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Is intelligent Design a scientific theory?

Is intelligent Design a scientific theory?

  • Yes

    Votes: 3 4.7%
  • no

    Votes: 61 95.3%

  • Total voters
    64

99percenter

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I believe it is creationism and religious doctrine should not be taught in our schools.
 
It's a bunch of religious nonsense. It wouldn't know rigorous scientific principles if it tripped over them. Keep irrarional crap out of the schools.
 
To answer the thread-titled question ..

.. If the existence and function of God has been scientifically indicated/proven, then ID is scientifically based; if not, then it isn't.

I haven't kept up with the latest advancements in conducting scientific inquiry, either with or without ID's recommended changes to scientific inquiry that, they say, will still qualify it as "science", so I really don't know whether science can indicate/prove the existence and function of God.

I have a hunch that science hasn't done so yet, and that the existence and function of God is somewhere in speculation between the Higgs boson and the graviton or maybe even beyond the graviton, from science's perspective.

But, I could be wrong.

I mean, there may be those who claim that the existence and function of God has indeed been indicated/proven through the process application of "intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment", thus making ID a scientific theory .. though I shudder to think what God-baiting "experiments" were historically employed to so prove.

So even though ID may have pockets of "real" science strewn throughout its constructs, unless its foundational premise -- the existence of God and God's function -- has been scientifically indicated/proven, it's simply not a scientific theory.
 
No. It is an unsubstantiated hypothesis. Nothing more. Nothing less.
 
I believe it is creationism and religious doctrine should not be taught in our schools.


I believe you are 100% correct.

I don't want a secular school trying to "educate" my child on matters related to the Spirit. More importantly, a secular school is ill-equipped for such "teachings." This is the Church's responsibility and the domain of the parents at Home with their children.

At the very same time, every child should have the right to pray in school, as long as their prayers don't conflict in time with class-room instruction, or other official school activities conducted by the school's administration. So, if a child wants to pray while swapping his math book for his physics book at his open locker between classes, that should be the child's decision. I the child gets to the classroom 5 minutes early, closes his eyes and silently engages in prayer, then that too should be the child's prerogative. If the child walks into the library on campus, picks a book from off the shelf, walks back to his study table and starts his study by closing his eyes and engaging in a silent prayer - then that's should be the business of that child.

As long as that child does not interfere with the ability of other students on campus to receive their education, then yes (because this is where the OP's thread ultimately ends up), that child should be allowed to engage in prayer anywhere on campus. Bathroom, library, locker-room, gymnasium, football field, track, weight room, symphony hall, science labs, cafeteria, hallways, study hall, or the quad.

This nation needs more prayer, not less. At the same time, no child's education should ever be curtailed because someone was praying.

I can 100% guarantee you that there are many parents out there who now, would have loved to have someone on campus continually praying for Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Prayer change things and we simply don't know, that situation could have been prevented through prayer.
 
Keep irrarional crap out of the schools.


Based on that, let me ask you a very simple question. I will be honest and warn up-front that if you are an irrational human being, your answer will reveal this fact about you. Now, here is the question:

Does absolute truth exist?

It is a very simply question, and the answer you give will reveal a lot about you. It also just might set you on a course that you had no idea you'd be on today! The beautiful thing about this question is that there is no cunning way around it. It is not a question that can be out witted. There's really no way to dance around the question, either.

You might find that it is one of the most beautiful questions you could ever ask an atheist!
 
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I believe it is creationism and religious doctrine should not be taught in our schools.

ID does not necessarily have to be either of those. It is not however science. You cannot put ID to any kind of test.
 
Based on that, let me ask you a very simple question. I will be honest and warn up-front that if you are an irrational human being, your answer will reveal this fact about you. Now, here is the question:

Does absolute truth exist?

It is a very simply question, and the answer you give will reveal a lot about you. It also just might set you on a course that you had no idea you'd be on today! The beautiful thing about this question is that there is no cunning way around it. It is not a question that can be out witted. There's really no way to dance around the question, either.

You might find that it is one of the most beautiful questions you could ever ask an atheist!

I love the question, although it seems you've pointed this against atheists as if they refute absolute truth (they do in a religious sense, of course.) Everyone and anyone could refute the question (which is a major and popular topic in philosophy), good discussion. Only you can define absolute truth.

As for the OP, I do not believe Intelligent Design should be treated as a science, this isn't a disrespect for any supporters but it has no scientific value.
 
I love the question, although it seems you've pointed this against atheists as if they refute absolute truth (they do in a religious sense, of course.)

