emergence of intelligent design theory is it a challenge … … · the challenge it gave to the...

Research Journal of Education AWKUM Volume No. III Issue No. I (June, 2019).

https://www.awkum.edu.pk/rje/index.html ISSN No: 2523-2797 (P), 2523-966X (Online) 9

EMERGENCE OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN THEORY IS IT A CHALLENGE

FOR THE DARWIN THEORY OF EVOLUTION?

Dr. Muhammad Naseer Keyani

Assistant Professor

Department of Education, FSS&H,

University of Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Dr. Makhdoom Ali Syed

Assistant Professor

Chairman, Department of Education, FSS&H,

University of Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Qaiser Suleman PhD Scholar, Institute of Education & Research,

Kohat University of Science & Technology, KP, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Intelligent Design Theory is a theory that challenged the predominated Darwin

Theory of Evolution. This theory claims that Darwin Theory is only a scientific guess but it

has been accepted as a dominating law or fact. The proponents of the Intelligent Design

Theory are in favor of inclusion of this theory in the curriculum. So, it should be taught in

schools beside the Darwin Theory. They provided scientific evidence in favor of Intelligent

Design Theory but still their claim has not been widely entrained. This research study was an

attempt to investigate the impact of Intelligent Design Theory on our education system and

the challenge it gave to the predominant theory. The views and arguments provided by

scholars and scientists were reviewed. It is found that the emergence of Intelligent Design

Theory is a great challenge to the Darwinians who are defending their position on the stand

point that the Intelligent Design Theory is the brain child of creationists. The evolutionists

are opposing the Intelligent Design on biased and subjective grounds. The Intelligent Design

Theory will change the whole education system. It is recommended that the Intelligent Design

Theory should be introduced in the curriculum to enable the students to think and view the

cause and effect relationship from another angle.

Key words: Intelligent Design Theory, Darwin Theory of Evolution, Creation, Education,

Curriculum

INTRODUCTION

Darwinian Theory or the natural section theory is the base of biological sciences

which claims that all living things attained the present state through an evolution process. The

natural selection, the survival of the fittest and mutation are the bricks and mortar of the

Darwin theory. Theory of intelligent design shacked the basic concepts of Darwin theory and

challenged it. This review paper is an attempt to investigate about the theory of the intelligent

design in the light of the viewpoints of scholars, social scientists and the theorists. So, going

through the literature on both theories (Intelligent Design Theory and Darwin Theory of

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https://www.awkum.edu.pk/rje/index.html ISSN No: 2523-2797 (P), 2523-966X (Online) 0

Evolution), it was tried to find the facts about the problem “either emergence of later theory

is a challenge to the former theory or not”.

Objectives of the Study

Following were the objectives of the study;

a) To review the literature on Darwin Theory and Intelligence Design Theory in a

comparative perspective

b) To find out the impact on the Darwin Theory due to emergence of Intelligence Design

Theory

c) To explore the impact of intelligent design theory on education

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

Darwin Theory

Darwin theory rests on the idea that all living organisms attained the present shapes

and features through evolution and natural selection. According to Darwin Theory of

Evaluation all organisms have descendent from a common ancestor which means that birds,

bananas, fish and flowers all have generated from the same ancestors and attained the present

status through process of evolution. Darwin presented his theory of origin of species in 1859

and became a symbol of evolution and the founder of the biological terms such as origin of

species and natural selection. Mendel and Lamarck added into the theory of evolution some

new ideas like heredity and mutation. Darwin tried to prove that the universe, its habitants

and objects were not created as a purposeful creature by a visionary programmer/creator but

it was simply the result of the laws of natures and it was not run by any power. Darwin laid

the foundation of human knowledge about the creation of the man and the other organisms on

scientific grounds. Darwinian Theory about the origin of species and evolution was widely

accepted by the scientists and the philosophers. However, he disturbed negated the religious

concept of creation. The presence of God and His supernatural existence was placed at risk

after the Darwinian intervention. The global acceptance of Darwinian Theory affected the

education system and its curriculum. Especially the biological sciences were built on the

foundation of Darwin Theory. This theory claimed that the living organism developed and

shaped through a process of evolution. Darwin Evolution Theory rests on the notion that

nothing has become everything by passing through an incremental though unguided process

of random change and through adaptation (Nicoll, 2019). According to Smart (2000), Darwin

Theory is just a scientific hypothesis which has not been proved to be true as millions of

years are required to validate it which is out of human limits of observation.

