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{{WikiProject intelligent design|class=FA|importance=Top}}
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|'''Please read before starting'''
First of all, welcome to Wikipedia's Intelligent Design article. This article represents the work of many contributors and much negotiation to find consensus for an accurate and complete representation of the topic.
 
{{Round in circles}}
[[Wikipedia:Welcome, newcomers|Newcomers]] to Wikipedia and this article may find that it's easy to commit a ''[[faux pas]]''. That's OK — everybody does it! You'll find a list of a few common ones you might try to avoid [[Wikipedia:Avoiding_common_mistakes|here]].
 
{{ArbComPseudoscience}}
A common objection made often by new arrivals is that the article presents ID in an unsympathetic light and that criticism of ID is too extensive or violates Wikipedia's '''Neutral Point of View''' policy ([[WP:NPOV]]). The sections of the [[WP:NPOV]] that apply directly to this article are:
{{WikiProject banner shell|class=FA|collapsed=yes|vital=yes|1=
*'''[[Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view/FAQ#Pseudoscience|NPOV: Pseudoscience]]'''
{{WikiProject Alternative views|importance=High}}
*'''[[Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view#Undue_weight|NPOV: Undue weight]]'''
{{WikiProject Creationism|importance=Top|Intelligent design=yes|Intelligent design-importance=Top}}
*'''[[Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view/FAQ#Making_necessary_assumptions|NPOV: Making necessary assumptions]]'''
{{WikiProject Christianity|importance=Mid}}
*'''[[Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view/FAQ#Giving_.22equal_validity.22|NPOV: Giving "equal validity"]].'''
{{WikiProject Conservatism|importance=mid}}
The contributors to the article continually strive to adhere to these to the letter. Also, splitting the article into sub-articles is governed by the [[Wikipedia:POV fork|Content forking]] guidelines.
{{WikiProject Politics|importance=Mid}}
{{WikiProject Philosophy|importance=Mid|science=yes|religion=yes}}
{{WikiProject Skepticism|importance=top}}
{{WikiProject Religion|importance=Top}}
}}
{{FAQ|collapsed=no}}
 
{{User:MiszaBot/config
These policies have guided the shape and content of the article, and new arrivals are strongly encouraged to become familiar with them prior to raising objections on this page or adding content to the article. Other important policies guiding the article's content are No Original Research ([[WP:NOR]]) and Cite Your Sources ([[WP:CITE]]).
|archiveheader = {{aan}}
 
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Tempers can and have flared here. All contributors are asked to please respect Wikipedia's policy No Personal Attacks ([[WP:NPA]]) and to abide by consensus ([[WP:CON]]).
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This talk page is to discuss the text, photographs, format, grammar, etc of the ''article itself'' and '''not''' the inherent worth of Intelligent Design. See [[WP:NOT]]. If you wish to discuss or debate the ''validity'' of intelligent design or promote intelligent design please do so at [http://groups.google.com/group/talk.origins talk.origins] or other fora. This "Discussion" page is only for discussion on how to improve the Wikipedia article. Any attempts at trolling, using this page as a soapbox, or making personal attacks may be deleted at any time.
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|'''Notes to editors:'''
|archive = Talk:Intelligent design/Archive %(counter)d
#This article uses scientific terminology, and as such, the use of the word 'theory' to refer to anything outside of a recognised scientific theory is ambiguous. Please use words such as 'concept', 'notion', 'idea', 'assertion'; see [[Wikipedia:Words to avoid#Theory]].
}}
#Although at times heated, the debates contained here are meant to improve the Intelligent Design article. Reasoned, civil discourse is the best means to make an opinion heard. Rude behavior not only distracts from the subject(s) at hand, but tends to make people deride or ignore what was said.
{{archives |search=no |
#Please use [[Help:Edit summary|edit summaries]].
[[Talk:Intelligent design/philosophy sources|Philosophy sources]]
 
|}}
{{User:HBC Archive Indexerbot/OptIn
 
|target=Talk:Intelligent design/Archive index
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|mask =Talk:Intelligent design/Archive <#>
<div class="infobox" style="width: 300px; font-size: 90%">
|leading_zeros=0 |indexhere=no
<div style="text-align: center">[[Image:Vista-file-manager.png|50px|Archive]]<br />
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[[Wikipedia:How to archive a talk page|'''Archives''']]
</div>
----
*[[/Archive1|(2002-2003)]]
*[[/Archive2|(2003)]]
*[[/Archive3|(Jan-Sep 2004, 53kb) - Are oppositions/criticisms of ID relevant?]]
*[[/Falsification|(Aug-Oct 2004, 46kb) - Is ID theory falsifiable?]]
*[[/Archive4|(Sep-Nov 2004, 42kb) - Overwhelming majority: POV? What does "scientific" mean?]]
*[[/Archive5|(Nov-Dec 2004)]]
*[[/Archive6|(Dec 2004-early Jan 2005)]]
*[[/Archive8|(Jan-April 2005)]]
*[[/Archive9|(April-May 2005)]]
*[[/Archive 10|(Early - Mid June 2005) - Structured debate; the Pryamid analogy; Article Splits)]]
*Archives [[/Archive 11|11]], [[/Archive 12|12]], [[/Archive 13|13]]
*[[/Archive 14|(Mid-August/Mid-Sept 2005) - ID as creationism; ID proponent's religious agenda; ID as scientific hypothesis]]
*[[/Archive 15|(Mid-Sept/Early-Oct 2005) - Computer simulations & irreducible complexity, Criticisms of criticism, Footnote misnumbering, NPOV]]
*[[/Archive 16|(Mid-Oct 2005)]]
*[[/Archive 17|(Mid to late-Oct 2005) - Mainly involving users from uncommondescent.com and admins]]
*[[/Archive 18|(Late Oct to early Nov 2005)]]
*[[/Archive 19|(early to mid Nov 2005)]]
*[[/Archive 20|(Mid Nov 2005) Tisthammer's and ant's objections]]
*[[/Archive 21|(Nov 2005) Enormous bulk of text]]
*[[/Archive 21A|(30 Nov - 3 Dec 2005) various proposals, peer review]]
*[[/Archive 22|(Early Dec 2005) - Mostly chatter concerning the current pool of editors]]
*[[/Archive23|(Mid Dec 2005) - Whether intelligent design is to be upper case or lower case]]
*[[/Archive24|(Late Dec 2005) Two major re-orgs and the Kitzmiller decision]]
*[[/Archive25|Marshills NPOV objections]]
*[[/Archive26|Reintroduction of Vast discussion]]
*Archives [[/Archive27|27]], [[/Archive28|28]], [[/Archive29|29]]
*[[/Archive30|July 2006]]
*[[/Archive31|August 2006]]
*[[/Archive32|DI warning, DI and leading proponents again]]
*[[/Archive33|First archive of 2007]]
*[[/Archive34|January 22, 2007]]
*[[/Archive35|Jan – early Feb 2007]]
*[[/Archive36|Feb 9 - Mar 30, 2007]]
*[[/Archive37|- April 19, 2007]]
*[[/LeadVoting1|Initial work towards a consensus lead in April 2007.]]
*[[/Archive38|April 19-April 26, 2007]]
*[[/Archive39|April - early May 2007, including work on lead.]]
'''Points that have already been discussed'''
:The following ideas were discussed. Please read the archives before bringing up any of these points again:
# '''Is ID a theory?'''
#:[[/Archive2#Fact and Theory|Fact and Theory]]
#:[[/Archive3#Does ID really qualify as a Theory?|Does ID really qualify as a Theory?]]
# '''Is ID/evolution falsifiable?'''
#:[[/Falsification|Falsification]]
#:[[/Archive 16#Random subheading: falsifiability|Falsifiability]]
#:[[/Archive 18#Bad philosophy of science (ID is allegedly not empirically testable, falsifiable etc.)|ID is allegedly not empirically testable, falsifiable, etc.]]
# '''Is the article too littered with critique, as opposed to, for example, the evolution article?'''
#:[[/Archive3#Criticism that the Intelligent design page does not give citations to support ID opponents' generalizations|Criticism that the Intelligent design page does not give citations to support ID opponents' generalizations]]
#:[[/Archive3#What ID's Opponents Say; is it really relevant?|What ID's Opponents Say; is it really relevant?]]
#:[[/Archive9#Bias?|Bias?]]
#:[[/Archive9#Various arguments to subvert criticism|Various arguments to subvert criticism]]
#:[[/Archive 10#Critics claim ...|Critics claim ...]]
#:[[/Archive 21#Anti-ID bias|Anti-ID bias]]
#:[[/Archive 16#Apparent partial violation NPOV policy|Apparent partial violation NPOV policy]]
#:[[/Archive 15#Why are there criticizms|Why are there criticizms]]
#:[[/Archive 14#Critics of ID vs. Proponents|Critics of ID vs. Proponents]]
# '''Isn't ID no more debatable than evolution?'''
#:[[/Archive2#Argument Zone|Argument Zone]]
#:[[/Archive 16#The debatability of ID and evolution|The debatability of ID and evolution]]
# '''Isn't ID actually creationism by definition, as it posits a creator?'''
#:[[/Archive6#ID in relation to Bible-based creationism|ID in relation to Bible-based creationism]]
#:[[/Archive 11#What makes ID different than creationism|What makes ID different than creationism]]
#:[[/Archive 11#Moving ID out of the "creationism" catagory|Moving ID out of the "creationism" catagory]]
#:[[/Archive 12#Shouldn't this page be merged with creationism?|Shouldn't this page be merged with creationism?]]
#:[[/Archive 16#ID not Creationism?|ID not Creationism?]]
# '''Are all ID proponents really [[theist]]s?'''
#:[[/Archive 14#ID proponents who are not theists|ID proponents who are not theists]]
#:[[/Archive 18#A possible atheist/agnostic intelligent design advocate?|A possible atheist/agnostic intelligent design advocate?]]
# '''Are there any peer-reviewed papers about ID?'''
#:[[/Archive3#scientific peer review|Scientific peer review]]
#:[[/Archive 11#Peer-reviewed stuff of ID (netcody)|Peer-reviewed stuff of ID (netcody)]]
# '''Is ID really not science?'''
#:[[/Archive4#...who include the overwhelming majority of the scientific community...|...who include the overwhelming majority of the scientific community...]]
#:[[/Archive4#Meaning of "scientific"|Meaning of "scientific"]]
#:[[/Archive4#Why sacrifice truth|Why sacrifice truth]]
#:[[/Archive 10#Rejection of ID by the scientific community section redundant|Rejection of ID by the scientific community section redundant]]
#:[[/Archive 14#Intelligent design is Theology, not Science|Intelligent design is Theology, not Science]]
#:[[/Archive 13#Philosophy in the introduction|Philosophy in the introduction]]
#:[[/Archive 13#The article needs to point to a reference that explains more clearly WHY ID is not a theory|Why ID is not a theory]]
#:[[/Archive 18#Bad philosophy of science (ID is allegedly not empirically testable, falsifiable etc.)|Bad philosophy of science (ID is allegedly not empirically testable, falsifiable etc.)]]
#:[[Talk:Intelligent design/Archive 21#The "fundamental assumption" of ID|The "fundamental assumption" of ID]]
#:[[/Archive 21A#Peer-reviewed articles|Peer-reviewed articles]]
#:[[/Archive27#Figured out the problem|Figured out the problem]]
# '''Is ID really not internally consistent?;'''
#:[[/Archive27#Distingushing Philosophical ID (TE) from the DI's Pseudo-Scientific ID|Distingushing Philosophical ID (TE) from the DI's Pseudo-Scientific ID]]
#:[[/Archive27#The many names of ID?|The many names of ID?]]
#:[[/Archive27#Removed section by User:Tznkai|Removed section by User:Tznkai]]
#:[[/Archive27#Pre- & post- Kitzmiller, proponents seek to redefine ID|Pre- & post- Kitzmiller, proponents seek to redefine ID]]
#:[[/Archive27#Defining ID|Defining ID]]
#:[[/Archive27#Figured out the problem|Figured out the problem]]
#:[[/Archive27#"Intelligent evolution"|"Intelligent evolution"]]
#:[[/Archive 14#ID on the O'Reilly Factor|ID on the O'Reilly Factor]]
# '''Is the article too long?'''
#:[[/Archive6#Article Size|Article Size]]
#:[[/Archive 13#notes|Notes]]
#:[[/Archive 13#The Article Is Too Long|The Article Is Too Long]]
#'''Does the article contain original research that inaccurately represents minority views?'''
#:[[/Archive 20#Original research and inaccurrate.2Finadequate representation of the minority View|Inadequate representation of the minority View]]
#:[[Talk:Intelligent design/Archive 21#The "fundamental assumption" of ID|The "fundamental assumption" of ID]]
#'''Is the intelligent designer necessarily irreducibly complex? Is a designer needed for irreducibly complex objects?'''
#:[[/Archive6#Irreducibly complex intelligent designer|Irreducibly complex intelligent designer]]
#:[[/Archive 20#Settling Tisthammerw's points, one at a time|Settling Tisthammerw's points, one at a time]]
#:[[Talk:Intelligent design/Archive 21#The "fundamental assumption" of ID|The "fundamental assumption" of ID]]
#:[[/Archive 21A#Irreducibly complex|Irreducibly complex]]
#:[[/Archive 21A#Irreducible complexity of elementary particles|Irreducible complexity of elementary particles]]
#:[[/Archive 21A#Repeated objections and ignoring of consensus|Repeated objections and ignoring of consensus]]
#:[[/Archive 21A#Suggested compromise|Suggested compromise]]
#:[[/Archive 21A#Resolution to Wade's & Ant's objections (hopefully)|Resolution to Wade's & Ant's objections (hopefully)]]
#'''Discussion regarding the Introduction:'''
#:[[/Archive 21#Intro|Intro]] (Rare instance of unanimity)
#:[[/Archive 21#Introduction|Introduction]] (Tony Sidaway suggests)
#'''Is this article is unlike others on Wikipedia?'''
#:[[/Archive 22#Why is Wiki Violating its own POV rule|Why is Wiki Violating its own POV rule]]
#:[[/Archive 22#Call for new editors|Call for new editors]]
#:Archives [[/Archive 22|22]], [[/Archive23|23]], [[/Archive24|24]]
#'''Is this article NPOV?'''
#:[[/Archive2#NPOV|NPOV]]
#:[[/Archive25|Archive 25]]
#'''Are terms such as 'scientific community' or 'neocreationist' vague concepts?'''
#:[[/Archive27#Support among scientists|Support among scientists]]
#:[[/Archive27#"Neocreationist" social, not scientific, observation|"Neocreationist" social, not scientific, observation]]
#:[[/Archive26|Archive 26]]
#'''How should Darwin's impact be described?'''
#:[[/Archive27#Pre-Darwinian Ripostes|Pre-Darwinian Ripostes]]\
#'''Peer Review and ID'''
#:[[/Archive29#peer review?|Peer review?]]
#:[[/Archive28#Lack of peer review|Lack of peer review]]
#:[[/Archive28#Peer Review: Reviewed|Peer Review: Reviewed]]
#'''Discovery Institute and leading ID proponents'''
#:[[/Archive29#Are all leading ID proponents affiliated with Discovery Institute?|Are all leading ID proponents affiliated with Discovery Institute?]]
#:[[/Archive32|Archive 32]]
#'''Why is intelligent design lower case, not upper case?
#:[[/Archive23#Renaming Intelligent design as Intelligent Design|Renaming Intelligent design as Intelligent Design]]
#'''Is the article trying to equate ID with Christian Creationism and the Discovery Institute too much?'''
#:[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Intelligent_design/Archive33#Is_the_article_trying_to_equate_ID_with_Christian_Creationism_and_the_Discovery_Institute_too_much.3F The article discusses the formulation disseminated by the Discovery Institute affiliates]
</div><!--Template:Archivebox ends-->
 
 
== New York Times article ==
 
[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/05/us/politics/05darwin.html?_r=1&hp&oref=login this article] seems like a goldmine for discussing the political end of ID, especially the split in American conservatism over the topic. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 04:16, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I watched the debate (not because I'd vote for a Republican, but because I'm a wonky kind of guy), and when the question was asked, McCain seemed to stumble for a second or two. Interestingly, McCain, Guliani and Romney did NOT raise their hands. Romney was most interesting lending credence to the fact that the [[Mormon|LDS]] faith is not anti-Evolution. Of course, if you watched the [[abortion]] question, I believe that the answers were unanimously right wing. But I wasn't absolutely sure. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 15:43, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
::I fail to see the relevance at the moment. The main task here is to report what the reliable sources say about intelligent design. Seems to me the [[creation-evolution controversy]] is another topic, and other political issues are relevant to yet other topics. Or was this just intended to give broader insight into the contemporary political jockeying in the US, with which ID was somewhat intertwined? . ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 15:56, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Well, we are all bright people, so interesting information that frames this debate is useful. The fact that the New York Times states that "Some of these thinkers have gone one step further, arguing that Darwin’s scientific theories about the evolution of species can be applied to today’s patterns of human behavior, and that natural selection can provide support for many bedrock conservative ideas, like traditional social roles for men and women, free-market capitalism and governmental checks and balances." What reads like [[social Darwinism]] may in fact move this debate from a political one to a strictly fringe-religious one. Right now, a certain number of right-wingers might take anti-Darwinism to be a matter of political gospel, when in fact it's not. And yes, this is an American problem, but ID is pretty much nothing outside of the US. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 16:05, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::Kenosis: not too sure I understand the vehement dismissal of the article. While the ID article may not be the perfect place to bring up the NYT article ([[Intelligent_design_in_politics]] might be better), it does have a bearing on the bigger picture of ID as a movement, which we do touch on in this article. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 23:01, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Ahh! Jim, I didn't intend to be vehement, nor dismiss it out of hand. Perhaps I could have said "I'm afraid I don't see the relevence at the moment", except I'm not "afraid" of not seeing the relevance. Orangemarlin explained it adequately for me, saying essentially that it's relevant to the wider context, to framing the debate. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 09:43, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::::You're not a-scared? ;) [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 13:13, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Proposal - 1650: 6 May 2007 ==
 
<blockquote class="toccolours" style="float:none; padding: 10px 15px 10px 15px; display:table;">
Intelligent design is the proposition, claimed to be a scientific theory, 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." It is a modern form of the ancient design argument for the existence of God, framed in such a way that it does not specify the nature or identity of the designer. All of its original proponents, as well as all of its principal proponents today, are affiliated with the Discovery Institute, and believe the designer to be God. Intelligent design's advocates assert that as a scientific theory it stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories regarding the evolution and origin of life.<br><br>
The overwhelming scientific consensus is that intelligent design is not science. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has stated that intelligent design "and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life" are not science because they cannot be tested by experiment, do not generate any predictions, and propose no new hypotheses of their own. The National Science Teachers Association and others have termed it pseudoscience, and some have termed it junk science.<br><br>
In Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (2005), a United States federal court ruled that a public school district requirement for science classes to teach intelligent design as an alternative to evolution was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. United States District Judge John E. Jones III ruled that intelligent design is not science and is essentially religious in nature. During the trial, intelligent design advocate Michael Behe testified under oath that no scientific evidence in support of the intelligent design hypothesis has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
</blockquote>
 
Can we all at least ''tolerate'' this version? No "teleological", "leading proponents" paraphrased. If so, I think we can unlock. If not, can anyone who objects single out particular sentenences that are at issue, rather than attempting to rewrite the whole thing? I also think it's time for an archive of last week's discussion. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 15:54, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
 
I'm going to be stubborn here:
 
#It is not "claimed" that ID is a scientific theory, it is flatly stated to be.
#The quoted description of ID is complicated. In fact, I will state that natural selection DIRECTS evolution, just not willfully.
#Sentence 2 is confusing. If it's an argument for G_d, then how can it not specify the designer. In fact, they do, if you read testimony from Kitzmiller, the [[Wedge Document]] and other parts of DI's goals.
#The last parts are fine.
 
