opposed to the wishful thinking of Dawkins, et al.
No matter what is said against it, ID shows signs of not only valuable insight regarding the function of the human genome but insight into the deficiencies of evolutionary theory.
Current research into the human genome does not rely on anything evolution related, but on simple trial and error experiments and attempts to identify function as related to some particular portion of it. Research into new medicines still involves exposing hundreds of samples to hundreds of combinations of chemicals in the hope that (A) one will work, and (B) the resulting medication will not be so toxic as to cause more harm than good.
The current media obsession is to replace faith in God with faith in science, which simply translates into replacing God with the mind of man as the new thing to worship. Man is so smart today (as opposed to a few weeks ago) that certain things can be stated with certainty, including the idea that religion was just a mechanical phase that man went through on his way to becoming modern. A bunch of baloney if I ever heard it. This will result in the promotion in the post-theological god who is just a symbol, nothing more, freeing people to believe in the false idea that their lives and they themselves are accountable to nothing and no one.
And to paraphrase Arthur C. Clarke – we will become more powerful than any god we can imagine, or “Ye shall be as gods.” Satan - Garden of Eden.
Beware, my fellow Catholics, of those who hold the knowledge of men above the knowledge given by God.
God bless,
Ed
More bad news for StA and the 200000 working biologists.