Rebuttle of “Intelligent Design”

Joel — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 02:27:30 +0000

Being bandied around by a group of rather unscientific Americans (Crusaders for Christ) is a new DVD on Intelligent Design. Whilst me talking about this is no doubt what they want – publicity – I am doing so to mention an article I read by the Professor of Theology at the Australian Catholic University, Neil Ormerod. It was in the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday the 15th of November and should be an enlightening read for anyone who believes in the pseudo-science of “Intelligent Design”.

The philosophical issue is whether statistical causes are real causes or simply a cover for unknown causes. Even some religious believers want to cling to the type of scientific determinism which has dominated our culture since the initial discoveries of Newton.

Nonetheless, we human beings can use statistical causation – chance – to produce determinate outcomes. What the promoters of intelligent design argue is that God is not intelligent enough to produce determinate outcomes using statistical causation.

Do they think that God is not intelligent enough to use statistical causation? If we allow that God is more intelligent than us, then the whole basis of intelligent design is undermined. It is an unnecessary hypothesis which should be consigned to the dustbin of scientific and theological history.

'ju:femaiz » Australian-Catholic-University

Rebuttle of “Intelligent Design”