I prefer the original lead. It was clear, to the point, supported by references, and NPOV. Remember, DI is duplicitous, and we need to state that. What they publicly say is in opposition to what they say privately. See what I wrote above:
 
<blockquote class="toccolours" style="float:none; padding: 10px 15px 10px 15px; display:table;">
 
*''Intelligent design is not an evangelic Christian thing or a generally Christian thing or even a generically theistic thing...Intelligent design is an emerging scientific research program. Design theorists attempt to demonstrate its merits fair and square in the scientific world--without appealing to religious authority''--William A. Dembski, 2004
*''Any view of the sciences that leaves Christ out of the picture must be seen as fundamentally deficient...The conceptual soundness of a scientific theory cannot be maintained apart from Christ.''--William A Dembski, 1999
*From Jerry A. Coyne ( {{cite book|title=Intelligent Thought: Science versus the Intelligent Design Movement|last=Brockman|first=John (editor)|date=2006|publisher=Vantage Books|isbn=9780307277220}}): ''Well, which is it? Is intelligent design merely a sophisticated form of biblical creationism, as most biologists claim, or is it science--an alternative to Darwinism that deserves discussion in the science classroom? ...you won't find the answers in the writings of the leading advocates of ID. The ambiguity is deliberate for ID is a theory that must appeal to two distinct constituencies. Toe the secular public, ID proponents eprsnt their theory as pure science. This, after all, is their justification for a slick public-relations campaign promoting the teaching of ID in public schools. But as is clear from the infamous "WEdge Document" of the Discovery Institute, a right-wing think tank in Seattle, and the center for ID propaganda, intelligent design is part of a cunning effort to dethrone materialism from society and science and replace it with theism. ID is simply biblical creationism updated and disguised to sneak evangelical Christianity past the First Amendment and open the classroom door to Jesus. The advocates of ID will admit this, but only to their second constituency, the sympathetic audience of evangelical Christians on whose support they rely.''
Herein lies the problem. The NPOV would be to represent not only what DI is "saying" but they are "doing". We must show the duplicitous nature of ID in the lead. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 16:40, 1 May 2007 (UTC)
</blockquote>
 
Why should we be so weasely in our lead if facts are these guys are lying to the public. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 16:14, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
:OK, we are _not_ going to get consensus. This needs to be escalated somehow. It looks like FAR is not the way to go - to whom do we refer this? WP:ANI? [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 17:54, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
:<p>With regard to Orangemarlin's objections:
:#"'''claimed' to be a scientific theory"'' is a judgment anyway. I'd agree to use the words ''"asserted to be a scientific theory"''. The response of the scientific community and the federal court system is given in the second and third paragraph, respectively.
:#The fact that the quoted definition is complicated should not be an obstacle. It's not excessively complicated, far less so in light of how complicated the topic itself is.
:#The second sentence states the verified fact of the matter in plain English, which is that it's framed in a way that it does not specify the nature or identity of the "designer". This is resolved in the following sentence, which states consistently with the reliable sources that its main proponents believe the designer to be God.
:#I have no problem with the last parts either. The differences between this and the previously consensused version are merely syntactic, assuming that all the existing citations are kept intact.
:... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:24, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::One sentence that seems missing from the above lead that I thought was of benefit was "Intelligent design's proponents assert that what they call irreducible complexity and specified complexity cannot be explained by current scientific theories regarding the evolution and origin of life, so must be the work of an intelligent designer." This gave more description about what ID is about and better summarizes the article content, since both of these topics have their own section in the article. [[User:Morphh|<span style="color:green">Morphh</span>]] <sup>[[user talk:Morphh|<span style="color:chocolate">(talk)</span>]]</sup> <small><i>23:55, 06 May 2007 (UTC)</i></small>
:::I personally prefer the idea of introducing these specifics in the "overview" section, which presently is lacking this aspect of overview. That is, one of the things presently missing in the overview is a specific, concise statement of the key terms, irreducible complexity, specified complexity and fine-tuned universe, the concepts that are explained in more detail in the point-counterpoint sections farther down in the article. Not that I think it absolutely needs it, but I think it would be an improvement to the overview section. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 00:20, 7 May 2007 (UTC) Since I'm dealing here with the issue of the level of specificity at the lead stage of the article, I also think that the statement about Michael Behe's court testimony is a bit too specific for the introduction. So I'd probably be among the advocates of placing that passage farther down, at least as far down as the overview section if not at the beginning of the "controversy" section. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 00:28, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
One thing I liked about the Citizendium article was the use of "contention" as opposed to proposition. contention suggests more contraversy and an argumentative/confrontational tone to the proposition at hand, which i feel is an accurate portrayal of ID.--[[User:ZayZayEM|ZayZayEM]] 02:05, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
It's inaccurate and incomplete, the current version is much better than the proposed version. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 03:21, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:FM, what part of what is "inaccurate and incomplete"? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 03:24, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Shrommer writes: My problem with the opening is that it limits the explanation to "an intelligent causes" instead of "an intelligent cause or causes", and then goes on to talk about God, and then mentions "designer" instead of "designer or designers", or instead of allowing for design without any designers at all, such as in the case of natural impersonal intelligence and natural materialistic design. Intelligent design according to several proponents is anti-evolution and supernatural, but the movement as a whole loses many objections when the science is looked at in conjunction with evolution and with equal openness to either natural or supernatural causes and any combination of the two - note that it allows for entirely natural causes. Case in point, many secular scientists believe that human beings are intelligent and that this intelligence has no supernatural origin. It is just as possible to work under the assumption that the intelligent cause or causes responsible for evidence of intelligent design likewise has no supernatural cause behind it. It is one thing to talk about intelligent design as a social and political or religious movement, which is what this article mainly addresses. It is another thing altogether to discuss what intelligent design means as a scientific theory once you take away the assumptions of it being anti-evolution and pro-supernatural. {{unsigned|Shrommer}}
:Hi Shrommer. You can sign and date your posts by using four [[tildes]] ( <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> )
 
:<p>Man, there's a lot in that post you just made. May I suggest taking a few days to begin to digest the complexities of the topic, as well as checking the article on [[teleological argument]], which loosely speaking, is roughly akin to "intelligent design" but without the push to teach creation-based philosophy or religious viewpoints in biology classes. Unfortunately, the predominant meaning of "intelligent design" in today's world is driven by the [[Intelligent design movement]], in turn driven by the affiliates of the [[Discovery Institute]]. The article gives many [[WP:reliable sources|reliable sources]] from which the article's content was formed, and many of these are a good point of departure from which to conduct further research into some of the philosophical or theological issues you just raised concerning ways of attempting to make sense of such things as origins and the natural-supernatural distinction, if indeed there is such a distinction in the "nature" of the universe and the life it gave rise to on this planet (including us). In general terms, the [[teleological argument]] (which is an overarching term for a class of arguments) and the [[cosmological argument]] provide excellent grist for the mill, so to speak, in discussing the lines of thinking involved in some of the classic philosophical/theological arguments, at least insofar as [[arguments for the existence of God]] (or if you prefer, a creative consciousness of some kind).
:<p>As to why the scientific community has overhwhelmingly rejected the notion that ID can be termed "science" or "scientific", this too is explained in the WP article on [[intelligent design]], with many references provided for sourcing and for futher reading on the basic issues involved in the [[demarcation problem]] and the fairly detailed analysis conducted in the [[Kitzmiller v. Dover]] trial about the issue of what is reasonably called "science" rather than philosophy, theological speculation, or religion. Also, the WP article provides some basic level of insight into the fact that even most of the churches have rejected ID as valid theology, with several points of departure for further reading provided in the footnotes.
:<p>As to the suggestion you made that ID allows for entirely natural causes, the court in [[Kitzmiller v. Dover]] analyzed this question whether it was a genuine feature of ID or merely posturing in pursuit of the agenda of presenting it to public school biology students as an alternative scientific explanation, and the court concluded, based upon evidence such as the [[wedge document]] and other evidence, that it was mere posturing. This is mentioned at the end of the section on "Origins of the concept" ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 01:25, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Regarding section 3.3.1 the example given seems irrelevant to the argument that ID proponents are making. The example talks about the probability of getting one rare and complex hand of cards out of 600 billion with a 1 in 600 billion chance of getting that hand. Intelligent design proponents are discussing something more like the occurrence of getting the same rare hand 3 billion times when the mathematical odds are only 1 in 600 billion. It is not one example of irreducible complexity and creative genetic improvements being looked at for natural selection to act upon, but myriads. [[User:Shrommer|Shrommer]] 00:51, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
:Between you and me (and whoever else is here), I go with Voltaire, who said: : "If a watch proves the existence of a watchmaker but the universe does not prove the existence of a great Architect, then I consent to be called a fool." I also find some of the estimated proportions raised by writers such as Barrow and Tipler, Polkinghorne, and Wald starting in about the mid-Eighties to be quite remarkable. But unfortunately proportions and large numbers are not valid statistics of themselves, and we simply know of only one universe to sample, and therefore cannot develop statistical analyses of what the odds might be against the conditions that exist in our universe. Thus they're not genuinely statistical, and as already stated by the scientfic community, these speculations about what are the implications of these numbers are not properly called science, but rather are philosophy and/or theology.
:Paulos' point was closely related. His illustration in ''Innumeracy:Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences'' spoke to common misconceptions about how rare even common events like a particular hand in a bridge game can be. His point is, very roughly put, that nothing gets proven by saying simply "now, what are the odds againnst ''that'' ?! Well, in the case of the bridge game we know the odds to be one-in-more-than-600-billion to get the particular hand that sits in from of each player, becasue we know what the number of possible outcomes per-card-dealt is at the outset (52 cards) and how many cards-per-player are dealt in a hand. When dealing with the universe, we simply have no way to assess what the odds are. And what ID advocates (especially Dembski) are maintaining is that they ''can'' calculate the odds, while other scientists and mathematicians are saying the ID advocates are simply incorrect about their assumptions and premises, which are purely speculative at best. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 01:57, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:: I am not that familiar with exactly what Dembski calculated odds for. Did he really give odds on the creation of the universe? From what I remember he just did it for proteins or something like that. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 16:37, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
:::The WP articles on [[specified complexity]] and [[universal probability bound]] give some insight into this, and both articles cite some primary and secondary sources that deal more directly with the issue(s) summarized in each of those articles. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 18:09, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::: I went through those. No mention of Demski calculating odds for the universe. I think you were think of the assembly of proteins by chance. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 19:07, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::I think it's safe to say that Kenosis did not mean to raise the question of the "odds on the creation of the universe" when he wrote, "When dealing with the universe, we simply have no way to assess what the odds are." In context, he is comparing real-world probability calculation with the far more simplistic calculations that can occur in Bridge, for example. End of tangent? [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 19:17, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::: Then why didn't he just say so? I asked: "Did he really give odds on the creation of the universe?" The point I was making is that the odds of many things happening can be estimated fairly accurately without having exact figures. Can you agree that the formation of life was a fortuitous event? An extremely rare event where the chemicals would by chance combine correctly to form a entity that could reproduce itself? Now afterwards natural selection could have been the directing force but before that it was sheer chance. And a very slim chance. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 19:31, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::Well, if you assume that a bunch of molecules had to randomly collide in exactly the right way to produce an entity that could reproduce, then obviously the probability of that particular collision occuring at any given moment is very low. But (a) it is quite an assumption to say that the mechanism must have been one of random collisions, given all our observations of patterns forming in nature, and (b) calculations based on interactions between molecules over the age of the universe are only meaningful if you assume that there is only one universe - and for all we know, there are multiple (or infinite) universes out there, and only in those where life appeared is anyone raising the question. [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 19:44, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::::: The multiverse theory is sheer pseudoscience. Akin to the infinite regression of designers. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 23:20, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::::Uh, no, it's really not. I suggest you delve into modern cosmology and physics before making sweeping statements such as this. M-theory would be a good place to start (assuming you're up to speed on quantum theory, relativity, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and String Theory).[[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 21:50, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::::::: I think according to talk page guidelines your above post should not be here. Am I correct on that? [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 22:11, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:(ri) Was it in response to your post? Yep, it sure enough was. Y'see, you can't just start a conversation and then when it doesn't go your way beg off the conversation. If you can't run with the big dogs (or cats) then stay on the porch.
:Besides, from what I've seen, your account seems to exist solely for the purpose of disrupting this particular page. That's a bad thing. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 22:47, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::: I think you are being disruptive. I asked a reasonable question. I asked if that post was against guidelines. Seems you are saying I should be standing my ground or some kind of allusion to big dogs. Sounds rather adolescent to me. At least you are not using profanities now which is good. I think I would prefer if you did not converse with me. Thank You. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 23:09, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:And I answered your question. Remember, this isn't a playground where you can decide to whom or with whom you will speak and play. When you post on Wiki, anyone can comment. If you find that reality to be disquieting, you might want to reconsider precisely what it is you expect out of your Wikipedia experience. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 09:58, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
 
:: So you are saying people can you use profanities, insult me, post off subject topics and I should sit 'on the porch' as you say? Anyone can comment? You just told me I was not supposed to comment. I certainly did not expect to be cussed at in my wiki experience. Please, Please show me specifically where I have been violate rules and I will very much try to correct. When I was conversing with Kenosis *I* brought up that we might be getting off subject. Really, I need an apology from you for using vulgarities which are specifically against wiki rules. And why do you keep lecturing me? Why can't you go work on something constructive and keep your mouth clean. Thank You. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 12:08, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Oh, come now. I appreciate you don't like the word, but the word was "bulls***", which is one of the most mild profanities out there, and barely a profanity at all anymore. It's beginning to feel like you're making a concerted effort to be able to climb up on a cross as a poor martyr oppressed by mean Wikipedians. Calm down, get a sense of proportion, stop insisting that a public talk page or a user talk page you invite people to follows your exact rules for who can talk to you, and try and do something constructive. Because I'm beginning to wonder if you're a [[WP:TROLL|troll]]. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 12:28, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
<unindent> I would appreciate if my statements were not so hastily taken out of their context, as above, so as to create an unnecessary new source of confusion. But since we're talking about this tangent, I'll take some time to clarify a bit. Notice that Shrommer made an assertion above, specifically: ''"It is not one example of irreducible complexity and creative genetic improvements being looked at for natural selection to act upon, but myriads."'' He appeared to have been making a friendly argument that when you take all the big numbers thrown around by molecular biologists, cosmologists and physicists of late (commonly included in arguments made by advocates of ID), the odds against all these events taken together occurring by random chance are vastly increased. Not necessarily disagreeing with this basic proposition, I responded with a very quick sketch of why these kinds of allegedly improbable events are not genuinely statistical, and what is the relevance of Paulos' point about the bridge game. I responded, in part: ''"I also find some of the estimated proportions raised by writers such as Barrow and Tipler, Polkinghorne, and Wald starting in about the mid-Eighties to be quite remarkable. But unfortunately proportions and large numbers are not valid statistics of themselves, and we simply know of only one universe to sample, and therefore cannot develop statistical analyses of what the odds might be against the conditions that exist in our universe."'' And I said that ''what ID advocates (especially Dembski) are maintaining is that they ''can'' calculate the odds [via asserting calculating a probability beyond which nothing can be asserted to be random]''. The tack Dembski takes with his concepts of "specified complexity" and "universal probability bound" is via asserting a range of improbability beyond which it must have been God or an intelligent desinger of some kind that's responsible for what we observe in the universe. Even apart from the assertions of competent mathematicians and other scientists that the math is badly flawed and the assumptions wildly speculative, the more basic problem, I observed, revolves quite simply around our inability to sample any other universes than the one that gave rise to us. So when [[John Polkinghorne]], for instance, estimates that the balance of forces required to give the universe adequate time to develop into what it presently is (a balance to within roughly 1-in-10<sup>60</sup>, it's a remarkable observation even if somewhat speculative from an empirical standpoint. But, we can't observe any other universes so as to develop a genuine statistical analysis of it, such as to be able to say, for instance. "in universe X the balance is 1-in-10<sup>50</sup>, only one "<big><math>\sigma</math></big> " (one "sigma", or "standard deviation") from the [[average]] or [[expected value]] of the sample taken in this study of various universes, and look how it collapsed". Like it or not, we only have a sample of 1 (which is the only universe we presently know of).
<p>This, as I said, is closely related to Paulos' point about the bridge hand, a scenario wherein one realizes that the odds of getting their particular bridge hand are less than one-in-600-billion, and on this basis accuses the dealer of not having dealt the hand randomly. That's all. Hope this helps to clarify. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 21:58, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::: I do not think anyone said that if one calculates the probality of a bridge hand as less than one in 600 billion that one implies non randomness. I really feel this logic is flawed and probably cannot be explained here. I really do not think I can explain my point in this interface [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 23:20, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::A statistical expectation can only be developed one way, and that is by sampling a large enough "sample" or a large enough population to develop an expectation. To assert that there is a probability associated with things that to date we only know one of, such as "the universe" or "life", is not statistics or valid probability. It's pure speculation-- at best. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 00:18, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::: We can calculate probabilites of imaginary objects or machines. We do not need samples. For instance we can calculate the probability of rolling 4569 on a pair of dice with 97 sides without sampling or even having the pair of dice exist in reality. There is an article on the actual distribution pattern of the types of multiverses that would be randomly generated. And which one could support life etc. A suprizingly large number of them would support life according to this study. Most would not of course. Most would not even get past the singularity because of the gravity problems. And of course the origins of life is speculation. Until we can build a time machine and go back and see what happened we can only speculate. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 00:40, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::RE ''We can calculate probabilites of imaginary objects or machines.'': True, because we know all the parameters involved in the population and possible outcomes you've specified here, and on this basis of a die with 97 possible outcomes per-die-per-roll. I say "by all means calculate" (I pesume you meant 4,5,6,9 on successive rolls). Now, you tell me, what are the odds against a balance of expansive and contractive forces in the expanding universe to within 1-in-10<sup>60</sup>? Even a reasonable approximation will do, as far as I'm concerned here. Can this probability be calculated? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 01:27, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::: There have been studies that have calculated it. Similar to the Drake equation. This is an interested discussion but should we be doing it here? [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 13:35, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::::I think we're close to the limits of tangent before someone steps in and says what you just said. I gotta go anyway, for now. Thanks for the exhcange. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 13:59, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:There's a strawman in the argument by ProtoCat relating to the fortuitousness of life. We define ''life'' based on our limited understanding (and it's only "fortuiutous" because we define it as such). The odds of life, assuming carbon-based oxygen-breathing, water-consuming criteria, probably ''are'' small (but hardly outside a nonsensical probability bound -- our simple existence blows that theory to hell), but the odds of life are likely not so small. Life can, and very likely does, exist outside the criterion we have set for life. Even on earth, we have found thermophytes and anaerobes that exist outside the bounds we would consider conducive to life. The possibilities in other environments are virtually limitless.
:Also, Kenosis' point regarding having only one sample of a universe is a very valid one. We have no idea what ''could'' happen in a universe with differing physical laws, with different chemisry and hence different criteria for biomes. Arguments such as Dembski's are simplistic and valueless: they make far to many assumptions based on a sample size of one. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 22:43, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: So you feel that there could be life forms outside of carbon based? And in forms we have no concept of right now?
 