Intelligent Design Theory

According to Forrest (2007), Intelligent Design (ID) Theory is a new theory presented

by American creationists which is linked with idea of supernatural creator. It is considered as

an alternative of the Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Design is set pattern or the arrangement

of parts of a system. Designer is one who creates or frames the design. Designs are not self-

created but someone creates the design. Design has been a point of discussion before the



https://www.awkum.edu.pk/rje/index.html ISSN No: 2523-2797 (P), 2523-966X (Online) Page 21

emergence of Darwinian Theory of Evolution. Dawkins (1987), stated that the design

argument was put forwarded by William Paley's watchmaker argument presented in 1802 by

saying that watch is a complex system which is designed by an intelligent designer and it is

not the result of undirected natural processes. According to him the system or the subsystems

within a system of living organisms are designs of very complex nature e.g. the eye of a

mammal is result of the intelligent design and not the result of natural selection of blind

forces. Bergman (2010), argues that almost all bio-scientists agree that the Darwinism is anti-

religious and does not accept the presence of a creator instead it encourages the atheists’

point of view.

Mutation and natural selection were taken as the causes of all apparent 'designs' but

Newman questioned about the designs of the inanimate nature. The designs of inanimate

nature remained under discussion before Darwin such as William Pelly's Natural Theology

presented in 1802 and Bridgewater Treatises (1833-40). Lawrence J. Henderson in 1913

again surfaced the issue of design in his book 'Fitness of the environment' by pointing out

many strange features of chemistry necessary for life existence. Paul Davies wrote a book

namely 'Accidental Universe' in 1982 and Barrow and Tripler wrote another book namely

'Anthropic Cosmological Principle in1986 in which the question about the design of

inanimate nature was highlighted. In 1982 and in 1985 two American courts favored to teach

creation theory along the Darwint Theory but the supreme court decided against the junior

courts in 1987 and forbad to teach the creation theory beside the Darwin Theory. Phillip

Johnson wrote a book Darwin on Trial in1991, which shattered the Darwin Theory and a new

discussion started about the validity of Darwin Theory. In 1996, Michael J. Behe wrote a

book 'Darwin’s Black Box' in which the author objected the Darwin Theory by raising the

question of irreducible complexity. Behe (1996) argued that a feature is irreducible when it

consists on a number of parts in such a way that none of the parts is removable without

disturbing the function of the feature such as in case of a mouse trap, none of the parts can be

removed and if any of the part is removed the whole trap will not work. According to Behe

(1996), there are a number of such irreducible complexities in the living organisms such as

blood clotting, intra-cell transportation, vision etc. Michael Denton, authored a book namely

Nature’s Destiny in 1998 in which he quoted a number of examples of irreducible

complexities which are present in the universe in the smallest size to the largest one such as

water, DNA, Oxygen, Nitrogen and light etc. According to the author the environment of the

earth was made fit for life and it is not merely a chance for earth to become fit for the life.

Frederic Nelson wrote a book 'Evolution Dissected' in 2003, in which he presented a number

of examples to dissect the Evolution Theory of Darwin and tried to prove that the life resulted

from purely natural processes. According to him the evolution is very hard to prove because

every step required 1010 tries for a single step of evolution. The scholar estimated the chance

for production of various basic constituents of life and proved that it is hardly possible to

assemble proteins, amino acids and DNA through a chance. According to him chance for

formation of DNA is less than one (1) in 1099 per try and a chance of formation of protein is

less than 1 in 1011 per try. According to him, it is almost impossible to form a single cell that

was claimed by evolutionists to be formed as it requires trillions of years to be completed and

the universe itself is not as old as the period required to form a single cell, hence the




naturalistic biochemical evolution of the first cell and naturalistic macroevolution are both

highly irrational scientific hypotheses.