The question is open to anyone, not merely atheists.


Everyone and anyone could refute the question (which is a major and popular topic in philosophy), good discussion.

How does one refute a question? And, does that mean that conclusions are not refutable?



As for the OP, I do not believe Intelligent Design should be treated as a science, this isn't a disrespect for any supporters but it has no scientific value.

Exactly. As that which is Science has no Spiritual value.


Only you can define absolute truth.

Is the statement that you make here, the absolute truth?
 
No. Religious doctrine should not be taught in public schools at all (except perhaps as part of a course on comparative religion), and students certainly shouldn't be misled to believe that it's an equally plausible alternative to ACTUAL science.

Evolution is the scientific view for how life on earth came to exist in its present state, and anyone who doesn't "believe" it is simply wrong about the evidence for it. Period. Our schools should try to produce graduates who can think critically, and that's impossible to do if people intentionally try to prevent them from learning the scientific method.
 
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Based on that, let me ask you a very simple question. I will be honest and warn up-front that if you are an irrational human being, your answer will reveal this fact about you. Now, here is the question:

Does absolute truth exist?

It is a very simply question, and the answer you give will reveal a lot about you. It also just might set you on a course that you had no idea you'd be on today! The beautiful thing about this question is that there is no cunning way around it. It is not a question that can be out witted. There's really no way to dance around the question, either.

You might find that it is one of the most beautiful questions you could ever ask an atheist!

Most athiests I know are really agnostic athiests and would have no problem with this. They believe there is no god but admit they cannot be certain, though most are pretty adamant against the christian version of god.

Still ID is not science and should not be taught
 
It's ridiculous and should be left in Church.
 
I don't think Macro-evolution isnt fully "scientific." It uses historic evidence as part of its premise, as opposed to micro-evolution.

Science class probably isn't a good place to discuss God and theology. Although, I don't think we should ignore learning about world religions and philosophy.
Science is about the uniformity of nature and empirical data. Philosophy and religion are all about challenging that assumption, offering other types of evidences/perspectives. Different paradigms.
 
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Well well well, this thread certainly got the atheist out from under their rocks fast. :lol:

You do not have to be an atheist to know that ID is not a scientific theory. Here is a quick test: show one experiment that can disprove ID. If you can do it, it may be science, if you cannot, it is not science.
 
you don't have to be an Atheist to know Intelligent Design is crap.

just someone who understands & respects science.

ID may or may not be crap. There is no way to prove that one way or another.
 
ID may or may not be crap. There is no way to prove that one way or another.

good point.

as its not based on science of any measurable or quantifiable properties or observations..it is impossible to prove or disprove.

and that is poor science.
 
and that is poor science.

Again, not accurate. It is not "poor science", it is simply not science whatsoever. If falls outside the realm of science.
 
First of all, the word “theory” in the scientific vernacular does not mean the same as “theory” in the common vernacular. In short (very short), a scientific theory is a hypothesis that has been tested and verified. So by its very definition, no, Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory as it has been neither tested nor verified.

So let’s move down the ladder. Can we call Intelligent Design a hypothesis? In order for a hypothesis (or a theory) to be considered scientific it must be falsifiable. Which means that IF the hypothesis were false, there would be a certain outcome to an experiment or an observation we would expect to see.

For example, the Theory of Evolution could be falsified by a static fossil record, the existence of some mechanism that prevents mutations from occurring or being transmitted, or if the fossils of a modern species or recently extinct species popped up in ancient geological strata.

So before Intelligent Design can be taken seriously as a scientific hypothesis, let alone a theory, it must be shown to be falsifiable. Can someone here posit an observation or outcome to an experiment that a proponent of Intelligent Design would accept as falsifying Intelligent Design?

Please note, that just because something isn’t falsifiable or isn’t testable by the scientific method does not necessarily mean it isn’t true. It just means it falls outside the scientific arena, and most certainly should not be taught in a science classroom.
 
Based on that, let me ask you a very simple question. I will be honest and warn up-front that if you are an irrational human being, your answer will reveal this fact about you. Now, here is the question:

Does absolute truth exist?

It is a very simply question, and the answer you give will reveal a lot about you. It also just might set you on a course that you had no idea you'd be on today! The beautiful thing about this question is that there is no cunning way around it. It is not a question that can be out witted. There's really no way to dance around the question, either.

You might find that it is one of the most beautiful questions you could ever ask an atheist!

Define "truth". Certainly, there is absolute fact.
 
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