::: And we do have a very good idea what could happen in other universes. There is a lot of writing on this. In fact there is an article that gives a random distribution of other universes. I personally think that life forming was extremely improbable. However just as getting a perfect bridge hand is extremely improbable if one keeps dealing it will happen eventually. There was an interesting star trek where Picard stopped the first life from forming by accident. I think it is possible that life formed one time by the luckiest of coincidences. And there was a window that when passed after which it would have been impossible. There really is no way of determining these things. I think these are interesting concepts. Is there a wiki article on them somewhere? It would be a good one I think. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 23:20, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::Before humans identified the Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria, it was thought that it was caused by bad Air (hence the name): there was no postuation of "little buggies" causing the disease. Before we discovered thermophytes and anaerobes no one had speculated that they could exist. Our imaginations are limited by our experiences. Just because we cannot posit a lithium-based lifeform that breathes sulfur dioxide and drinks hydrogen peroxide does not mean such life forms wcannot exist. Hell, we assume that respiration is a necessity, yet, there is nothing definitive, not even our own limited experience, that can declare such a necessity. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 21:49, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::NB: As to the bridge hand, it's not just a "perfect bridge hand", but '''''any''' particular bridge hand'' the odds of which are one-in-over-600-billion. That part is not speculative, but straightforward statistical probability. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 13:07, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::: Of course any particular bridge hand has the same probablity as a perfect bridge hand but the point is that in the recombination of chemicals to form a living entity you need a 'perfect bridge hand' or something very close. Just any bridge hand will not do. Do you see what I am saying?
 
:::::: And do you see the flaw in Dawkins 'methinks weasal' probablity demonstration? Or do you think is is valid? <small>—The preceding [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned]] comment was added by [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] ([[User talk:ProtoCat|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/ProtoCat|contribs]]) 13:31, 15 May 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->
:::::::The bridge-game illustration is John Allen Paulos, in ''Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences''. [[Richard Dawkins]] is an example of a critic of both ID and the various teleological arguments, fine-tuned universe, and anthropic principle that ID has drawn upon, irrespective of the topic "intelligent design". While worthy of mention in the article on ID, that debate goes well beyond ID in scope. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 13:57, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Again, this is all speculative (though often interesting to me too). "Intelligent design" does not hold itself out as speculative or a philosophy or as theology, but as ''science'', specifically as science that should be taught in biology classes as an alternative to evolution. The article explains this, citing to reliable sources about the matter, as well as explains the response of the scientific organizations and other critics, and also explains how the federal court system has dealt with the issues to date. It explains, citing also to reliable sources and referring to other articles as needed, the intelligent design movement, the role of the Discovery Institute and its Center for Science and Culture, the wedge strategy, the push to change the definition of science to allow this type of theology/religion into the realm of biology, some of the complexities of the demarcation problem and how the scientific community and the courts have dealt with it, as well as philosophical issues that are central to an understanding of ID, such as the God of the gaps issue, as well as, ''inter alia'', widespread misapplication of the basic concept of probability as it relates to some of the assertions made by ID advocates, such as specified complexity and the universal probability bound. Pardon my run-on sentence. ... <small>—The preceding [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned]] comment was added by [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] ([[User talk:Kenosis|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Kenosis|contribs]]) 00:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->
 
:::: But ID is " the claim that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause" as opposed to unguided processes such as natural selection " correct? It is just a claim. Some people would want voodoo taught in science class that does not make voodoo science and does not change the definition of 'voodoo' Can a person believe that Intelligent design is the claim that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause as opposed to unguided processes such as natural selection without having it necessarily classifed as 'science' according to certain definitions? For instance the term 'communism' was used in the fifties to persecute certain americans. Communists were evil people etc. But I personally do not think 'communism' per se is evil. Just because evil people like Stalin used the concept 'communism' to get his goals and enslave people unethically did not change the definition of 'communism'? Do you see my point? [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 00:20, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Yes, I think I do. For a discussion of these issues without the push to teach it as biology or to hold it out as science, see, e.g., [[teleological argument]], [[cosmological argument]], [[creationism]], [[Bible]], [[Torah]] and [[Quar'an]]. If you prefer a more existential argument for the existence of God, try [[ontological argument]]. Intelligent design, on the other hand, came into being, according to the reliable sources about the matter, for one reason only, which was to attempt to teach an alternative theory to biology students (intertwined with a bit of a socio-political agenda of course, but that is beyond the necessary scope of this discussion). As I said at the very beginning of the exchange with Shrommer, this is the overwhelmingly predominant context of the words "intelligent design" in the modern world. To date, there is not one notable published use of the term "intelligent design" that is even remotely comparable in its level of notability, in any other context than the one presently dealt with by the WP article. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 01:07, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::: Since wiki is publicly edited there will always be inaccuracies. As in the 'paranoia' definition and so many others. However a good scholar will go to another source and compare it to the wiki version. And they will see the difference between a populist definition and a more scholastic academic definition. There is value in that and wiki provides that. This is all very difficult to explain here. I think that enough has been said about this issue. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 13:06, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::Sure. Here's a toast to purity of academic inquiry, a world where biblical apologetics and politics never gets confused with biology or cosmology. Maybe in the next life ;-) ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 14:11, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::: Just curious, do you think this article and wiki in general is overly influence by bible believers and conservatives or more influenced by non-theists and liberals? Your toast was little hard to decipher. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 15:30, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::Wow, that's a loaded question, isn't it? Conflate all non-bible believers as non-theists, ignoring all other religious beliefs, ask about political leanings, ignore the issue of science completely. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 15:56, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::::: Wow, I think you are misreading. I do not recall saying all non-bible believers are non-theists. And I did not ignore all other beliefs. However wiki is predominatley US and christian or atheist. Ignore science? I think you are drastically misunderstanding by question. And it was addressed to Kenosis. I really do not understand what you are trying to convey. But I am not comfortable with it. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 16:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::::::Let's see... "bible believers and conservatives or... non-theists and liberals?" You seem to be presenting a straightforward choice, with the implication that it is intended (or believed) to be between mutually exclusive options. This looks less like a case of mis-reading than one of mis-writing. [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 18:16, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::::::: What is your point, please? I think you are ready some of your own biases into the question. And I did not ask you. Seems like you are trying to instigate a contentious interchange. I am not biting. Good bye. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 18:33, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:[Unindent] I'm quite happy to believe you meant something else, but, as phrased, that question is very loaded, asking a choice between two possibilities as if they were the only ones, one of the possibilities, political affiliation, being irrelevant and not actually related to the views on Christianity tied to it. As well, the question about religion classifies all people who don't classify under the questionable term "bible believers" (What does that mean? Biblical literalists? Simply Christians in general? And if the latter, why not say that?) as "non-theists", which seems to be a synonym for "atheists and agnostics". And, by combination with the political standpoint, implies all conservatives are fundamentalists, and all liberals atheists.
:And none of this is actually relevant to Intelligent design, which is a battle between blind faith literalism and rationality. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:47, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:: See my talk page. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 19:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:: Whether you like it or not there is a spectrum of overlap to some degree of relgious beliefs and political stance. Bible literalists and conservative are to the right and atheists and liberals are to the left in general. Now of course this is a multidimensional representation. Now of course there are conservative atheists and liberal bible literalists but that is unusual and I think you know that. And of course we can overlap economics with socialists and capitalist etc. etc. Do you really not understand how multidimensional all this all can be?
 
:: If you believe none of this is relevant why do you keep posting? Please stop. Thank You. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 19:01, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::::::::If you wish to have a private conversation with one particular editor, I suggest you post on their User Talk page, or use email. If, on the other hand, you want to discuss improvements to this article, in a civil manner, with '''any''' editor who reads this page and wishes to contribute, then please feel free to post here. [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 18:40, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::::::::::::: I think I was being and am being civil. In the last few posts to me how were the contents of those posts intented to make the article better? I do not see it. Can you please stop. Thank you. Kenosis and I both realized we went too far on a tangeant here. But why do you keep responding? Please stop. Thank you. [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 18:50, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
(un-dent) So... is RBJ still blocked? [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 14:03, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
==Intro para reshuffled==
Reading the above, it seems to me that it could help if we use the more detailed description as an intro, then cite the DI definition verbatim as their statement:
{{quote|'''Intelligent design''' is the contention that features of [[life]] and the [[universe]] which its proponents call [[irreducible complexity]] and [[specified complexity]] cannot be explained by current scientific theories about the [[evolution]] and [[origin of life]], so must be the work of an [[intelligent designer]]. It is a version of the [[design argument]] for the existence of [[God]], framed in such a way that it does not specify the nature or identity of the designer. All of its leading proponents are affiliated with the [[Discovery Institute]], and believe the designer to be God. They claim that it is a [[science|scientific]] [[theory]] requiring a fundamental redefinition of science, and state that "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."}}
[[Natural selection]] isn't linked as it's a quotation, and could be linked and briefly noted as not being "undirected" in the next paragraph about the response of scientists. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 02:47, 7 May 2007 (UTC) revd. 06:27, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:Dave, you're among the most thoughtful, rational persons in these parts of the world in my opinion. But........ "Intelligent design" can't contend anything. I've no serious quibbles about much else that you've just put forward as a possible option for the article lead. I still think the safest route is to quote ID's primary advocates' website for the initial definition, consistent with past consensus (within the last year and three months at least) about how to introduce the concept/proposition in the first sentence. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 02:50, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::Yeah, I had "is the proposition", tried "is the contention" then thought "contends" might work – it would with "ID theory" but I wanted to avoid theory too early. Changed to 2nd option .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 06:27, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Sorry, but this is no improvement on the current version. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 03:22, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:::I can live with the current version, but think it could be improved by clarifying some obscurities. It seemed attractive having a direct quotation, as we did (cropped) for a while, but thinking it over, the term "proposition" used by Jones does show that it is the view of its proponents and not Wikipedia, so it's overall better to have the reworded summary as at present. See below for suggested clarifications. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 09:26, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::FM, I think I might have started this whole war, because I reverted the lead to a version from the end of March or beginning of April. THAT version is the one that is the best. IMHO, everything has been downhill since. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 06:04, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::And it's now like a sled, with greased rails, running down a 70 degree icy slope. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 21:58, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
===Reshuffle mark II===
For comparison, here's the current lead first para –
{{quote|'''Intelligent design''' is the proposition that certain features of the [[universe]] and of [[life|living things]] can be better explained by an [[intelligent designer|intelligent cause]] rather than natural processes such as [[natural selection]]. It is a modern form of the [[Teleological_argument|teleological argument]] (an argument for the existence of God), framed in such a way that it does not specify the nature or identity of the designer. Its primary proponents, all of whom are associated with the [[Discovery Institute]], believe the designer to be the [[Abrahamic God]], and claim that intelligent design is a [[Science|scientific]] [[theory]] that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories regarding the [[evolution]] and [[origin of life]].}}
It's concise, and close to the DI definition, but like that definition is too vague to give any idea of what the ID arguments are, other than saying they're claimed to be better. Here's a suggestion accepting that "proposition" is enough to indicate that this is the concept of its proponents, while giving more of an idea of the claims of IC and SC, and adding what to me is a very important point, that ID openly requires a redefinition of science. Note that the "undirected" which has been omitted from the current lead is a subtle reference to [[teleology]], and could be translated as lacking an aim or purpose. Here's a suggestion with those points added to the current lead para:
{{quote|'''Intelligent design''' is the proposition that certain features of [[life]] and the [[universe]], described as [[irreducible complexity]] and [[specified complexity]], cannot be explained by aimless processes such as [[natural selection]] and so are evidence for an [[intelligent designer]]. It is a modern form of the [[teleological argument]] (an argument for the existence of God), framed in such a way that it does not specify the nature or identity of the designer. Its primary proponents, all of whom are associated with the [[Discovery Institute]], believe the designer to be the Abrahamic God, and claim that it is a [[science|scientific]] [[theory]] requiring a fundamental redefinition of science, that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories regarding the [[evolution]] and [[origin of life]].}}
The version OM favours put the "argument for the existence of God" first, and did not have the point that it's modified to avoid identifying "the designer". Would it be worth having a straw poll to get an idea of who else shares that preference? .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 09:26, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:I think OM has a good point: ID ''is'' a teleological argument at its core, it is nothing more or less. (Of course, teleological arguments are functionally fallacies as they attempt to prove that which can neither be proven nor disproven, and hence are neither scientifically nor logically valid. But I digress). In any case, "contention" is certainly not the correct word; and what comes after is not really accurate. We're going around in circles trying to please people who see ID as some sacred theory that gives a "scientific" voice to religion. In the meantime we are missing the forest for the trees and are creating leads that are obfuscatory and fallible. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 13:31, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::God, no! Aimless is even worse than undirected! [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 14:22, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Formal Mediation Proposal ==
 
I would like to suggest that we take this to formal mediation, with the following parameters:
 
-----
 
===Involved parties===
*Orangemarlin
*(Other users who are not prepared to accept definitions other than "argument for the existence of God" - FeloniousMonk? Filll?)
*RBJ
*(Other users who are not prepared to accept "Leading proponents" - Morphh? Adam C?)
===Other steps in [[Wikipedia:dispute resolution|dispute resolution]] that have been attempted:===
*[[WP:RFC]] link - [[Talk:Intelligent_design/Archive37#Request_for_comment:_lead]]
===Issues to be mediated===
*Should the lead begin "Intelligent design is an argument for the existence of God", or "Intelligent design is the proposition 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.", or appropriate paraphrases of either?
*Should the lead contain "Its leading proponents, all of whom are affiliated with the Discovery Institute"? If not, how should this fact be expressed?
 
I hope I've identified the two main issues that are holding us up. I don't want to misrepresent anyone's position, so it would probably be better if anyone who feels that they should be parties to the proposed mediation adds their own name before we make it official. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 07:30, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:The lead has been completely renegotiated since the start of the RfC cited above, so rather than going on to another stage, what's needed now is identifying the areas of dispute, which you're doing, then another RfC if we can't agree a form of words. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 09:33, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::I doubt whether another RfC is going to be productive, as I don't see how it's going to differ from the discussions we've been having over the past two weeks. However, if that's what we need to do, let's do it. I think that any formal process has to restrict itself to the above very narrow issues, rather than being a general discussion of the lead, if it's going to get anywhere - can we rely on everyone involved to do that? [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 10:32, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::¡Mira, Sancho, los molinos de viento! ¡Los carguemos ya! [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 13:42, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::::I know, I know - which is why I think we have a case for going to mediation _now_, without the pointless exercise of an RfC beforehand. However, if the bureaucracy insists on it... Would there be any objection to putting the RfC on a sub-page ([[Talk:Intelligent design/RFC]], perhaps) so that it at least has a chance of not getting overwhemled? [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 14:07, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::::(Incidentally, [[Don Quixote]] was written in 1604, but the inverted ! wasn't introduced until 1754. Just in case anyone doesn't get the reference). :) [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 14:23, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Back when I was involved with lobbying for ID to primarily designated a TA, I was envisioning something like "''Intelligent design is an argument for the existence of God that proposes "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection.''" I don't see these as mutually exclusive phrasings. I think the second statement (even though its a ID quote) is better as a primary designation, but I feel a simple ''proposition'' is a weak non-specific noun when compared with linkable [[design argument]].--[[User:ZayZayEM|ZayZayEM]] 14:58, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
===There's nothing here to mediate===
Again, the tendentious and incessant gripes of the ID promoting crowd notwithstanding, there's nothing here to mediate: This article is accurate and extremely well sourced. In fact, it is one of the most heavily sourced articles in Wikipedia and its tone is consistent with all the most sources on the topic. That being the case, any misuse of mediation to force in less than neutral content into the article will 1) fail, 2) be viewed for what it is and only compound the already substantial evidence of chronic and disruptive pov pushing by those seeking to promote the minority (pro-ID) viewpoint while downplaying that of the majority (the courts and the scientific community). [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 03:18, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Unprotected ==
 
Felonius Monk has told me, by e-mail, that he was representing a large number of admins who think that the continued protection must end.
 
Fine. However, I'm laying out some ground rules:
 
* ANY edit warring will be met with temporary bans.
* Do NOT revert the whole article just to protect your preferred lead. You can copy and paste. Really, you can. It's easy. Takes 5 seconds more.
* Don't change all three paragraphs just because you dislike something in one.
* '''''THERE IS NO CONSENSUS'''''. Anyone using that as their purported reason for a revert will get a tongue-lashing from me. This is not to say you *CAN'T* revert, but actually explain why, e.g. "That was a well-cited fact. Revert to version in agreement with citations."
 
The current version is not necessarily the preferred version, but it's my best gess at the least controversial that does not compromise on cited content.
[[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 14:38, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:I rather imagine the pro-ID editors won't like it, but let's wait for some specific comments. One minor change I'd suggest - "...a scientific theory that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories..." isn't very well-expressed. Can we lose one of the "scientific"s? Preferably the second one. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 14:57, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::What about "...stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, established theories?" Or, even better, "equal or better footing with established theories." [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 15:03, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:::I think the first option is better. "stands on better footing with" is, if not ungrammatical, at least unidiomatic. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 16:07, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
We're probably going to need to combine the references: That is ugly. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 15:10, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:New lead is not bad. However, how can you have an overwhelming consensus? Isn't consensus by definition, well, kind of everybody? [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 15:48, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::Well, that's what was suggested to replace having the wscientific scommunity "state" something, which is evidently impossible. I don't think that aspect really got discussed much beyond that objection, so... well, editing's open. Fix as you like =) [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 15:50, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::What's the probability of removing all of that crazy HTML code stuck within the lead. It makes it very difficult to edit. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 16:15, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Done. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 16:23, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Actually, I find it very difficult to edit without the code: I can't find where the text is because it's so outweighed in length by the references. I suppose we could be clever and use transcluded subpages to hold the longer references, but I suspect that would be even more awkward. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 16:25, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::::We can't even get consensus on the HTML code for this article. LOL. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 16:36, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::I will agree to suffer, provided you do the citing up if we agree to major rearrangements. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 16:42, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::::Whine. I hate cites. But if we want this to be a great article, I'll clean up the cites. Of course, I need to click back to the article to see exactly how many cites there are!!!! [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 17:23, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::::::Well, I did say "major reorginisations". At the moment, the cites... should be fine. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:02, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::::If this _is_ going to be an issue, my opinion is that we shouldn't encourage unecessary coding-based red tape - it's one more thing outside the text that needs to be checked during editing, which increases workload without an obvious corresponding benefit. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 16:57, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
My current opinion on the lead is that it's factually accuate, but not really what you'd call well-written, though perhaps better than the older versions. Perhaps it's trying to condense everything into too little space, perhaps a discussion of Edwards v. Aguilard would pull out some of the awkward clauses (particularly the one about the leading proponents being connected with the DI). But it doesn't have, in my opinion, POV or OR problems, at least.
I think the best thing we can do is add a section on Edwards v. Aguilard. All the oddly-placed bits seem to deal with the history of Intelligent design, and pulling them together should help. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 16:42, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
 
Perhaps something along the lines of (between the current first paragraph and the Kitzmiller one):
 
The roots of the [[intelligent design movement]] came about after the [[United States Supreme Court ruled in [[Edwards v. Aguilard]] that a [[Louisiana]] law requiring the teaching of [[creation science]] (an attempt to justify a literal interpretation of the Bible, particularly the Genesis creation account and Noah's flood, through supposedly scientific proposals) alongside [[evolution]] was unconstitutional. [[Percival Davis]] and [[Dean H. Kenyon]] were then working on a creation science textbook, and after the trial revised it to eliminate the explicitly Christian material, replacing references to God with an unspecified designer, and dubbing the result "Intelligent Design". The Discovery Institute was founded soon after...
 
