Intelligent Design

Intelligent Design-
-the view that nature shows tangible signs of having been designed by a pre-existing intelligence.
Evolution Theory
- the theory that acts of random mutations and natural selections gave rise to humans and all other forms of life.

The first time I learned about the theory of Intelligent Design was when guest speaker Kennith Miller spoke at SMU. I don't remember everything he talked about in his presentation, but what I do remember is that 1.) he wrote the science text books I've used throughout most of my educational career2.) he is a christian 3.) and he doesn't believe in Intelligent Design.

Micheal Behe in his essay The Challenge of Irreducible Complexity uses a mousetrap to illustrate the complexity and deliberation of a cell or any other complex organ.
"An everyday example of an irreducibly complex system is the humble mousetrap. It consists of (1) a flat wooden platform or base; (2) a metal hammer, which crushes the mouse; (3) a spring with extended ends to power the hammer; (4) a catch that releases the spring; and (5) a metal bar that connects to the catch and holds the hammer back. You can’t catch a mouse with just a platform, then add a spring and catch a few more mice, then add a holding bar and catch a few more. All the pieces have to be in place before you catch any mice."

But his argument was a weak one. For when Kenneth Miller, a staunch advocate of the evolution theory, read this he immediately published an essay titled "A Flaw In the Mousetrap," In which he proves that even lacking most parts, the mousetrap still serves as a functional machine, just maybe not in the way it was first intended.
He states,"Take away two parts (the catch and the metal bar), and you may not have a mousetrap but you do have a three-part machine that makes a fully functional tie clip or paper clip. Take away the spring, and you have a two-part key chain. The catch of some mousetraps could be used as a fishhook, and the wooden base as a paperweight; useful applications of other parts include everything from toothpicks to nutcrackers and clipboard holders. The point, which science has long understood, is that bits and pieces of supposedly irreducibly complex machines may have different—but still useful—functions."
This is the argument posed between the design theory and the evolutionist theory and both make valid arguments as to why the other is less credible. This is why science is in such a pickle.
However, even after proving that maybe evolution does play part in the creation of some organisms, a flaw/missing piece is still found in the Evolution Theory- "how did life actaully begin?" Asking this question has proved to be dangerous to many scientists and academics alike-- at least when Intelligent Design plays a part in the answer. Many, in attempt to ban the exposure of the theory, have been professionally prosecuted for agreeing with the design arguement. This is the fuel of Ben Stein's new movie, Expelled.