Francis (2007, p. 8) accepted that the people in west were in veiw even before Darwin

that the creation of the universe was not accidental rather it was created by a purposeful

creator. Walter L. Starkey analyzed the origin of animals from a mechanical engineering

perspective in 1999 and showed that the mechanical systems are available in living

organisms. Starkey gave evidence as the ordered arrays of materials, chemical, electrical and

shapes of parts present in the inanimate things are also present in the living organisms. The

work of Starkey was the initiation of the beginning of the Cambrian Explosion.

In 1995, Fred Heeren authored a book named as 'Show me God-what the message

from Space is telling us about God' which was another challenge for Darwin Theory. In this

book he provided evidences in the favor of the design patterns such as Bible's God best

explanation, non-God explanation, the Big Bang Theory, the Bible and the Big Bang,

Evidence of Design, implication of design. In his book, the author provided evidence that the

religion and the science are on the same page. Mark A. Ludwig wrote a book on computer

viruses named as 'Computer Viruses-Artificial Life and Evolution in 1993 and favored that

the computer virus similar to life. Ludwig proved that the chance of production of smallest

life similar was one out of 10109. William Demoski presented the papers of various scientists

against the Theory of Evolution in 1996 in a conference. The edited papers were compiled in

the form of a book i.e. Mere Creation in which the scientist proved that the Design Theory

was on the right footings and the creation is not result of evolution but it is designed by an

intelligent designer.

Devis (1989), advocates that life is like a manufactured object, the result of intelligent

shaping of matter. The author claimed that the giraffes are a package of interrelated adoptions

that have resulted from the ability and work of diligent designer. The book claimed that

various form of life an abruptly through an intelligent agency with their distinctive features

already intact. According to the book every organism has been given an ideal body form

which allows it to function optimally in a particular habitat. The fossil record was explained

as “a series of informative events by an intelligent designer which matches the record of

appearance” found in the geological record.

According to new world encyclopedia, the intelligent design proponents seek

evidence of design in nature. The Theory of Intelligent Design claims that certain features of

the universe and of living organism can be explained by an intelligent cause. This theory

accepts that organism came into being by an undirected process of natural selection. Through

the study and analysis of a system's components, a design theorist is able to determine

whether various natural structures are the product of chance, natural law, intelligent design,

or some combination thereof. Such research is conducted by observing the types of

information produced when intelligent agents act. Scientists then seek to find objects which

have those same types of informational properties which we commonly know come from

intelligence. Intelligent design has applied these scientific methods to detect design in

irreducibly complex biological structures, the complex and specified information content in




DNA, the life-sustaining physical architecture of the universe, and the geologically rapid

origin of biological diversity in the fossil record during the Cambrian explosion

approximately 530 million years ago.

The Theory of Intelligent Design back lashed the Darwinian Theory. In 1973 a law

was passed in Tennessee to allow the inculcation of the alternative theory of creation

including Intelligent Design Theory. In 1975 a textbook entitled “A Search for Order in

Complexity” was approved for adoption in Indiana. The state judge ruled the action violated

the state and federal constitutions as the adoption of the textbook “both advanced particular

religious prefaces and entangled the state with religion. The judge asserted that the purpose of

the textbook was “the promotion and inclusion of fundamentalist Christian doctrine in the

public schools”. Texas ordered in 1925 that only those books will be adopted which have

Theory of Evolution.