I dunno. I'm in another of my illnesses. Can't seem to shake them of late. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 17:02, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I was rather pleasantly surprised to see the current form of the intro. I made a slight alteration at the end where about 3 wikilinks ran into each other, but overall it rates as not bad at all. I think this shows that there's hope for the wiki-process, even if it can be painful at times, and everyone here deserves a pat on the back (except me; I've been shamelessly avoiding the worst of it). [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 17:06, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Dammit Adam, I'm a doctor, not a...oh yeah, I'm doctor. So go see your doctor. A depressed immune system can be related to anything from exhaustion to something a heck of lot more serious. NOW!!!![[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 17:19, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Don't forget to take your [[http://stupidevilbastard.com/index/seb/comments/doonesbury_takes_on_creationism/ medicine]] Adam. [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 17:22, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::Sheffield that was one of the best Doonesbury ever. Perfect!!![[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 21:28, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::Oh, I keep heading in. But they never find anything wrong. It's really frustrating. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:02, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I'm ok with this lead sentence. I'd still like to see a bit on irreducible complexity and such. [[User:Morphh|<span style="color:green">Morphh</span>]] <sup>[[user talk:Morphh|<span style="color:chocolate">(talk)</span>]]</sup> <small><i>17:49, 07 May 2007 (UTC)</i></small>
 
::Well, there ought to be a paragraph tracing ID's evolution from Of Pandas and People and Edwards v. Aguilard onwards through Irreducable Complexity, Specified complexity, and then into the Kitzmiller paragraph as it stands, though adding a mention of Teach the Controversy as its successor. But that's not really first-sentence stuff. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:02, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
 
On another front, I don't like Morphh's addition of a sentence on Irreducible complexiuit and specified complexity, as it defines neither term, so is just a jargon-related-to-the-issue list. I've left it in for the moment, though, as my attempt to fix it (below) got a little too complicated to make without discussion. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 19:48, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::FM may have asked for unprotection, but I don't think he wanted the article completely rewritten. Look, I'm sorry guys, but the lead is clunky, innacurate, and with the parentheical comment in the first sentence, utterly unreadable. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 22:16, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Inaccurate? I was careful to use the FA-version as the base, applying the changes to that, so anything inaccurate would be inaccurate in the old lead too, unless you dislike some specific sentence, which you're free to tweak. But I had to do something that would at least stall the revert wars, and, with full expectation of it being tweaked and changed, I tried to come up with some compromise that would suit as many productive editors as possible.
::::Change things as you like, but... I did what I thought necessary. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 22:28, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
(Have changed from unprotected to semi-protected: Forgot how bad of a vandalism/POV-pushing magnet this was) [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 23:05, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I notice that Adam Cuerden, in addition to unprotecting the article, decided to rewrite the lead. My opinion is that it's now a conceptual and linguistic mess. It gives little or not credence to the "vote" staged a week or two ago, now archived. It also bears little resemblance to any prior version that involved a consensus process. But I'm willing to give it a bit more time to see where this rewrite goes. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 01:36, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Archiving ==
 
Er... I know this is a little off-topic, but... do you think we're done with some of the earlier discussion? Because this talk page, even after removing everything before the vote, is still over 300kb long, which seems excessive. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 16:33, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:Yes, I think we can archive most of it - certainly up to "Answers in Genesis", and possibly all the way down to "Unprotected". [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 16:58, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Suggested major addition ==
 
'''Intelligent design''' is a [[Teleological_argument|traditional argument for the existence of God]] (modified to remove explicit identification of the creative force)<ref>"ID is not a new scientific argument, but is rather an old religious argument for the existence of God. He traced this argument back to at least Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century, who framed the argument as a syllogism: Wherever complex design exists, there must have been a designer; nature is complex; therefore nature must have had an intelligent designer." (Known as the [[teleological argument]]) [[s:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District/2:Context#Page 24 of 139|Ruling]], [[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]], December, 2005</ref> which claims that an intelligent agent has designed certain aspects of biological life and the universe.<ref>Discovery Institute, Center for Science and Culture. [http://www.discovery.org/csc/topQuestions.php#questionsAboutIntelligentDesign Questions about Intelligent Design]: What is the theory of intelligent design? "''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.''"<br />[http://www.ideacenter.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1136 Primer: Intelligent Design Theory in a Nutshell] Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness (IDEA)<br />[http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/ Intelligent Design] Intelligent Design network.</ref> Its proponents claim that intelligent design is a [[Science|scientific]] [[theory]] that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, established theories regarding the [[evolution]] and [[origin of life]].<ref>Stephen C. Meyer, 2005. Ignatius Press. [http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1780 The Scientific Status of Intelligent Design: The Methodological Equivalence of Naturalistic and Non-Naturalistic Origins Theories]. See also [[Darwin's Black Box]].</ref> However, the consensus of the [[scientific community]] is that intelligent design is not science,<ref name=unscientific>See: 1) [[List of scientific societies rejecting intelligent design]] 2) [[Wikisource:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District/4:Whether ID Is Science#Page 83 of 139|Kitzmiller v. Dover page 83]]. 3) The Discovery Institute's [[A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism]] petition begun in 2001 has been signed by "over 600 scientists" as of [[August 20]], [[2006]]. A four day [[A Scientific Support for Darwinism]] petition gained 7733 signatories from scientists opposing ID. The AAAS, the largest association of scientists in the U.S., has 120,000 members, and [http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2002/1106id2.shtml firmly rejects ID]. More than 70,000 Australian scientists and educators [http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/2005/intelligent.html condemn teaching of intelligent design in school science classes]. [http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/8408_statements_from_scientific_and_12_19_2002.asp List of statements from scientific professional organizations] on the status intelligent design and other forms of creationism.</ref> with the U.S. National Academy of Sciences explaining that intelligent design "and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life" are not science because they cannot be tested by experiment, do not generate any predictions, and propose no new hypotheses of their own.<ref> National Academy of Sciences, 1999 [http://www.nap.edu/books/0309064066/html/25.html Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences, Second Edition]
</ref> A public statement by the U.S. National Science Teachers Association described it as a pseudoscience, other public statements have agreed or called it junk science.<ref>"for most members of the mainstream scientific community, ID is not a scientific theory, but a creationist pseudoscience." [http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hsr/fall2005/mu.pdf Trojan Horse or Legitimate Science: Deconstructing the Debate over Intelligent Design] David Mu. Harvard Science Review, Volume 19, Issue 1, Fall 2005.<br />National Science Teachers Association, a professional association of 55,000 science teachers and administrators in a 2005 press release: "We stand with the nation's leading scientific organizations and scientists, including Dr. John Marburger, the president's top science advisor, in stating that intelligent design is not science.…It is simply not fair to present pseudoscience to students in the science classroom." [http://www.nsta.org/pressroom&news_story_ID=50794 National Science Teachers Association Disappointed About Intelligent Design Comments Made by President Bush] National Science Teachers Association Press Release [[August 3]] [[2005]] <br />[http://www.jci.org/cgi/content/full/116/5/1134#B1 Defending science education against intelligent design: a call to action] Journal of Clinical Investigation 116:1134–1138 American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2006.<br /><cite>"Biologists aren’t alarmed by intelligent design's arrival in Dover and elsewhere because they have all sworn allegiance to atheistic materialism; they’re alarmed because intelligent design is junk science."</cite> H. Allen Orr. Annals of Science. New Yorker May 2005.[http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/050530fa_fact Devolution&mdash;Why intelligent design isn't.] Also, [[Robert T. Pennock]] Tower of Babel: The Evidence Against the New Creationism. <br />[http://www.worldmag.com/articles/11553 Junk science] Mark Bergin. World Magazine, Vol. 21, No. 8 February 25 2006.</ref> Indeed, intelligent design advocate [[Michael Behe]] testified, under oath, that there is no scientific evidence in support of the intelligent design hypothesis that has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.<ref name=kitzruling_pg88> [[Wikisource:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District/4:Whether ID Is Science#Page 88 of 139|Ruling, Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District 4: whether ID is science]]</ref>
 
Intelligent design grew out of [[creation science]], a more explicitly religious form of [[creationism]] based on a literal reading of the book of [[Genesis]], after the [[United States Supreme Court]] ruled in [[Edwards v. Aguilard]] that forcing schools to teach creation science alongside evolution was a violation of the principle of [[seperation of church and state]]. [[Percival Davis]] and [[Dean H. Kenyon]] revised a creation science textbook they had been working on to remove most of the explicitly religious references, and replaced "creation science" with the term "intelligent design". This term was then picked up by a newly-founded orginisation, the [[Discovery Institute]], with which all the leaders of the [[Intelligent design movement|movement]] would be connected,<!--THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED EXTENSIVELY AND IS ACCURATE - PLEASE DISCUSS THIS ON THE TALK PAGE IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THIS--><ref><cite>"Q. Has the Discovery Institute been a leader in the intelligent design movement? A. Yes, the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. Q. And are almost all of the individuals who are involved with the intelligent design movement associated with the Discovery Institute? A. All of the leaders are, yes."</cite> [[Barbara Forrest]], 2005, testifying in the [[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]] trial. [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/day6pm.html Kitzmiller Dover Testimony, Barbara Forrest]<BR />"The Discovery Institute is the ideological and strategic backbone behind the eruption of skirmishes over science in school districts and state capitals across the country." [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/national/21evolve.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=3a7c120f2a6b4972&ex=1160107200 Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive] Jodi Wilgoren. The New York Times, August 21 2005.<br />[http://www.aclu.org/religion/schools/16371res20050916.html Who is behind the ID movement?] Frequently Asked Questions About "Intelligent Design", [[American Civil Liberties Union]].<br />"Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank established in 1991. The institute, which promotes a conservative public-policy agenda, has occupied a lead role in the ID movement recently, most notably through its Center for Science and Culture, which boasts a number of leading ID proponents among its fellows and advisers." [http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&program=DI%20Main%20Page%20-%20News&id=2745 The Evolution of George Gilder] Joseph P. Kahn. The Boston Globe, July 27 2005.<br />[http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/filesDB-download.php?command=download&id=602 "Who's Who of Intelligent Design Proponents," Science & Religion Guide] Science and Theology News. November 2005. (PDF file)<br />[http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/03_Areas/evolution/issues/peerreview.shtml Intelligent Design and Peer Review] American Association for the Advancement of Science.<br />"The engine behind the ID movement is the Discovery Institute." [http://www.jci.org/cgi/content/full/116/5/1134 Defending science education against intelligent design: a call to action] Journal of Clinical Investigation 116:1134–1138 (2006). doi:10.1172/JCI28449. A publication of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.</ref> This led to the term being expanded and refined, changing it from the original book, [[Of Pandas and People]]'s assertion that things "began abruptly through an intelligent agency with their distinctive features already intact"<ref>[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/day6am2.html#day6am889 Kitzmiller v. Dover area School District, Testimony by Barbara Forest, Day 6, a.m., quoting ''Of Pandas and People.]</ref> to a more subtle definitions, for instance, [[Michael Behe]]'s [[irreducible complexity]] which claims that biochemical systems where one part cannot be removed cannot be evolved, a claim disputed by biologists, and [[William Dembski]]'s [[specified complexity]], an expansion of irreducible complexity based on calculation of improbability. However, Behe was forced to admit under oath that irreducible complexity did not actally address the task facing evolution;<ref>
[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_District/4:Whether_ID_Is_Science#Page_73_of_139 Decision of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, p. 73]</ref> and specified complexity has not been the basis for further independent reseach,<ref>Rich Baldwin, (2005). ''[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/information/dembski.html Information Theory and Creationism]''</ref><ref>Mark Perakh, (2005). ''[http://www.talkreason.org/articles/newmath.cfm Dembski "displaces Darwinism" mathematically -- or does he?]''</ref><ref>Jason Rosenhouse, (2001). ''[http://www.math.jmu.edu/~rosenhjd/sewell.pdf How Anti-Evolutionists Abuse Mathematics]'' The Mathematical Intelligencer, Vol. 23, No. 4, Fall 2001, pp. 3-8.</ref> and the one attempt by Dembski to apply it involved calculating the probability of a protein coming together by pure chance, not by natural selection.<ref>[http://www.talkorigins.org/design/faqs/nfl/ Not a Free Lunch But a Box of Chocolates: A critique of William Dembski's book No Free Lunch]] by Richard Wein. [Downloaded 7 May 2007]</ref> Intelligent Design itself went on trial in 2005 in the case of ''[[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]]'' where Judge [[John E. Jones III]] ruled that intelligent design is not science and is essentially religious in nature,<ref>[[Wikisource:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District/6:Curriculum, Conclusion|Ruling]], [[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]], Case No. 04cv2688. [[December 20]] [[2005]] </ref> and thus the public school district requirement for science classes to teach that intelligent design was an alternative to evolution was a violation of the [[Establishment Clause of the First Amendment|Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] to the U.S. Constitution, as happened to [[creation science]] in 1987. The [[Teach the Controversy]] campaign follows it.
 
 
I think you can see why I didn't feel right just adding it in without comment [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 19:36, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:I think that's too long for the lead, if that's where you're proposing to put it. I personally think it would be OK to cut the lead down to the first paragraph of this version and put the second paragraph in the "Origins of the term" section (perhaps replacing part of what's there already), but it means we don't have the "Leading Proponents" bit in the lead - is this too much of a sacrifice? [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 20:04, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::On a secondary issue, I don't think it's right to describe creation science as "a more explicitly religious form of creationism". I know what you mean - "a more explicitly religious form of creationism ''than ID''", but, without saying up-front that ID is creationism, the sentence as it stands is misleading. Creation science is (on paper, at least), _not_ solely based on the Bible, but on science, making it _less_ explicitly religious than the more honest "You believe in the age of rocks - I believe in the Rock of Ages" type of argument. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 20:08, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
:Well, can we cut it down a bit instead? Move anything that isn't important into the rest of the article (Where it *should* be repeated anyway). Let's work without references (much easier than all the cut-and-paste references force) and revise, noting the cuts so they can be placed elsewhere. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 20:14, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::Nice allusion to ''[[Inherit the Wind]]'' ;) Anyway, I seem to be missing the point of the overwhelming zeal to rewrite the lead. How does anyone feel that these rewrites are in any way an improvement? [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 22:28, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
===Work===
Intelligent design is a traditional argument for the existence of God (modified to remove explicit identification of the creative force)[1] which claims that an intelligent agent has designed certain aspects of biological life and the universe.[2] Its proponents claim that intelligent design is a scientific theory that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, established theories regarding the evolution and origin of life.[3] However, the consensus of the scientific community is that intelligent design is not science,[4] with the U.S. National Academy of Sciences explaining that intelligent design "and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life" are not science because they cannot be tested by experiment, do not generate any predictions, and propose no new hypotheses of their own.[5]
 
Intelligent design grew out of creation science, an attempt to scientifically justify a literal reading of the book of Genesis, after the United States Supreme Court ruled in Edwards v. Aguilard that forcing schools to teach creation science alongside evolution was a violation of the principle of seperation of church and state. Percival Davis and Dean H. Kenyon revised a creation science textbook they had been working on to remove most of the explicitly religious references and replaced "creation science" with the term "intelligent design". A newly-founded orginisation, the Discovery Institute, with which all the leaders of the movement would be connected, picked up the term, and expanded and refined it. The original book, Of Pandas and People's assertion that things "began abruptly through an intelligent agency with their distinctive features already intact"[9] were replaced by more subtle, biomolecular definitions, such as Michael Behe's irreducible complexity, which claims that biochemical systems where one part cannot be removed cannot be evolved. However, Behe was forced to admit under oath that irreducible complexity did not actally address the task facing evolution.[10] Other proposals such as [[specified complexity]] have not fared much better, and Behe himself was forced to admit under oath that no scientific evidence in support of the intelligent design hypothesis had been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
 
Intelligent Design itself went on trial in 2005 in the case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, and, like its predecessor, Judge John E. Jones III ruled that intelligent design is not science, is essentially religious in nature, and requiring public school science classes to teach that intelligent design was an alternative to evolution violated [[seperation of church and state]].
 
The "[[Teach the Controversy]]" campaign followed its defeat.
{{unsigned|Adam Cuerden}}
:The information is good, but I think the style is a bit too "chatty" - good for a newspaper article, but not for an encyclopedia. Some obvious changes - "seperation of church and state" needs to be "First Amendment", as the two are _not_ identical. I don't think that we can claim - er - common descent from the very crude ''Pandas'' definition to Behe. "Have not fared much better" is (a) imprecise (b) borderline OR. I think we should keep the wording of the current version as much as possible, and add information gradually, rather than attempting radical re-writes at this stage... [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 21:11, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
::A fair point. Let's leave it for now, then, but make an effort to gradually add more information, while cutting unnecessary parts. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 22:19, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::As far as size, I don't think it is overly large. [[WP:LEAD#Length]] states our lead based on article prose length should be three to four paragraphs. However, they may be too lengthy and detailed. [[User:Morphh|<span style="color:green">Morphh</span>]] <sup>[[user talk:Morphh|<span style="color:chocolate">(talk)</span>]]</sup> <small><i>23:41, 07 May 2007 (UTC)</i></small>
 
===For elsewhere===
*'''Suggested cut:''' A public statement by the U.S. National Science Teachers Association described it as a pseudoscience, other public statements have agreed or called it junk science.
*'''Why?:''' While this rhetorically strengthens the side of the scientists, really, you know the real reason it's added is to justify [[:Category:Pseudoscience]]. The new material will do the strengthening role.
{{unsigned|Adam Cuerden}}
 
*'''Suggested cut:''' Specified complexity
*'''Why?''' Woolly, not-really-defined term which has never actually been rigourously applied as Dembski set it out anyway. Does it really need to be in the lead?
{{unsigned|Adam Cuerden}}
::It's what they call it, the main point is that the mysterious "certain features" are two varieties of complexity, not dissimilar to a famous pocked watch lying amongst some stones... or shiny pebbles if you're posh like Citzendum. In other words, their underlying argument is just a more sophisticated "this looks complex and sort of designed, so it had to be done by a designer". The sentence gives an indication of this argument, including what Jones called a false something (duality?), the argument that if evolution can't explain it, it must have been God or similar. Both varieties of "complexity" need to be mentioned as they're not treated as the same thing by the DI or by this article. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 21:20, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Yes, it needs to be in the lead. This topic has its own heading in the article so it should be mentioned. Per [[WP:LEAD]]: The lead section should concisely reflect the content of the article as a whole. For many articles, these suggestions can be helpful in writing an appropriate lead:
 
:* Try to have a sentence, clause, or at least a word devoted to each of the main headlines in the article.
:* The relative weight given to points in the lead should reflect the relative weight given to each in the remainder of the article.
:* A significant argument not mentioned after the lead should not be mentioned in the lead.
:* Avoid lengthy, detailed paragraphs.
 
:We need to look at how well our lead summarizes the article content and follows the above recommendations. [[User:Morphh|<span style="color:green">Morphh</span>]] <sup>[[user talk:Morphh|<span style="color:chocolate">(talk)</span>]]</sup> <small><i>23:45, 07 May 2007 (UTC)</i></small>
::Well, yes, but it's hard to see how to deal with specified complexity briefly. It might be better to just make it clear that there are other arguments, but only mention the ones we can put across briefly and NPOVly. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 00:31, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
==Reverted rewrite and why==
I've reverted to the last accurate and supported version. Recent changes were poorly phrased and not a meaningful improvement over it. We're not rewriting an FA just for the sake of rewriting it (and the gripes of those who'd like to see the article repeat the claims of ID proponents as fact). [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 02:39, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:You can't just make bold assertions. Explain why things are less accurate, and copy and paste in reversions. I have reverted you. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 02:52, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
::Oh, why do I even bother? You lot are just going to keep doing exactly what you want, revert *any* attempt to change the lead, and then in a few years lose FA just like [[Evolution]]. I'm frankly tired of this, and am just finding the whole thing depressing and frustrating, and it's probably time to just give up on whe whole thing. It's not bloody worth it. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 03:03, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Frankly Adam, it looks to me like you're the one who's doing exactly what you want, repeatedly trying to change the lead, despite no there being no inaccuracies or NPOV issues (gripes from the ID pov promoting crowd notwithstanding). [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 03:07, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Oh, don't bloody bother. I'm a mass of frustration and depression just now, and having the second-worst week of my life. I'm not in the mood for any whining bugger who tells me the ball's in my court, then who's first reaction on me acting upon that is to immediately revert, not give any reasons for the change other than supposed "inaccuracy, and insist that the lead as it stood is holy writ, unchangable and immutable forever and evr Amen. Frankly, I'm getting sick of the whole damn wikipedia experience, and probably should just leave the whole thing behind. Spend three weels trying to reach a consensus of everything, despite projectile vomiting, being bedridden, and not relally wanting to? "Hi! Great! Thanks for your work. We'll be going right back to the version we like now, ignoring every issue that came up. Because, you know, weveryone who says bad things about our holy writ is a creationist."
::::And, yeah, I'll probably be sorry I wrote this in the morning. But the last week has made me about as close to suicidal as I've ever been, so the rage is something to cultivate, don't you think? Because, otherwise, the depression at losing another damn social structure (third this week) starts to set in. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 03:22, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Tell me about it. I've been contributing to this article for 3 years now and this is just one of literally dozens of minor kerfluffles here. It's always like this, Adam; the three things you can always count on are that seldom more than half the participants are going to agree with you at any one time, that the ID supporters here will never agree to any description of the notion and the movement that doesn't repeat the spin of the Discovery Institute as fact (or at least so plausible that it stands in contrast to more neutral sources), and that you'll be accused of bad faith POV pushing for insisting on a neutral description of the topic or including the viewpoint of the scientific community. You've gotten way too personally invested in rewriting the intro, it appears to me, and clearly need a break. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 03:37, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::You've got it exactly backward, Adam: The onus is on the one seeking the substantive changes to an article (which would be you) to make their case and gain consensus, not on those who support the existing version (which would be us). And as I said here before, I don't see your changes as any improvement on the previous version; in fact, it read worse. It was muddled and unclear. I'm sorry, but there it is. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 03:04, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::FM, please understand that I'm not attacking you. However, I have left several messages with you to get involved with this "process". I didn't think the lead needed ANY change, but a few highly POV editors pushed here, and Adam tried hard to build a consensus (although none really came out). From my standpoint, DI is engaged in a duplicitous effort to fool people. They pretend that ID is a science, and state that to everyone. But then when speaking to religious groups, they say it's religion. Well, that should be how we describe this article in the lead. I thought the original lead effectively stated what was going on. But now, we're, in essence, allowing the Discovery Institute to state their propaganda in the lead. We need you here! But please, Adam is doing the best he can, even though I don't quite agree with the end result (although I'm willing to live with it). [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 17:56, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I have brought it back once again to the last version that reasonably resembled what's been previously consensused. I also reinserted the quotation marks and put in the correct quote for the definition of ID put forward by its "primary" (or is it "leading" or "principal" or "main") proponents [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&curid=15295&action=history here]. This preference for the quoted version is about the only thing that can be accurately asserted to have come out of the recent "vote" too. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 03:05, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Good quote ==
 
[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/day21pm2.html It has been unanimously rejected by the National Academy of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and every other major scientific and science education organization that has considered the issue, including, we learned this morning, the American Society of Soil Scientists.] [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 00:35, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
: Nice catch. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 03:37, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:::I just caught this. That last group-- think they're reliable? there's a lot of dirt in that business of theirs. ;-/ ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 12:01, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
::Not as neutral a source as Jones' summing up, but very useful. The paragraphs that follow it point to a fundamental issue:
::"As William Dembski stated, unless the ground rules of science are changed to allow the supernatural, intelligent design has, quote, no chance Hades, close quote. In this courtroom, Steve Fuller confirmed that changing the ground rules of science is intelligent design's fundamental project... There's a reason that science does not consider the supernatural. It has no way of measuring or testing supernatural activity. As Professor Behe testified, you can never rule out intelligent design."
::Which explains my suggestion that the lead include not just that proponents state it is better than conventional theories, but that they state that it requires a fundamental change in science. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 11:20, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::The requirement of a fundamental change in the definition, boundaries and methodology of science, while definitely true, might complicate the lead ... unless you can be pithy about it. ;) [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:38, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:You taking the pith? Howsabout changing
:''"Its advocates claim that intelligent design is a [[Science|scientific]] [[theory]] that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories regarding the [[evolution]] and [[origin of life]]."''
:to
:''"Its advocates claim that intelligent design is a [[Science|scientific]] [[theory]] which requires a fundamental change in the ground rules of science and is as valid as current scientific theories regarding the [[evolution]] and [[origin of life]], or even more valid."''
:Pithyenuff? ... :) . . [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 20:25, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Ick. How about: ''"Its advocates claim that intelligent design is a [[Science|scientific]] [[theory]] that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories regarding the [[evolution]] and [[origin of life]]. However, as this requires the collection of "empirical" data in the realm of the supernatural, the ground rules of science would need to be fundamentally changed."'' [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 20:56, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:Ok, I bow to you as a wordsmith. How about:
:''"Its advocates claim that intelligent design is a [[Science|scientific]] [[theory]] that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories regarding the [[evolution]] and [[origin of life]], subject to science being fundamentally redefined in terms of non-naturalistic [[theistic realism]] instead of the [[methodological naturalism]] that underlies the [[scientific method]].
:We've got references for this in the ''Defining intelligent design as science'' section. One point: [[Theistic realism]] has lately been tagged for lacking sources, and indeed it seems to have a lot of quotations without properly citing sources. Could someone with access to the sources tackle that? ....... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 16:24, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Proposed minor changes ==
 
I hope that we've managed to reach something akin to consensus now - however, there are a few points which came up earlier that I think can be safely changed.
*Removal of HTML comments.
*"teleological argument" -> "design argument". (I personally prefer "teleological", but there was considerable opposition to it)
*"Abrahamic God" -> "God". (Fairly clear consensus on this issue earlier)
*Put NAS objections before "pseudoscience" reference.
*"support of the intelligent design hypothesis" -> "support of intelligent design". (Just my personal opinion, but, just before this, we've had a statement that ID _doesn't_ generate hypotheses). [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 06:03, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
All seem sensible to me - I've not been around for a while, but agree with Tevildo's suggestions..... [[User:Petesmiles|Petesmiles]] 11:05, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::One person does not consensus make. Traditional design argument makes no sense, Abrahamic God is there for a very specific reason, in short, it's no improvement. If you can get a consensus beyong just petesmiles and one or two other people, then fine. In the meantime, I'm restoring it to Kenosis' version. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 11:51, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:::[[Talk:Intelligent_design/Archive39#Voting_on_the_nature_of_God]] shows a 6-2 majority opinion in favour of "God", and only one editor - me, as it happens - in favour of "Abrahamic God". I know, "voting is evil", but that's as clear a consensus as we're going to get on any aspect of this article. "Teleological", I'll leave to Orangemarlin. I'll give up on "hypothesis" as a lost cause, despite it contradicting what's said about ID in the previous paragraph. The HTML, see my comments above. Or is the lead now as the laws of the Medes and Persians? If so, at least let's put in another HTML comment to clarify that - and it's not a policy I support, if that needs saying. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 17:28, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::That was a markedly limited poll, and involved only one regular (as in a year's time or more) editor. In addition, "God" cannot be assumed to refer to the Abrahamic God, which is precisely whom the ID proponents believe the designer to be.
::Mot too sure where you're going with the Medes and Persians.
::BTW, your counting is a bit suspect. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:50, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:::My apologies, I counted Morphh twice. If we're ignoring simple counting arguments, "God of Christianity" (from the source) might be a candidate. Daniel 6:15, incidentally. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 21:31, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
::Oh, OK, thanks, I'm not fond of the prophetic books -- like Stephen King on acid. The God of Christianity (aside from the triune nature that...well, that's a separate screed) ''is'' the Abrahamic God. And, while OM has noted that Jews don't believe this ID crap, there ''are'' several Jewish ID proponents who've been trotted out by the DI, and several proponents from Islam ([http://www.islamonline.net/english/Contemporary/2004/09/Article02.shtml Why Muslims Should Support Intelligent Design]. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 09:59, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Fine-tuned Universe ==
 
I'd like to tidy up and improve this section - does anyone have any further information, insight or comments on any of the following points?
 
* Does Gonzalez/the DI actually argue that life couldn't have existed if the universal constants were different or is the current implication OR?
 
* Why is the 2nd law of thermodynamics in this section?
 
* Does the DI promote or support the notion that evolution violates the 2nd law? IMHO they're too smart to be that dumb, but you never know....
 
Tnx - [[User:Tomandlu|Tomandlu]] 16:33, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::All valid questions...lemme go one at a time because I have to do a bit of research:
:::*Yes, see Guillermo Gonzalez (2004). The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery. ISBN 0-89526-065-4. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:59, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Okay, I've now read some of the reviews, which seem to confirm that the book at least makes a partial argument that a fine-tuned universe is required for life. Hard to tell if it's a vague suggestion or a firm assertion. [[User:Tomandlu|Tomandlu]] 13:10, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::*Because it's been used by leading ID proponents. See [http://www.csicop.org/intelligentdesignwatch/thermodynamics.html]. Dembski has actually been dumb enough to support that tripe. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 20:02, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Okay, so we can confidently say that Dembski is an idiot regarding the 2nd law, but should this have its own section - it doesn't really belong in "fine-tuned universe", does it? [[User:Tomandlu|Tomandlu]] 13:10, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::I wonder if there's a misunderstanding here. As a creationist, I've always understand the application of the 2nd law in these arguments to be to the whole universe, not just to the earth. Both of the rebuttals here (footnotes 45 and 47 seem to be the same article based on a quick skim of 47 after reading 45) seem to express the idea that creationists (yeah, or ID proponents) are only thinking of the earth as a closed system. It would be good to have references showing ID proponents saying they think the earth is a closed system, if that's possible - or to highlight the misunderstanding.[[User:NigelCunningham|NigelCunningham]] 01:07, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Wouldn't that (the whole universe) be even sillier? [[User:Tomandlu|Tomandlu]] 13:10, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::How so? [[User:NigelCunningham|NigelCunningham]] 06:36, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Ah, I see that I read 45/47 too quickly :) It's the ID side. Perhaps it would be good to put it right after the ID part of the sentence? That said, perhaps I'm still reading too quickly, but I don't see where in the DI article they assert that the earth is a closed system. [[User:NigelCunningham|NigelCunningham]] 01:48, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::Also see [http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/thermodynamics-and-intelligent-design/]. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 20:06, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
::And this might answer some other questions as well [http://people.howstuffworks.com/intelligent-design.htm/printable]. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 20:10, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Nigel, he DI tends to pick and choose which parts of science/pseudoscience they are going to adopt. With the DI, it seems that anything Dembski says is OK by them as he is their "intellectual" leader.
:::Tom, 2LOT may not strictly belong in the section it's in (although that depends on how you define fine-tuning), but it is germane to ID as ID is simply creationism reheated. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 17:12, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::Ok, but I still don't think that reference shows that DI thinks the earth is a closed system. My Googling has only found evolutionists saying the creationists say this, giving the impression this is a straw man. [[User:NigelCunningham|NigelCunningham]] 06:36, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::NigelCunningham, please don't insert your comments in the middle of comments by other editors – I've moved it here for clarity. One creationist who presents 2lot as an argument for ID is [[Granville Sewell]], and his article making the case is hosted by the DI. Two of his articles are cited by the Discovery Institute as "Peer-Reviewed & Peer-Edited Scientific Publications Supporting the Theory of Intelligent Design", so you might say there's a connection. What was that about a straw man? .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 08:50, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::Re in the middle, okay. Sorry. Re the rest, I'm not disputing the use of 2lot. What I am disputing is that it's used to refer to the earth only as a closed system. My understanding has always been that the argument is "If the whole universe is a closed system that has always existed, then 2lot means entropy should be complete by now." HTH. [[User:NigelCunningham|NigelCunningham]] 22:57, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
<unindent> NigelCunningham, you seem to be thinking of [http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CF/CF001_2.html Claim CF001.2:] as put by Wallace, Timothy, 2002. in ''Five major evolutionist misconceptions about evolution'': the [http://www.trueorigins.org/isakrbtl.asp link provided] now goes to Wallace's response of 2005-2007. For other claims see [http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html#CF000 An Index to Creationist Claims], and for articles on the subject see [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/thermo.html Thermodynamics, Evolution and Creationism]. Note that each of the pages listed in the index has a reference to the original claim. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 09:34, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
:: (Sorry for the slow reply) Yeah, I am thinking of pages like that first one. Note though that there is no claim there that the earth is a closed system. It's been a week since I started to read those other articles, and I didn't notice anything along those lines in the other ones I saw either. Did I miss something? [[User:NigelCunningham|NigelCunningham]] 04:57, 18 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Separation of church and state ==
I was speaking to another Englishman about ID/DI the other day. He was fairly well-informed, but was nevertheless amazed when I explained how the issue of the separation of church and state (SOCAS) was a major factor in the creation of the ID baloney. I've given up trying to make any changes to the intro, but this might be something for the holy guardians of the lead to consider (i.e. that it currently assumes that the reader will know about and understand how the SOCAS affects the issue in the US). [[User:Tomandlu|Tomandlu]] 16:33, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:To illustrate how this might be done,
:{{quote|The term was introduced in 1987 after the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in [[Edwards v. Aguillard]] ruled out the teaching of [[Creation science]] alongside evolution. Drafts of the school textbook ''[[Of Pandas and People]]'' were then altered to replace ''"[[creationism]]"'' with ''intelligent design''. In ''[[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]]'' (2005), a [[United States federal courts|United States federal court]] ruled that a public school district requirement for science classes to teach intelligent design as an alternative to evolution was a violation of the [[Establishment Clause of the First Amendment|Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]]. [[United States district court|United States District Judge]] [[John E. Jones III]] ruled that intelligent design is not science and is essentially religious in nature. During the trial, intelligent design advocate [[Michael Behe]] testified under oath that no scientific evidence in support of the intelligent design hypothesis has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.}}
:SOCA is already covered under the Establishment Clause, which doesn't mean much to non-U.S. citizens but seems a bit complex to introduce into the lead: perhaps this adds to the case for the first section being an overview which goes over the main points briefly with more explanation than is suitable for the lead. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 19:07, 8 May 2007 (UTC) corrected 10:21, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:Thinking it over,
:{{quote|The term was introduced after the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in 1987 ruled in the case of ''[[Edwards v. Aguillard]]'' that requiring teaching of [[Creation science]] alongside evolution was a violation of the [[Establishment Clause of the First Amendment|Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]] which prohibits state aid to religion. Drafts of the school textbook ''[[Of Pandas and People]]'' were then altered to replace ''"[[creationism]]"'' with ''intelligent design''. In ''[[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]]'' (2005), a [[United States federal courts|United States federal court]] ruled that a public school district requirement for science classes to teach intelligent design as an alternative to evolution was also a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. [[United States district court|United States District Judge]] [[John E. Jones III]] ruled that intelligent design is not science and is essentially religious in nature. During the trial, intelligent design advocate [[Michael Behe]] testified under oath that no scientific evidence in support of the intelligent design hypothesis has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.}}
:Constitutional corrections welcome. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 19:20, 8 May 2007 (UTC) corrected 10:21, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Edit War! I was just about to submit:
 
:::The trouble is that this is only covered in the main article in one paragraph in "controversies" - a ", which prohibits the promotion of religion in state-schools." (or similiar). Not necessarily the lead - it could be in the overview imho. [[User:Tomandlu|Tomandlu]] 19:27, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Your version is better imho. [[User:Tomandlu|Tomandlu]] 19:27, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:: Dave's version looks good to me also. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 20:23, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Well at least Dave was pithy with something. ;) Looks fine. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 21:08, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
::A discussion of this issue had already begun within the last couple weeks, with Dave and I advocating a mention of the Edwards case and how ID was framed to try to meet the standard set by the US Supreme Court in 1987. I think the discussion should continue until the idea is either rejected or a way is found of stating the information to the reader earlier in the article than it presently is. Presently, this information is not given until the third paragraph of "Origins of the term". As of now, I think it should be at the beginning of the "overview" section, and Dave thinks it should be in the article lead. And I also think we still have not found the needed language to express this chain of events from 1987 to 1990 more concisely than it presently is in the "Origins of the term" section. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 22:16, 8 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Dave Souza, being from the Isles, may have a better perspective than I do on this aspect of the information gap about ID, which would appear fairly consistent with Tomandlu's perspective and related anecdote.
How about considering an intermediary fix, so as not to break up the 1,2,3 balance of the lead (what ID is, what the scientific community says, and what the legal status is).
Under this preliminary proposal, a modification of Dave's, the "Overview" section would begin:
*''The term "intelligent design" was first published in 1989, in the book ''[[Of Pandas and People]],'' after the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruled in 1987 in the case of ''[[Edwards v. Aguillard]]'' that requiring teaching of "[[creation science]]" alongside evolution was a violation of the [[Establishment Clause of the First Amendment|Establishment Clause]] of the [[U.S. Constitution]] which prohibits state aid to religion. The U.S. Supreme Court, in the Edwards case, had also held held that "teaching a variety of scientific theories about the origins of humankind to school children might be validly done with the clear secular intent of enhancing the effectiveness of science instruction."[cite to Edwards case.} In 1987 drafts of the school textbook ''[[Of Pandas and People]]'', all derivativations of "creation-" were replaced with "intelligent design", a change involving over a hundred instances of the use of "creation science" and other uses of the root word "creation-". In the 1990's the term "intelligent design" became increasingly used by advocates of teaching a [[creationist|creation-based]] alternative to evolution, particularly in the United States.'''
 