The basic question that scientists ask about the evidence that is required to prove it to

be a scientific. The answer is simple. The science based on observation, experimentation and

conclusion. According to Kahoo (2002), science is based on the very basic principle that

there is a cause and effect relationship between all processes and happenings. Every effect

resulted from a cause and every cause produces an effect. The scientific method involves

four-steps i.e. observations, hypothesis, experiments, and conclusion. Intelligent design

begins with the observation. On the basis of observation, it is noted that there are complexity

of objects and organisms. Such a complex and complicated system or processes cannot be

produced by mere evolution or undirected natural selection. Hence there are intelligent agents

those produce such Complex and Specified Information (CSI). Design theorists make

hypotheses that a natural entity that contains high level of design contains high levels of

complex and specific information. Scientists by using experimental tests on natural objects

concluded that an organism possesses complex and specified information. These complex

systems are irreducible. It was found through experiment that biological processes and

systems are irreducible. Such a complex and irreducible complex can only be designed by an

intelligent designer. Random genetic mutation and natural selection cannot account for

certain biological phenomena, such as the human eye or the body's blood clotting mechanism.

The scientists proved by using mathematical and statistical models that the time

required to produce a simple organism is greater than the life time of this earth or even

universe. The example of mouse trap is a proof that systems work as a whole and even a

simple part cannot be removed as with the removal of very simple part will fail the whole

system. The random genetic mutation and natural selection cannot account for biological

phenomena, such as the human eye or the body's blood clotting mechanism.

The Theory of Intelligent Design is simply an effort to empirically detect whether the

"apparent design" in nature acknowledged by virtually all biologists is genuine design (the

product of an intelligent cause) or is simply the product of an undirected process such as

natural selection acting on random variations. Creationism typically starts with a religious

text and tries to see how the findings of science can be reconciled to it. Intelligent design

starts with the empirical evidence of nature and seeks to ascertain what inferences can be




drawn from that evidence. Unlike creationism, the scientific Theory of Intelligent Design

does not claim that modern biology can identify whether the intelligent cause detected

through science is supernatural.

Honest critics of intelligent design acknowledge the difference between intelligent

design and creationism. Ronald Numbers is critical of intelligent design, yet he agrees the

creationist label is inaccurate when it comes to the ID (Intelligent Design) movement (Kaden,

2018). According to him, it is easy to discredit Intelligent Design without providing any

scientific evidence to attach it with creationism. In this way the anti-creationists are biased

towards the ID Theory and are leaned toward Darwinism.

Intelligence Design Movement as a Great Challenge for the Darwin Theory of Evolution

Intelligent Design Theory has challenged the Darwin Theory of Evolution on valid

grounds by providing some undeniable evidences. Proponents of ID have been trying to teach

intelligent theory in the public sector schools and getting equal time with the theory of

evolution. ID movement challenged the education system and the constitutional separation of

state and church in America (Forrest, 2007). Proponents of ID are trying to minimize the

teaching time in Public Sector Schools in America used for teaching Darwin’s Evolution

Theory to have equal time for teaching ID Theory. Darwin Theory has blocked the scientists,

researchers and investigators to think differently. Intelligent Design Theory has given a new

turn to think, to develop curriculum and to teach differently. The foundation of education

system based on Darwin Theory of Evolution will go under trial when the educationists will

validate the Theory of Intelligent Design.

FINDINGS

After review of the literature on Darwin Theory of Evolution and Theory of Intelligent

Design it was found that

i. The Darwin Theory of Evolution was based on the concepts that the organisms

attained the present shape after having gone through a gradual change from generation

to generation. It is also called the natural selection theory. The interaction among the

organism and its environment started from the very beginning of the universe or earth.

The principle of the survival is 'the survival of the fittest'. The organism that is fittest

will survive but other have no right to survive. The change of shapes and structures;

and evolution are results of the principle of the survival of the fittest. This theory

flourished and got its first place in the curriculum of Science and Biology. It is anti-

religious and does not accept the existence of God or the presence of a Creator. The

universe is not run by someone but it runs by natural forces. The environment forces

changed the organism and not the God and the organism having strengths and powers

to survive, survived and progressed. The highest among the organism is the man. Man

adopted present shape and structure after having gone through gradual changes. Man

is the progressive form of ape or champagnes.