<p>This proposal is submitted with the presumption that the Overview would just continue as it's already written from this point onward.
.... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 23:20, 8 May 2007 (UTC) year of substitution corrected [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 10:21, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Errm, I'm not from [[Hebrides|The Isles]], but from the Scottish mainland. The required cite could be "The weight of the evidence clearly demonstrates, as noted, that the systemic change from “creation” to “intelligent design” occurred sometime in 1987, after the Supreme Court’s important Edwards decision." [[wikisource:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District/2:Context#Page 33 of 139|Ruling - context, pg. 31 – 33]] [[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]]. – link to page 33, the three pages refer to Edwards which is also described at Page 22 of 139: "the Supreme Court held that the state violated the Establishment Clause by 'restructur[ing] the science curriculum to conform with a particular religious viewpoint.' Edwards, 482 U.S. at 593." In my opinion this and other info discussed earlier or raised by Adam can greatly improve the overview, but the particular point is important enough to summarise briefly in the lead, as suggested above. ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 10:21, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Isles, mainland, whichever - the edit looks good to me, wherever you happen to be. [[User:KillerChihuahua|KillerChihuahua]]<sup>[[User talk:KillerChihuahua|?!?]]</sup> 12:11, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::Hmmmph. Thank ya', Dave, for puttin' it straight. Aw'Right, time fer a bevvy ... S'no yoor round, 's'ma round, ånd may yer lums reek lang ånd weil. <big>;-)</big> ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 14:26, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
<p>As of now, we have a valid citation to two [[WP:reliable sources|reliable sources]], [[Edwards v. Aguilard]], and [[Kitzmiller v. Dover]]. The latter concludes, based on the evidence of drafts of [[Of Pandas and People]] before and after the Edwards case, that the post-Edwards drafts of the book had substituted "intelligent design" in place of all the uses of the root word "creation-", such as "creation science" and other variations of this term. I think this is adequate to support the proposed paragraph.
<p>If I correctly understand the views put forward by participants in this discussion, it appears that Tomandlu, Jim62sch, JoshuaZ, KillerChihuahua, Dave Souza and myself are in support of including this paragraph or a close variation thereof. I want to go ahead with inserting the paragraph, with these two citations for now, at the beginning of the Overview section. Any objections? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 17:01, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Stop chewin' the cud an' jest put 'er in'ere. ;) [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 17:19, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::As I see it, the proposed revision to the lead is accepted by the above as well as Kenosis' more detailed clarification to the overview – both can refer to the same references. Any objections? ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 17:25, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Here's a cite to the Edwards case: [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE&court=US&vol=482&page=578 482 U.S. 578, 594]. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 17:44, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Being economical (Scots!) I've added the page numbers/links to the existing reference to provide citations for the whole of the revised lead paragraph with one inline link. It probably makes good sense to repeat the exercise with the overview, or if all three links are suitable the lead citation could become "ref name=" for re-use with a suitable title. Trust the lead now explains things better for us ignorant foreigners ;) .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 18:03, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::The sentence with the quote from the Edwards case is vital to making the point. That's why I advocated putting it at the beginning of the Overview section. Arrgh. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 18:08, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::I have to agree with Kenosis. Except I have no parrot on me shoulders. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 18:13, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::I moved the section on the origin of the term to overview and removed the info from the lead. As "First Amendment" and "Establishment Clause" are linked I don't see a need for what I've moved being in the lead. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 18:41, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::I noticed. Unfortunately this leaves the lead incomprehensible to us foreigners who aren't familiar with the US Constitution, introduces Edwards without explanation and loses the point about ''Pandas'' changing to the term to evade Edwards. It means we're relying on newcomers reading on to the ''Overview'' before they begin to understand these points. Anyway, "The term "intelligent design" was first published in 1989" is contradicted by the ''Origins of the term'' section, suggest "The term "intelligent design" in its modern usage was first published in 1989". There's an overlap with the latter part of that section, suggest it be merged into this introductory paragraph of the ''Overview''. ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 18:57, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Dang you Isles foreigners -- we have to learn about your bloody Magna Carta, you ''could'' return the favour! ;)
::::Anyway, Kenosis reworked it, I'm OK with it. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:17, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::Not our bloomin' Magna Carta mate, and do you learn aboot the [[Declaration of Arbroath]]? Anyway, agree Kenosis has cracked it imo, all good. Now for the other points about the ''Overview'' sections... .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 19:28, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::i did rework it, tentatively at least, until we can sort this out and arrive at a reasonable expression from an international point of view.
:::::<p>I very strongly disagree that "first published use of the term" is contradictory. Prior to the 1989 publication of [[Of Pandas and People]] the words had only been used as a descriptive phrase attempting to describe something else, and even then only in transitory passing. In 1989, it became a term, a classification of a category of things, a subject or topic of its own accord. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:23, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::A fair point that could be made explicit in the ''Origins of the term'' section. ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 19:33, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::I'm sure Kenosis is assiduously working on that.
:::::::Yes, Dave, we ''did'' learn about the Declaration of Arbroath. What, do you think we're provincial louts or sumpin? [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:36, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::::Probably learnt more about it than we did – too insular here! . . :) . . [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 19:51, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
<p>As can be seen, I made several significant changes and a series of minor adjustments today in the article, the combination of which, I hope, correctly expresses the collective intent of the participants in this discussion. Tomandlu, thanks for the informative anecdote that you gave at the start of this section, which provided an extremely useful perspective on the information gap that needed to be filled. Hopefully it's now more-or-less taken care of, at least as far as mere information can go (until the next set of vociferous arguments of course). For now, good regards to all, and also to any and all particpating Scots whether from the Isles or not. ;-). ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 23:59, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:Looks good, thanks for all that work. The sentence "Its first published use was in 1989 in a textbook intended for high-school biology classes, and the term's use became increasingly frequent in the 1990s and early 2000's, culminating in a 2005 trial challenging its intended use in public school science classes." seemed a bit clumsy, and focusses on the term rather than the proposition, so I've modified it to "Its first published use was in 1989 in a textbook intended for high-school biology classes, and the proposition was given increasing publicity culminating in a 2005 trial challenging its intended use in public school science classes." Technically its use didn't go beyond an admin reading out a statement that "Intelligent design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin's view" and commending ''Pandas'' to the class, but it was in actual use to that extent, so is "intended" necessary? Guess it does show that it was intended, or dare I say designed. ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 08:13, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
::Given the wording of the rest of the sentence, proposition is decidedly the wrong word. "Intended" belongs right where it is. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 12:52, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
::<p>If it seems a bit clumsy, I would first try breaking it up into two sentences. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 13:39, 10 May 2007 (UTC) I broke it up into two sentences, and tried a slightly different approach, keeping in mind both the international perspective discussed in this talk section and [[WP:LEAD]]. Gives the reader a quick take on how the use of the words turned into a movement, essentially all in response to the Edwards case. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 13:53, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::I'd say its quite good, Kenosis, thanks. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 21:03, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Looks good to me. ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 23:33, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Misleading statistic mining ==
 
Currently the article states that a 2005 Harris poll concludes that "ten percent of adults in the United States view human beings as 'so complex that they required a powerful force or intelligent being to help create them,'" but neglects to mention that 64% of respondents stated they believe man was created directly by God. As direct divine creation is a subset of intelligent design theories, isn't it rather misleading to leave the 10% statistic out there as though 1/10 respondents said they believed human creation was guided somehow, when in fact 74% of respondents said so? '''[[User:JDoorjam|JDoorjam]]''' <small>[[User Talk:JDoorjam|JDiscourse]]</small> 00:10, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:For my own part, just one piece among many persons involved, I advocated leaving it out entirely, based on poor statistical method, questionable operational definitions and phraseology by the poll-takers. But, the Harris Poll appears to have wanted to differentiate between "pure" or "traditional" creation-oriented beliefs about origins, and "evolution-based" beliefs about origins (I use the word "belief" loosely in referring to the "end-users" of these ideas, those who were polled to sample their views). And apparently they assumed that "intelligent design" is a whole separate category, which, well, as experienced editors involved with this article know, well, it is, sort of, and then again it isn't, sort of, and then again, it's a legal strategy, and then again it's about a "designer of some kind" and then again about "God", depending of course on which audience they're talking to at the moment, and then again, it's about redefining "science", etc., etc.
:<p>And that's only the beginning of the issues with this poll. But to be direct, I personally think the next question should have been something like: "If you ansered "God", please answer the following question too. 'If your church officially told you as a child that God would not punish you for picking the "evolution" option over the "God" option, would your answer be different? (Yes - No - Maybe)" and "If you ansered either "God" or "was guided by an intelligence", would your answer be different if we had provided you the option to pick "More-than-one-of-the-above" or "All-of-the-above" (Yes - No - Maybe so, maybe not). In a couple words, the sampling method was ''highly'' questionable.
:<p>As to what part of the Harris Poll is relevant to the article on "intelligent design", only one part is necessary, the part about "intelligent design" or however the Harris Group put it. The rest belongs in [[creation-evolution controversy]] or somewhere else (like the proverbial "round file") ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 00:40, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::However, transferring this discussion from my talk page, JDoorjam and I were discussing whether ID is a subset of Creationism, which I believe it is. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 00:43, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Well, yes OM, and ID is a subset of the [[teleological argument]], and [[panentheism]] is partly a subset of [[theism]] and partly a subset of [[pantheism]] and partly a subset of [[creationism]], and so on and so forth. And (I say this in the friendliest of ways) "So what?" ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 00:48, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::I actually don't care all that much. [[User:JDoorjam|JDoorjam]] asked me on my talk page, and I told him I'd bring it here. It's all fantasy to me. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 01:30, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::::I agree. With regard to the particular Harris Group poll presently under discussion, the most pertinent fantasy to me is the question, put very roughly (that is, about as roughly put as the more pertinent questions on broad-based issues most often are): "If you answered C, or D: How, if, as a child, you had not been taught that God would punish you solely for not believing in Him [capitalisation intentional], would you have answered the question, in 2005, "Do you believe in evolution or in Me [capitalisation intentional]?". Note very carefully that the Harris Group also had provided no option to say, for example, "Um, no, the question is ridiculous the way y'all put it". Wikipedia, ridiculous as it is at many times, at least provides this opportunity; and, I might add, given our common history I would think there's no reason to expect the argumentation about this article, complex, provocative, sometimes duplicitous, and often unnerving as it is, to stop at the present time... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 01:59, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::: I wouldn't mind removing the Harris poll either. The only strong reasons to keep it are 1) its the only large scale poll we've got and 2) The DI has the same objections [http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/05/wikipedia_intelligent_design_e.html]. I wouldn't be surprised if they just got it from reading the top of this conversation. They do seem to spend so much time complaining about the state of this article. I suppose its what they do when they take breaks between all that cutting-edge ID research. Joking aside, the only reasonable way I see to include the Harris poll is to give everything verbatim and that seems to have its own issues. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 02:39, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:FWIW, I agree with simply removing the poll, too. I went to try to improve the line, but couldn't decide what to put in. Other statistics quoted in the report only confuse the issue further - compare, for example, tables 1, 3 and 6. If it does stay, perhaps table 6 should be used. [[User:NigelCunningham|NigelCunningham]] 05:57, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I'd also be fine with removing it; as it stands it's the half-expression of a badly constructed poll. '''[[User:JDoorjam|JDoorjam]]''' <small>[[User Talk:JDoorjam|JDiscourse]]</small> 07:11, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Move the whole paragraph to [[Intelligent design movement]], it probably fits better there anyway. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 10:11, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Misleading section heading!! The interpretation is that of the Harris organisation, at a time when ID was not creationism oh no certainly not my goodness that is a coincidence that we're all in this big tent... A better summary:
:A 2005 Harris poll identified ten percent of adults in the United States as taking the intelligent design position, that "human beings are so complex that they required a powerful force or intelligent being to help create them", while 64% agreed with the creationist view that "human beings were created directly by God" and 22% believed "human beings evolved from earlier species" (evolution).[http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=581]
As Jim says, probably best moved to the movement. It was introduced when polls claiming massive support for ID were being waved about, methinks such polls less likely now... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 10:32, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:I support this move. The poll, to whatever extent it might possibly convey useful information, is more relevant to the article on [[intelligent design movement]]. The issue can, of course, be revisited later if the demand is strong for the Harris Poll and DI-poll information in this article. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 17:10, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I love subtle sarcasm, Kenosis. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 17:21, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::I moved it to the movement article. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 18:42, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
FYI, according to the Discovery Institute's media complaints blog, evolutionnews.org, the DI would like to see the poll removed from this article as well: [http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/05/wikipedia_intelligent_design_e.html Wikipedia "Intelligent Design" Entry Selectively Cites Poll Data to Present Misleading Picture of Support for Intelligent Design] For this very reason alone I think the info Harris (independant) and Zogby (DI sponsored) polls is necessary and should stay. Removing it only allows the DI to repeat its misinformation unchallenged. [[User:Odd nature|Odd nature]] 19:28, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
:I thought we'd agreed to move it. I'll leave its replacement unchallenged pending the outcome of this discussion, although one participant is not exactly "high demand" for its return. I still think it should be left only in the article on [[intelligent design movement]]. I also corrected it by removing "critics have written that" It's not only critics who have asserted the poll "suffers from considerable flaws", but the Los Alamos organization itself (many participants of which presumably know a thing or two about statistics).
:<p>On the one hand, the info in the citation ([http://www.nmsr.org/id-poll.htm here]) states: ''Joe Renick stated that IDNet-NM would STOP using that poll. From John Fleck's article "Anti-Evolution Poll Called Bogus" (Sunday, August 17, 2003): "Renick said Friday [August 15th] his organization plans to stop using the poll, saying it "is turning into a distraction from the really important business of the science standards."'' On the other hand, evidently the network has chosen to continue to assert the validity of the poll (e.g., [http://www.ideacenter.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/858 here]).
:<p>My preference would be to continue to leave this paragraph out. The Harris Poll is flawed no matter what it purports to show, as discussed above. And the issue of believing in the idea of an intelligent designer--or however exactly it was that the Harris Group chose to phrase it as a mutually exclusive alternative to either "created by God" or "evolved"-- is a separate issue from asserting it should be taught in biology class as an alternative to evolution. Moreover, the two polls are dealing with two populations, the Harris poll with the general public, and the Zogby poll (purportedly) with a population of scientists. I think it's too much scruff to rightly continue to include as part of the "overview" section. Frankly, both polls are pre-Kitzmiller and obsolete already, and from a statistical-sampling standpoint neither was ever properly implemented to begin with. Maybe placing it in a section at the end would be a way of approaching this, perhaps in a very brief section or subsection entitled "Polls about intelligent design" or something like that? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 23:48, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::For the record I think it's relevant here and should stay. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 04:07, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
=='''Overview Section:'''==
 
Hi guys, just browing the article, which obviously many people have put a lot of time and effort into. I just have a question, that may have already been discussed in another talk page. In the Overview Section, in the last paragraph it is stated that according to a Harris poll, 10 percent of individuals believe in intelligent design. In my humble opinion, this is somewhat misleading. I think the contents of the entire poll should be posted, so the reader gets a better grasp on all aspects of this poll. I think the reader is left to assume that, therefore 90 percent of individuals beleive in evolution, which is clearly not the case. I think it would be more clear if this sentence stated 10 percent believe in ID, however almost two-thirds of U.S. adults (64%) agree with the basic tenet of creationism, or that "human beings were created directly by God." While approximately one-fifth (22%) of adults believe "human beings evolved from earlier species" (evolution), as stated in the Harris poll. I think that would provide more clarity to this statement. Overall, it seems the editors have taken a lot of time to explain both sides of this issue. Thank you. [[User:131.44.121.252|131.44.121.252]] 18:08, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:yes, thanks. A number of participants were just discussing this above, and deciding what to do about that paragraph which mentions the polls. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 18:39, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
::See above. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 18:47, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== This article in the news ==
 
FYI... this article is mentioned in news articles that are showing up on [[Google News]]: [http://english.gospelherald.com/article/education/768/section/design.proponents.accuse.wikipedia.of.bias.hypocrisy/1.htm this] and [http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/05/wikipedia_intelligent_design_e.html this] came up in my customised Wikipedia section. [[User:Mikker|Mi<font color="darkred">kk</font>er]] [[User talk:Mikker|<sup>(...)</sup>]] 21:48, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
:Ah, that explains the flurry of interest in that poll. So, Casey's out of date already! However, are these reliable sources? . . ;) . . [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 22:20, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Americans believe in Sasquatch, Alien abduction, and Miller Lite is really beer. I guess it makes sense that so many believe in Creationism. Of course, these articles fail to point out how bad these polls were. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 22:45, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
The article talks about how I and others dealt with Chahax :) [[User:Raul654|Raul654]] 22:21, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Yup, I remember reading about that – so you've created another Martyr to the sacred cause of ID! Will it get as much coverage as Sternberg? Also note the complaint that we didn't mention that the poll shows "a majority (55%) believe that all three of these theories should be taught in public schools" – so if they get what they want, you'll have to introduce more RI classes! (joke - we used to get a period a week of Religious Instruction) .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 23:23, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::I seem to remember this article dealing with intelligent design, not the general belief in a creator.
:::".. the poll had two responses that both favored ID thought, but only one was used for the 10 percent result. The 'actual results' would show that around 74 percent of Americans believe there is a creator."
:::Can we possibly clarify this even more? -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 12:01, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Removed from this article, clarified at [[Intelligent design movement#Two fronts, two goals]]. .... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 13:43, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Clarifying lead ==
 
Well, I'm off on holiday in a few hours - it's kind of a last minute thing, but my rather spectacular meltdown seemed to merit it. It's looking a lot better now. I'm not... completely sure that things are always presented in the most logical order in the lead, but, well, I'm not going to argue about it until I'm a bit calmer.
 
I have made one change - revert it if you like, I guess, but I do think something needs done about it: "undirected processes" is (probably intentionally) ambiguous, so I kept the first, less controversial bit of the quote, but paraphrased the second bit to a more exact "unguided". I also changed "proposition" to "claim", as, well, with the "best" and all, it's being described in the proponent's terms. "Claim" makes that reasonably unambiguous, whereas "proposition" is a fairly neutral word that would go best with a neutral phrasing, or something not so strongly disputed.
 
It now reads ''Intelligent design is the claim that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause" as opposed to unguided processes such as natural selection'', which I think is a little more precise. See you sometime Tuesday! [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 22:58, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
::Adam, hope you have a pleasant holiday, and come back refreshed. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 01:17, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:P.S. I must say I really like the new paragraph three. Great work, everyone! [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 23:01, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
 
=="derivativations" of the term==
Hah! ;-) Amatulic, thank you so much for catching that [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=130122572&oldid=129957512 here]! (;-/ And yes, "cognates" well replaces either "derivatives" or "derivations " ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 17:13, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Cognates has been replaced with derivations as cognate has a special meaning not at all related to what was clearly an editing error.
:To wit: Fire, feuer, pýř and πυρ are cognates. Firey, firing, fired are derivations of fire. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:20, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I noticed Jim62sch's edit [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=130152408&oldid=130143029 here], which prefers "derivation" to "cognate". I understand his concernativation about this, as cognate ordinarily implies an etymological aspect, but had no complaints about the broader interpretation of "cognate". No complaints about "derivation(s)" either. As another f'rinstance, "uses involving the root word 'creation-' " would have been fine with me too, along with other reasonable ways of expressing it. Anyway, thanks for catching the the errorizative in my grammaticalization. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:24, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Listen, Dubya... ;) [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:30, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::Please, lets have no [[Bushism]]itization on this page .... . [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 19:39, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Of course. Though I thought about this just a bit more, and realized that "cognate" in its etymological usage tends to have as much to do with intent and meaning in etymology as it does with a specific root word. Given this, I suppose "intelligent design" is a cognate of "creation-", though I would hope not to dwell on this any much further at all. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:59, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:See [[Cognate]]. When speaking of words in the manner we are here, the ''only'' definition that matters is the linguistic definition. And no, ID is not a cognate for creationism, a euphemism or synonym yes, but most definitely not a cognate. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 21:27, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Um. This may seem a trivial point, but the article doesn't seem to me to say that ID is a cognate for creationism, though it did say ''almost all cognates of "creation-", such as "creation science", were replaced with the words "intelligent design"'' [currently "cognates" has been replaced by "derivations"]. The good judge actually wrote ''(2) cognates of the word creation (creationism and creationist), which appeared approximately 150 times were deliberately and systematically replaced with the phrase ID"'' As to whether the judge was correct or not, or whether "creation science" is a cognate of "creationism", I express no opinion. Orrabest, . . [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 22:31, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Yes Dave. This I didn't miss. And as I said, readily accept either Jim62sch's reasoning or Amatulic's reasoning here. My point,mostly in humor but partly sober in pointing up some of the implications of the word "cognate" in its broader usage, was not that either the WP article or the judge in Kitzmiller v. Dover was asserting that ID is a cognate of "creation-". Rather, the point was that when one looks across etymological analyses of the kinds of words and root-words that ordinarily are considered "cognates", a primary concern of etymologists has to do essentially with when and where a given word-usage picked up from another closely related word-usage, typically with a similar phonetic aspect (i.e. tending to sound similar at the time of the transition from one usage to another). This is generally not applied, as Jim observed and as I feel sure Amatulic agrees, to a replacement of a given approximate word-sound (e.g. "creation") with wholly different word-sound (such as "intelligent design"). So no one here, including myself, is seriously asserting that ID is a cognate of creation. But, the Kitzmiller decision was using the word "cognate" in a somewhat broadened sense from that of the typical etymologist already, and I was merely taking off on the broader meaning of "cognate" (a broader meaning that is included in a number of the major dictionaries AFAIK, which must in turn raise the hackles of many seasoned etymologists). Thus my friendly attempt at a but of meta-etymological humor here on a decidedly minor issue with this article on ID. But, again, by no stretch of the imagination was I seriously implying that ID should be considered a "cognate" of "creationism" because they are too far apart in phonetic construction to fit within the normally understood use of "cognate". I should have been more specific the first time. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 03:03, 12 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Aaaargggghhh..... ''Linguistics'' lesson: (Note, ''linguistics'' not ''etymology'').
::This, ''"...a primary concern of etymologists has to do essentially with when and where a given word-usage picked up from another closely related word-usage, typically with a similar phonetic aspect..."'' is not really true. The when and where can matter to an extent, for example, the names of numbers and family members (father, mother, brother, etc) are the oldest words in most if not all language families, and all came from the same when and where. Other whens and wheres can show how the proto-language (PIE in the case of English, Latin, Greek, Russian, etc.) began to diverge to the point where cognates appear only in '''groups of related tongues''' in the family (i.e., Germanic, Slavic, Italic, Celtic, etc.). "Picked-up" word usage, however shows something diffent -- borrowings or lexicographical changes in the word (see for example, "preservative"; in English it is something we use in food, in most other languages it is a condom). As to phonetic aspect, beef and cow (which ''are'' <u>cognates</u>) have no phonemes in common. The same is true for star and étoile, in which one letter is shared, but the phonemes are different. Others are, four, quattuor, and tessares; five, penta, quinque; seven and hepta., etc.
::Then of course there are words like cleave (to split) and cleave (to adhere firmly) that look like cognates but are totally unrelated. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 18:44, 12 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Uh, OK. So why isn't "intelligent design" a cognate of "creationism"? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:40, 12 May 2007 (UTC) Never mind, as it was a rhetorical question. The examples of beef and cow, star and étoile, had phonemes in common ''at the original point of departure from one usage to another''. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:44, 12 May 2007 (UTC) Also Jim, interesting you should mention "cleave" as not even being a cognate of itself. Also interesting to me, contrary to my first expectation, it turns out that "cognate" and "cognition" are not cognates. The former goes back to the latin "nasci" (to be born) -> "natus" (born), same root as "nature". The latter goes back to another root, "co- + "gnscere", to know, same root as "gnosis". ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 20:05, 12 May 2007 (UTC)
<Wheeee!> (Looks impressed as debate goes over head) a minor query: was ''"creation science"'' actually used in the pre-wordprocessorizated ''Pandas''? We know ''"creationism"'' and ''"creationist"'' were from the trial conclusions, but have we a source for that variation? . .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 19:27, 12 May 2007 (UTC)
::Hmmm. Good question-- I think I'd like to see an exact quote on that. The Kitzmiiler decision, as we know, simply mentions "creation-". The graphs exhibited in court in Kitzmiller sampled the character strings [http://www2.ncseweb.org/kvd/exhibits/origins_of_ID/Forrest_chart1.png "creation-"] and [http://www2.ncseweb.org/kvd/exhibits/origins_of_ID/Forrest_chart2.png "creationis-"]. Anyone happen to have a copy of ''Of Pandas and People'' handy? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:38, 12 May 2007 (UTC)
:::According to [http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/4733_13_bennetta_1987_a_new_ve_12_6_2006.asp] , the predecessor of ''Pandas'', ''Biology and Origins'', doesn't use the term "creation science". However, it's not clear whether the version referred to is the post-''Edwards'' revision. All the quotes I've seen from the pre-''Edwards'' revisions have just had "creation" or "creationists". [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 13:00, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Actually, beef and cow shared phonemes in PIE only. Star and étoile (< Lat ''stella'') only had the initial phoneme "st" in common. Now, there ''are'' linguistic rules that cover these phoneme changes, but we don't have enough space here to go into them. See [[Grimm's law]] for a few of them. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 21:13, 12 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== an old but stubborn error of semantic. ==
 
 
besides the fact that the references do not support the claim that '''both''' ID and WAP are tautologies (the references say only the common belief of many cosmologists that the WAP is a tautology), the statement is stupid and makes the article look stupid. we've been here before. a statement that is a [[tautology]] or [[truism]] is itself a "vacuous truth". it is about the most non-controversial statement one can make. i think it's reasonable to say here that ID is not considered to be uncontroversial nor "true" because of its very definition. ID is actually claiming something that is controversial, so much so that the "overwelming" consensus of science rejects it.
 
what becomes controversial is when such a vacuous truth is used to support a claim of something else that is not obviously true. sometimes the WAP is used to support the concept of the Strong AP or the Final AP, both of which are also controversial. just because the WAP is obviously true, does not mean that the SAP or FAP (or the "CRAP") ''or'' ID is true. WAP is a tautology, ID is a controversial claim. a controversial statement is not itself a tautology. [[User:Rbj|r b-j]] 17:21, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Um, in all the sources given [http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/Cosmo/FineTune.pdf#search=%22Fine%20tuned%20universe%22][http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/Cosmo/ant_encyc.pdf][http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7108/full/443145a.html], the point is being made in the context of discussing ID. [[User:Odd nature|Odd nature]] 17:46, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:: duh, your source do not support inclusion of ID as a tautology. they never have. and since ID is a controversial claim, it's not a tautology. not only are you being ignorant, you're being lazy. and you're expecting your ignorance to be reflected in the article. [[User:Rbj|r b-j]] 17:49, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::You are being incivil. Again. Incivil editors do not deserve responses; they need to be shown the door, not respect. [[User:Odd nature|Odd nature]] 18:06, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
:::<p>Perhaps only a brief response is due, then. The WP article makes no claim as Rbj claims it does. It only reports the position of Stenger and other such as Joseph Silk, and this brief reporting in the section on "Fine-tuned universe" is clearly and accurately stated. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 18:19, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
RBJ, I've seen enough of your insults and incivility to editors here. You've been asked nicely, you've been reminded, you've been pointed to [[WP:CIVIL]] and [[WP:NPA]], you've been warned, and yet you are still calling people "ignorant" and "lazy". Apparently you have not been able to find the time to read these, or to consider how you can apply them to your discussions with fellow editors. I'm blocking to give you that time. Please read the linked pages, and when you return, I expect to see less nastiness and more civility from you. Cross posting to Talk:Intelligent design and User talk:Rbj. [[User:KillerChihuahua|KillerChihuahua]]<sup>[[User talk:KillerChihuahua|?!?]]</sup> 18:16, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: the comments stand. there is no reference that says that critics says that '''both''' ID and WAP are tautologies. only "critics" that say that the WAP is a tautology. and the funny thing is, it is not only critics that say so, but proponents of the WAP. you ''can'' make an argument that using a tautology to support a further claim (such as ID) is worthy of criticism, but tautologies, in and of themselves, are not controversial. ID '''is''' controversial and the article says that ID is a tautology in this one dumb statement that 151 clings to and, on the other hand, says that ID is controversial (or false) in nearly the entire rest of the article. it cannot be both a tautology and something that is not obviously true (because its conclusion is not obviously equivalent to its premise). i don't think that anyone here (except creationists which i am not) accepts that ID is so obviously true (and, again, it shouldn't matter what we think of whatever veracity of ID, such should not define the article content nor its POV). [[User:Rbj|r b-j]] 05:01, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
 
:Puppy has spoken 8-O ...so let's all try to keep a cool head. We '''can''' make progress on this if we make the effort to be co-operative and respectful. [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 19:00, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: instantly reverting a change for accuracy without cause is hardly respectful. [[User:Rbj|r b-j]] 05:01, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Good thing that isn't what I did, then. [[User:KillerChihuahua|KillerChihuahua]]<sup>[[User talk:KillerChihuahua|?!?]]</sup> 10:53, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I think KC has resolved the issue of keeping a cool head, cooperation and being respectful. As for r-b-j, it's time for r-f-c. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:12, 11 May 2007
(UTC)
 
:::RfC is going nowhere it appears. A few comments, and it has been revised in a couple of days.[[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 14:12, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== References ==
 
I'm going to start working on the references for this article soon. It's a mess--I noticed commentary within references that are best placed in the article, inline references using a variety of formats, mostly nonstandard, and my favorite, a footnote referring to two or more articles (that's new). I will review each reference, and I will pass no POV judgment on it, unless it is really bad (in the [[Evolution]] article there were references that pointed to 3rd grade designed websites), dead, or, in fact, doesn't refer to the point being discussed. I will use the [[WP:CITET]] version of references. I don't like Harvard references because they are somewhat more complex. When I'm engaged in fixing a mass of references, I'm throwing a tag up asking that no one edit while I'm doing this to prevent edit conflicts. Thanks. And Adam Cuerden, you owe me :) [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 14:24, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
:There can be good reason for using footnotes for more detailed explanation of points in the article: Adam would tell you if he was here himself, but for an example see [[Charles Darwin]]. CITET gives an option of using [[Template:Citation]] or various Template:Cite book etc. templates – a choice to consider. In the interim I've modified the intro again as the statement about the DI getting involved a year after publication of ''Pandas'' is contradicted by [http://www.talkreason.org/articles/HistoryID2.cfm this link] - that's a reference that may be worth adding, as it presents a clear sequence which i couldn't find when looking through these articles. As always, perhaps I've missed something. ...... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 15:16, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I'm leaving in the ongoing ARGUMENTS that have been placed within the footnotes. However, it doesn't make sense, since those arguments are recounted much more clearly in the references. But I refuse on general principle and on what I know are good referencing styles to NOT place a reference after the argument. The ongoing discussion will be separated from the citation. The necessary citations will immediately follow the commentary footnote. This is really odd though, since I thought we settled all of this above, and the appropriate citations seem pretty good to me. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 15:49, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Summaries or direct quotes within footnotes are useful and fine here, I think, so please be circumspect in your effort. Considering I provided a large number of the sources here, I can tell you that we all have done our utmost to rely on the most notable outlets for all secondary sources. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 17:02, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::I promise. I guess I like neatly sourced and cited articles. Anyways, I volunteered to lay out the references in a neat and tidy manner, not to pass editorial judgment. I understand the conflicts that created this article, and I will be respectful of what was written. But my anal retentive side will attempt to make them neat. :) [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 04:37, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::Damn, you destroyed my chance to make an anal retentive joke. Curse you Marlin. ;)
:::::Of course, I suppose I ''could'' mention [[OCD]]. Now, go wash your hands (25 times) before editing. ;) [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 19:27, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Establishment Clause ==
 
This phrase, found near the end of the lead is kind of obscure. Can we instead say something like "in violation of the prohibition against the promoting of religion by the government in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution"?
 
...That, of course, is excessively verbose, but I'm sure we can come up with something. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 12:59, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:I took out some of the extra specifics from the third paragraph, such as the mention of Phillip E. Johnson and Stephen Meyer. The lead is, per [[WP:LEAD]], generally expected to be a compact summary of the rest of the article. Constitutional separation of church and state is articulated in the way Adam proposes in the very first paragraph of the "overview" that follows the lead, and yet again in the approximate way he proposes in the third paragraph of "Origins of the term". That's two levels of gradually expanding specificity. If it needs to be more specific, by all means it could be made yet more specific in some appropriate place in the article. But it's already specific enough for the lead. (If [[Phillip E. Johnson]] and [[Stephen Meyer]] need to be mentioned as being directly involved in the founding of the [[Discovery Institute]] and in having founded the Discovery Institute's [[Center for Science and Culture]], this can readily be integrated into the Overview or given more specific treatment somewhere else in the article. Offhand, I think this more relevant in the overview than is the current last paragraph about the highly questionable Harris and Zogby polls). ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 13:35, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::Well, it's SHORTER, but the lead is supposed to be the most accessible part, not just a short summary. Since "Establishment Clause" isn't a term in general use, we ought to say, or at least imply, what it is in the minimum necessary detail that still allows the reader to understand the sentence. One possibility strikes me: The last sentence, "U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III ruled that intelligent design is not science and is essentially religious in nature." is... actually a much easier sentence than the one before, so if we rearranged the two sentences to allow a phrasing like "ruled that it was not science, but instead essentially religious in nature, and thus violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution." that would strongly imply what the Establishment clause is. It might lose Judge Jones, though, but... well, we could rearrange and chop up. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 14:08, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
I've gone ahead and did that - I think it works, at least, compared to [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&oldid=131029538], which is the last edit before the rearrangement, if anyone wants to roll back. See what you think. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 14:26, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::I have no objection to squashing in a note about "the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution" in the lead (though there's a very approximate limit to how much can reasonably be put there before it increasingly fails to be a [[WP:LEAD]]). I made several adjustments [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=131107513&oldid=131036211 here] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=next&oldid=131107513 here] , leaving it [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&oldid=131107513 in this form]. A very minor quibble I still have about using the words in the third paragraph of the lead, "... trial challenging its intended use..." (technically a "trial" doesn't challenge, but instead it is a "complainant" who challenges and a "trial" that is the process for assessing the complaint), but offhand I think we can get away with this informal wording in this one place. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:50, 15 May 2007 (UTC) One more thing at the moment, given that there appears to be a determination by some participants to alter the language of the lead at present (as if everyone will ever agree). The last sentence of the lead includes the phrase "and thus teaching it violated the Establishment Clause..." The issue was not even actively teaching it, but instead submitting to students a written statement in biology class that evolution is only a ''theory'' and that "intelligent design" is an alternative "explanation for the origin of life". Any thoughts about how to adjust the language of the last sentence of the lead to properly reflect this? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 20:01, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Good points. Sorry! I forgot about that specific. How about "and thus the district's promotion of it violated the Establishment Clause", or something along those lines? Of course, we could always go back to the version I linked as the pre-rearrangemt version and just explain the establishment clause instead. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 21:26, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Here is the way I see it. ==
 