ii. The Darwin Evolution Theory is only a scientific hypothesis which has to prove its

validity but it is treated in our education system as law of evolution which is not the




whole truth and untested hypothesis. It is not possible for the human beings to test its

validity as millions of years are required to prove it valid experimentally. Teaching it

as a fact or law to our students creates misconception in their minds. Darwin Theory

disgrace and disrespect as it treats human beings just an animal.

iii. There is no absolute proof to validate the theory of evolution but the textbooks, the

teachers, the media and other resources teach and present it as a fact. The

nonbelievers are biased and do not allow the other theories to intervene in spite of the

fact that many researchers have disproved the theory of evolution as argued by Smart

(2002).

iv. Whereas Intelligent Design Theory is anti-evolutionist. This theory claims that living

things are not resulted from the process of natural selection or evolution but were

designed by an intelligent designer. Living organisms and their biological systems are

very complex and complicated. Hence their chance of being created through

Darwinian process was impossible. Such complex, delicate and supernatural system

can only be designed by an intelligent designer. Living things show signs of having

been designed. Living things have very complex biological systems which are

designed by a designer or higher intelligence may be responsible for this complexity.

The Theory of Intelligent Design holds that certain features of the universe and of

living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such

as natural selection. The belief in the presence of God as Creator of the universe and

its livings especially the human beings is proved by this theory.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In the light of findings, it is recommended that

i. The Theory of Intelligence Design may be integrated in the curriculum of biology

to enable the learner to see the creation of species from a different angle. It will

help the students to think the creation from another scenario.

ii. The Darwin Evolution Theory is only a scientific hypothesis which (still) has to

prove its validity but it is treated in our education system as law of evolution

which is not the whole truth. This creates misconception in the minds of the

students, therefore, this theory should be taught as hypothesis and not as a fact.

The researchers and scientists should be encouraged to investigate the fact and to

give ways to other theories such as the Theory of Intelligent Design.

iii. Further investigation may be initiated to prove or negate the challenge to the

Darwinian Theory of Evolution and survival of the fittest.

REFERENCE

Alzohairy, A. M. (2014). Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Genetic Department, Faculty of

Agriculture, Zagazig University Egypt.

Behe, M. J. (1996). Darwin Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution . New York:

Free Press.




Bergman, J. (2010). Why Orthodox Darwinism Demands Atheism. Answers Research

Journal 3 , 147–152

David, P. & Kenyon, D.H.(1989). Of Pondas and People . Taxas: Foundation for Thought

and Ethics.

Dawkins, R. (1987). The Blind Watchmaker. New York: Norton.

Dembski, W. A. (1998). Mere Creation-Science, Faith and Intelligent Design.

Madisom,USA: Intervarist Press.

Encyclopedia, New World (2109, March 30). What is Intelligent Design? Retrieved from

intelligentdesign.org/whatisid/: https://intelligentdesign.org/whatisid/

Forrest, B. (2007). Understanding The Intelligent Design Creationist Movement: Its True

Nature and Goals. Washigton, DC: Center for Inquiry.

Harris, William S. & Calvert, John. H (2003). The national catholic bioethics

quarterly\autumn 2003:

http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/NCBQ3_3HarrisCalvert.pdf

Kaden, T. (2018). Creationism and Anti-Creationism in the United States: A Sociology of

Conflict. Baveria, Germany: Springle.

Khoo, C., Chan, C. & Niu, Y. (2002). The Many Facets of the Cause-Effect Relation. In

Green, R., Bean, C.A. &Myaeng S.H.The semantics of relationships:An

interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 51-70). Centre for Advanced Information Systems

Nicoll, R. (2019, March 30). Intelligent Design vs Intelligent Design. Retrieved from

https://www.allaboutscience.org/intelligent-design-vs-evolution.htm

Smart, L. D. (2000). UNMASKING EVOLUTION. Australia: Belconnen Baptist Church.

Sonleitner, F. J. (1991). What's Wrong with 'Pandas. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma


http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/NCBQ3_3HarrisCalvert.pdf

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