I have 100% confirmation that people pray in the name of Jesus over those who have amputated limbs and watch them grow out before their eyes. Now, you can assign whatever paranormal explanation you want to this phenomenon, but the bottom line is that from these experiences you can surmise a non-zero possibility that Jesus is real and has creative power. However, you are telling me that we are not allowed to give serious consideration to any kind of intelligent design theories (for the origin of life) because intelligent design "lacks consistency", "violates the principle of parsimony", "is not falsifiable", "is not empirically testable", "and is not correctable, dynamic, tentative or progressive". I smell a real fart on this one guys and think you may be fooling yourselves in the end. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 13:43, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
: Can you explain a little more what you are getting at? [[User:ProtoCat|ProtoCat]] 13:49, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:: Science has its limits and the logic typically used to disqualify the question about intelligent design will never convince the large number of people who have these kinds of metaphysical experiences and other kinds of encounters with Jesus. If science is "not allowed" to explore an area of reality that falls '''inside''' of human experience, then the process of science falls short and is not enough to discover the truth about the most interesting and important questions. This may well include intelligent design for the origin of life. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 19:25, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::This discussion page is there to '''discuss and improve the article, not the subject'''. Maybe we should add the creationism article's ''"If you wish to discuss or debate the ''validity'' of [creationism] please do so at [http://groups.google.com/group/talk.origins talk.origins], [http://www.trueorigin.org/feedback.asp True.Origins Archive], or [http://wikireason.org/wiki/Creation Wikireason]. This "Discussion" page is only for discussion on how to improve the Wikipedia article"'' disclaimer to this talk page? [[User:Malc82|Malc82]] 13:56, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: The point made here is relevant to the article because ''it is the reason why supporters of intelligent design wish to revise the practice of science'' so that it can consider theological questions about the origin of the earth (and other phenomenon that our approach to science has no hope of explaining). '''Are we in the vocation of science because we are interested in discovering truth? Or are we in it to become slaves to an increasingly outdated set of limited rules that are based upon an ideology of naturalism?''' The writing is on the wall. The best mainstream science ever does to explain a great number of things is to belittle and discriminate against people with ''a priori'' arguments in order to beat their story into submission unto naturalism. Science shouldn't do this if it is to be an impartial and reliable way to discover the truth about ''what is actually real''. I am only one voice with limitations in time and space, so all I can do for the scientific community as a whole is make the following appeal: '''Either fix this problem or stop putting on the act that you are guardians of the truth!''' [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 19:25, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Sorry to potentially disillusion anyone, but WP actually is way down the [[food chain]] here, and can only report based on rules of [[WP:Attribution]] what [[WP:reliable sources|reliable sources]] have said about the topic, in keeping with the principle of [[WP:NPOV]], the manner of implementation of which is determined via [[WP:Consensus]]. The sources from which this article is derived include statements by virtually all the major scientific organizations and the U.S. federal court system which has standing to interpret [[U.S. Constitution|constitutional]] requirements concerning educational policy in the U.S. Offhand, I think the actual complaint here rests upon the fact that the material is summarized all in one place, widely accessible on the web-- a fair enough complaint about a story that some would very much prefer to read differently. But, a significant change in its content would first require a significant change in the way the reliable sources report on the topic. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 19:52, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::: This is the discussion page, not the article page, and I was pointing out a problem in the way this subject is approached in this article. This is '''also''' aimed at the scientific community as a whole, which I hope you are a part of. Everything I wrote is to encourage everyone to reconsider the way they write articles like this. '''People who read this article do not know that the scientific community studies this issue with the hidden assumption of philosophical naturalism. Readers are led to believe that the conclusions of the scientific community have a level of authority in this matter that they do not.''' The reason I say this is because the way science is practiced (under the framework of naturalism) falls short of being able to discover the entire depth of truth about the possibility of intelligent design. People are not given this impression when they read this article, but it is only sane and rational to let readers know the limitations of science when studying origins. Why is the article partial to the idealogy of naturalism when only 13% of the United States even believes that "man developed over time, '''but God had no part in the process'''"? (http://www.galluppoll.com/videoArchive/?ci=23188) Why are you saying that the ideology of naturalism is a better point of view? People don't tend to believe in it. (Please note that theistic evolution is also a form of intelligent design that is unacceptable to science because theistic evolution adds the supernatural to evolutionary processes, therefore #1 and #3 in the gallup poll above is 82% who believe in some form of Intelligent Design, while only 13% believe in a completely godless evolution.) Could you at least mention in the article that most people (82%) believe in some form of Intelligent Design? If not, then I have to suspect a bias on the part of those who maintain this article and a conspiracy to prevent people from realizing that intelligent design is supported by a passive majority and is being suppressed and manipulated by an active minority who serve an outdated system that requires science to be understood in terms of naturalism. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 20:58, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::::"People who read this article do not know that the scientific community studies this issue with the hidden assumption of philosophical naturalism." This claim is <i>false</i> on two levels:
::::::#Science does not work from the "hidden assumption of philosophical naturalism" it works from the perfectly open assumption of <i>methodological</i> naturalism.
::::::#Science does not apply this assumption just to "this issue" but to every issue in every scientific field. So does every court in every Western country.
::::::"Could you at least mention in the article that most people (82%) believe in some form of Intelligent Design?" No. Because this is false, the 87% also includes those who believe in Theistic Evolution, a viewpoint widely considered to be mutually exclusive with ID.
::::::"...who serve an outdated system that requires science to be understood in terms of naturalism." Substantiate your claim that naturalistic science has been outdated. What is to replace it? Johnson's embryonic viewpoint of [[Theistic realism]]? [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 16:50, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::Methodological naturalism operates based upon philosophical naturalism. Isn't it obvious that the hidden assumption of philosophical naturalism is taking place while methodological naturalism is being practiced? I stand by what I said. And your second point is patently wrong about theistic evolution. "Science cannot have anything to do with the supernatural" is part of the talking points for many of the groups that fight against ID. And of course you realize that methodological naturalism is mutually exclusive with supernatural as this is the point that is made all day long against ID. Theistic evolution is all about the supernatural where theists use God to explain His creative process of evolution. If that isn't a form of ID, I don't know what is. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 13:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::::::"Methodological naturalism operates based upon philosophical naturalism." <b>No it is not!</b> The term was in fact coined by a Philosophy Professor at conservative Christian Wheaton College to <i>distinguish</i> this viewpoint from metaphysical naturalism. You clearly don't have a clue as to what you're talking about.
::::::::"I stand by what I said." I don't give a fetid pair of dingo's kidneys what you "stand by." I only care about what you can <i>substantiate</i>. And you cannot substantiate your absurd assertions on this point.
::::::::"And your second point is patently wrong about theistic evolution. "Science cannot have anything to do with the supernatural" is part of the talking points for many of the groups that fight against ID." Given that Theistic Evolution is a <i>theological</i> not a <i>scientific</i> viewpoint, "Science cannot have anything to do with the supernatural" therefore in no way contradicts it.
::::::::"If that isn't a form of ID, I don't know what is." This is the problem. You don't know what Theistic Evolution is. You don't know what ID is. You don't know what methodological naturalism is. You don't know what science is. You don't know anything about this entire debate. For this reason, I don't care about "the way [you] see it" -- I only care about what you can substantiate! [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 14:32, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::: To respond more directly to what Kenosis said above: ''"The sources from which this article is derived include statements by virtually all the major scientific organizations and the U.S. federal court system which has standing to interpret constitutional requirements concerning educational policy in the U.S... But, a significant change in its content would first require a significant change in the way the reliable sources report on the topic."'' What if all the major scientific organizations and the U.S. federal court system base their paradigm on thousands of sources like Wikipedia, which in turn gets its sources from all the major scientific organizations and the U.S. federal court system? What you have is a closed self-perpetuating system of sources that refer to each other for authority and cannot source information outside of the box if it wants to remain reputable. What I am talking about is a need for a paradigm shift across the board. Naturalism is an outdated system that prevents us from moving forward in our understanding of a great number of things! [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 21:29, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
<unindent> Well, you certainly seem to have caught the ID bug in your misrepresentation of science and [[naturalism (philosophy)|methodological naturalism]]. However. the way you see it seems to be [[WP:OR|original research]] in Wikipedia policy terms, hence unsuitable for this article. Perhaps your understanding of a great number of things might be more appreciated on Conservapedia? ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 21:42, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
: Well, you certainly didn't seem to read most of what I wrote. I understand the usefulness of using methodological naturalism as a tool to understand many things. I didn't misrepresent science or methodological naturalism. Rather, I challenge the usefulness of methodological naturalism in certain cases as it limits science from exploring the truth about much of reality. Most of all, I challenge the right of those who accept methodological naturalism as a doctrine to make themselves appear to be in a place of authority about these matters. The fact that naturalism is nothing more than an assumption about the universe means that those who use it without disclaimer when they say something from a place of authority in society are actually abusing their power over those who do not know any better. I am afraid this is happening here on Wikipedia. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 22:21, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::While your fears are much appreciated, Wikipedia aims to proportionately reflect [[WP:V|verifiable published information]] in a [[WP:NPOV|proportionate way]], and makes no claims to be an authority about truth, ultimate or otherwise. Now, this page is for discussing the article, and the more specific the point, the more likely such discussions are to be productive. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 22:32, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
: Apparently the entire approach that is taken to write this article is completely useless for really understanding ID since ID and methodical naturalism are mutually exclusive. Here is what I mean: If the supporters of ID insist to begin with that their approach to studying origins precludes naturalism, then why do you use naturalism to interpret ID? The fact that ID cannot be understood in terms of natuarlism has already been established! So why don't you write at least part of the article that understands ID from their perspective, the one that doesn't assume the ideology of naturalism? Afterall, I already established that '''most''' people in the United States don't believe in naturalism. Why is the whole world catoring to the paradigm of the minority? Can we present both sides? This is absolutely nuts you guys. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 22:27, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Yes, nuts ''would'' be the '''appropriate''' word. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 22:38, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: Jim, if you are directing that at me, then you just made one of my points. As someone who rejects naturalism as a result of my experiences, I have lost reputation and can no longer be used as a reputable source in your thinking process. I see a self-perpetuating closed box system at work. ;D (Read above my direct response to Kenosis if you didn't catch this.) [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 23:05, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::David, you've got a good point here in that ID inherently precludes the scientific method, and may be valid as ultimate truth but unfortunately is claimed to be science, and so both here and in court has to be assessed as science. The point could perhaps be made more strongly in the article, that ID inherently demands that science should be changed to accept supernatural explanations for natural phenomena. Try thinking of a concise, well sourced, way of putting that. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 22:41, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: If scientific method you mean "methodological naturalism" then yes, that version of the scientific method is precluded by ID. Yes, you should consider it noteworthy that ID demands something of a revolution in science. I should let you know that with what I have seen, we shouldn't be surprised if something like that happens someday in our future when enough minds finally decide to become open. Have a good evening everyone. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 23:05, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::No, by scientific method we mean [[scientific method]]. I've never heard of methodological naturalism. Yes, ID demands a revolution in science--it wants to toss it in the wastebin and rely upon supernatural beings, or aliens from the Planet Megatron. Science as a philosophy is rather static. Science as a field of study will change. But relying upon supernatural beings or the Megatronians is not science. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 00:35, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::: I see a bit of a misunderstanding with your comment. I was referring methodological naturalism as being a '''part''' of the accepted scientific method and didn't mean to equate methodological naturalism '''as''' the scientific method. It looks like everything you said in your comment deals with the issue of science being rooted in methodological naturalism. I agree with you that this is how science is practiced and didn't mean to suggest tossing it into the wastebin as you put it. Perhaps I am not suggesting any kind of a change to science at all, rather a change to what we understand as natural in naturalism. I certainly do not know what this revolution may look like if it happens at all. I hope that clears it up. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 15:48, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: I would like to respond to dave souza with some more interesting and effective thoughts and suggestions: ''"David, you've got a good point here in that ID inherently precludes the scientific method, and may be valid as ultimate truth but unfortunately is claimed to be science, and so both here and in court has to be assessed as science."'' I like what you said here and may be inclined to agree. So let's assume, for the sake of discussion, that I was the one who defined ID and established the entire direction of the movement. Let's say that as the spokesperson for ID I concede that ID is mutually exclusive with today's understanding of methodological naturalism and therefore not compatible with the way today's scientists choose to practice the scientific method. Would the scientists also concede to the rest of the world (82%) that methodological naturalism and the way they practice the scientific method, while very practical as a tool to discover things about the world, is limited when it comes to discovering ultimate truth about other things like origins? Would they be willing to make this perfectly clear inside science classrooms if ID agreed to stay out of it? Could it be done in such a way that evolution taught in these classrooms is put into a perspective where students know that everything they are taught about evolution is based upon the ideological presupposition of naturalism as its foundation? That our science is a powerful machine that inputs data and spits out ''helpful but imperfect answers''? Even the most extreme passionate believers in ID could teach natural evolution in a context like this and feel comfortable knowing that what they are presenting is understood by everyone in a way that ''doesn't create the impression that it has absolute authority about ultimate truth''. Additionally, ID could also be thoroughly taught in a '''separate''' and '''required''' philosophy course that ''nobody claims to have less authority'' in matters of ultimate truth. In this way, students can learn the difference between the very foundation that both schools of thought are based upon in a way that doesn't create a bias for either one of them and nobody has to be discriminated against. And while we are talking about students, could we also do the same thing for this article? [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 15:48, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::"Would the scientists also concede to the rest of the world (82%) that methodological naturalism and the way they practice the scientific method, while very practical as a tool to discover things about the world, is limited when it comes to discovering ultimate truth about other things like origins?" No. Because the US is not the world (and it is only 87% of the former, not the latter), because the 87% includes many who accept Methodological Naturalism, and because (in spite of your frequent, unsubstantiated claims that naturalistic science is "outdated") you can present no better method for discovering truths.
::::"Additionally, ID could also be thoroughly taught in a separate and required philosophy course that nobody claims to have less authority in matters of ultimate truth." Science speaks with the authority of <i>evidence</i>. Additionally, ID isn't even good philosophy (in that arguments for it contain numerous logical fallacies). [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 16:50, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::: Evidence that does not have an explanation based upon methodological naturalism is too often minimized, ignored or discriminated against as evidence a priori (claims that the evidence doesn't exist) all in the name of science (and because of that hidden assumption of naturalism). Just so there isn't any misunderstanding, the 82% I came up with is a combination of the 36% and the 46% in the gallup video. Apparently the 5% is unaccounted for or didn't know how to respond to the poll. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 13:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::#You have presented no substantiation that "Evidence that does not have an explanation based upon methodological naturalism" even exists.
::::::#You have presented no substantiation that <i>any</i> of this mythical evidence has been "minimized, ignored or discriminated against," let alone that this "often" occurs.
::::::#All you present is a parade of ludicrous and unsubstantiated assertions. <b>Why should we take any of it seriously?</b> [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 15:57, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: I call for a truce between both sides of the issue so that we can educate everybody how to look at this whole issue fairly. If a revolution that improves science doesn't happen anytime soon, or at all, could we at least communicate and educate people better about these kinds of issues in the meantime? [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 15:48, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: Students and teachers alike are given the impression that science is something that produces the best answers in every area that we should all accept and apply to our lives without question. Too many scientists present science this way and fail to communicate the issues with the understanding that science is practiced using an ideology of naturalism. Orangemarlin said above that he never even '''heard''' about methodological naturalism for crying out loud! That, my friends, is a huge problem. Do you see that this is what causes the rift between both camps? Could we focus on bringing both sides together please? Sitting back and calling ID supporters morons is totally unacceptable. (The internet is full of this rubbish.) We need to rise up and put things into perspective. '''Stress the fact that science is practiced using methodological naturalism and therefore has its limits to discovering ultimate truth!''' [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 16:24, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::"Stress the fact that science is practiced using methodological naturalism and therefore has its limits to discovering ultimate truth!" First provide substantiation that this "ultimate truth" beyond science's capabilities exists, and that there is a intersubjective method for determining them that is superior to methodological naturalism. You appear to be simply complaining because science does not genuflect to your own specific metaphysical prejudices. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 16:58, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::"Ultimate truth" must eventually defeat "tentative truth", and it is inevitable that we will all come to realise the truth of creation and worship [[Flying Spaghetti Monster | the creator in all His glory]]. Until that glorious day comes, however, we're stuck with [[scientific method | the tools we have]]. [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 17:07, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::: In response to both Hrafn42 and SheffieldSteel and speaking about "the tools we have", I don't suppose you would allow "prayer to God" to be a part of the scientific method? It is methodological and its strong correlation to powerful results is empirical. But it isn't naturalism and that is the problem right there. Too many people have no idea what realms of reality they are missing out on by ruling it out by definition. There are tangible, physical, empirical results from this relationship with God. Scientific? Well, maybe not by your definition. I suspect that in the end, the same may be said about intelligent design as SheffieldSteel suggested. Not scientific as science operates in this day and age, but definitely something that could have happened to explain our origins. It is a pity that scientists refuse to study any of this because of their treasured definitions. It sounds very much like the kind of thing that blocked the thinkers all throughout history from moving forward. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 13:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::#"I don't suppose you would allow "prayer to God" to be a part of the scientific method?" Certainly, as soon as you demonstrate how a prayer can be empirically measured, and can tell me why a prayer to God is a an acceptable tool, but not a prayer to Allah, Zeus, Odin, Osiris, the Great Mother Goddess, Eris or the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
::::::#"It is methodological and its strong correlation to powerful results is empirical." It is empirical only if you can substantiate these results. You haven't as yet.
::::::#"Too many people have no idea what realms of reality they are missing out on by ruling it out by definition." You rule out nearly as many as I do.
::::::#"It sounds very much like the kind of thing that blocked the thinkers all throughout history from moving forward." And you sound exactly like the purveyor of every other crank theory, from a Flat Earth to Alien Abductions. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 16:13, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::: The day is going to have to come when scientists realize that they have more than just their five senses and that they can communicate with God. What would '''you''' do if you were trapped in a land where people glued their newborn's eyes closed and the entire society insisted that they only have 4 senses to practice science with? [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 15:50, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::::"The day is going to have to come when scientists realize that they have more than just their five senses and that they can communicate with God." Why just one extra sense? What about the polytheists who believe that you can communicate with multiple gods. Your entire argument is ridiculously parochial and ethnocentric. <b>It amounts to nothing more than a childish demand that we all swallow your theology whole.</b> [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 16:27, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::::It also forces the acceptance of the presupposition that there ''is'' a god (specifically, the Abrahamic God) even though there is no empirical evidence one way or t'other, no way to postulate that existence mathematically, and no way measure the effectiveness of, or even develop a methodology for, any communication with a supernatural entity. Beside, if you will recall, the clear fact of ''all'' the Abrahamic religion is that ''God'' initiates the intercourse, not man. Hence, David, on both the scientific (no matter how much you might wish to redefine that term) and theological fronts your argument is flawed. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 17:51, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
<unindent> [[wikisource:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District/4:Whether ID Is Science#4. Whether ID is Science|Kitzmiller v. Dover: Whether ID is Science]] answers the question: "In deliberately omitting theological or “ultimate” explanations for the existence or characteristics of the natural world, science does not consider issues of “meaning” and “purpose” in the world. While supernatural explanations may be important and have merit, they are not part of science. This self-imposed convention of science, which limits inquiry to testable, natural explanations about the natural world, is referred to by philosophers as “methodological naturalism” and is sometimes known as the scientific method." For more about methodological naturalism, see [[naturalism (philosophy)]]. ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 18:51, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
DavidP, I'd like to go back to your original point for a second, to illustrate an important area of the issue. Do you have any ''evidence'' for the miracles you mention? I'm sure that something as drastic as the re-growing of an amputated limb (and not, I hope, the old faith-healer's trick with the bootlace) would be fairly easy to verify by consulting the medical records of the patient. No? But this is the difference between the scientific and religious approach to the world. Science, whatever philosophical underpinnings and inadequacies it may have, requires empirical data to work with. Speculation about "ultimate truth" and "ultimate causes" may be enjoyable and interesting, and may indeed lead us to a better understanding of the world and ourselves - but it's not, and never can be, part of science. Science only deals with the material world, where empirical evidence can be gathered - and it will cease to be science if this principle is abandoned. [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 00:00, 18 May 2007 (UTC)
 
: Yes, I have seen the records, talked to the people involved, and have been directly involved in healing processes via prayer myself. I do not have the records in my possession at the moment. In any case, I can accurately predict your response to such records if I were to produce them sometime in the near future: "Forgery!" Why do I predict this? Because that is the way methodological naturalism interprets such data. And that makes the point that I am trying to make. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 13:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::No, David, methodological naturalism would seek a natural explanation for the phenomenon of limb regrowth, endeavour to determine the natural processes involved in it, and attempt to find a way of reliably reproducing it for medical benefit. It would be a major (and lucrative) area of medical research - ''if'' it existed. Again, science doesn't get involved without something empirical to study - I'm sure that anyone who actually had experienced limb regrowth would have come to the attention of the (methodologically naturalistic) scientific community before now. We don't say "this can't happen because we're metholodical naturalists" - we say "If you want us to study this, we'll need scientific evidence." Provide the evidence, and science will be more than happy to believe you. Until then, though... [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 15:08, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: So what you are saying is, if God ''were'' the explanation (even if He revealed Himself to you personally in an extremely dramatic way with all of your physical senses engaged), the way we choose to practice science would never be able to come to that realization. Don't you see that this creates a limitation in science? And don't you think our society needs to clearly understand the importance of that limitation? [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 15:50, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Do let me know when you have all this purported evidence published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Until then, it is just so much hot air. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 14:32, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::: Do you think a reputable peer-reviewed medical journal would dare publish such a thing? They scoff at every submission whenever people try. Don't you understand the self-perpetuating closed loop system that science has established itself under the ideology of naturalism? [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 15:50, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::"Do you think a reputable peer-reviewed medical journal would dare publish such a thing?" <b>Yes.</b> And even if they didn't, numerous newspapers would (eventually forcing the journals to address the issue). But all this is moot, because <i>this evidence doesn't exist</i>, which is the reason why you, and everybody else has failed to publish it. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 16:18, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:: By the way, it looks to me that I have been practicing the scientific method ''without the constraint of naturalism''. Such a liberating experience that I hope every scientist would join with me in. [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 13:55, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Liberating perhaps, but completely unproductive. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 14:32, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::: Completely unproductive? Even if it has the potential to reveal ultimate truth in a verifiable way? [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 15:50, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::"Even if it has the potential to reveal ultimate truth in a verifiable way?" What "ultimate truths" and what "verifiable way"? You have presented absolutely no substantiation of either. But then, you haven't substantiated <i>anything at all</i> in this entire discussion. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 16:13, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Alas, Wikipedia has become flypaper... [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 22:17, 18 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::None of this discussion has any bearing on this article's content. I suggest it be archived or userfied. This page is not the place to debate teleology. BTW, here's a good that is relevant to this artile as a source:
[http://philosophy.wisc.edu/sober/design%20argument%2011%202004.pdf Elliott Sober's "The Design Argument"] [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 17:39, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Hrafn42, I can see that any response I give you at this point will only perpetuate our shouting contest. I will gladly provide substantiation for a great number of things in the hope that many will come to understand the reality of what I am talking about. Just give me some time to get financially established and I will make this a part of my life's work. But to those who have already made up their mind, there is nothing I can ever show that will satisfy you. The paradigm that "materialism and nature is all that exists" will prevent you from judging me fairly, much like the closed mindedness that you accuse many unreasonable religious people of doing. (The stubbornness does happen on both sides and it is wrong in both cases.) [[User:DavidPesta|DavidPesta]] 15:05, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:*The reason we are having a "shouting match" is that you have said <b>nothing</b> but a string of absurd and unsubstantiated assertions. This causes me to repeatedly demand substantiation, which you respond to with yet more absurd and unsubstantiated assertions. I don't see why you expect me to respond more positively to this than to the ramblings of a schizophrenic street preacher (who are no doubt equally certain of the rectitude of their views).
:*"I will gladly provide substantiation for a great number of things in the hope that many will come to understand the reality of what I am talking about. Just give me some time to get financially established and I will make this a part of my life's work." Always jam tomorrow. Your implicit admission that nobody else has produced this, and that your own work is nowhere near ready does not exactly raise your credibility. You have just admitted that <i>you currently have no substantiation for any of your assertions</i>, and most would view highly sceptically any hope of you ever developing such substantiation.
:*"The paradigm that "materialism and nature is all that exists" will prevent you from judging me fairly..." Rather say materialism and nature is all that can be proven to exist. Everything else must be taken on faith, if taken at all. And faith is highly personal and idiosyncratic. <b>Your faith is not my faith</b> (any more than my faith is yours).
:* "The way [you] see it" would appear to be yourself caught between two parallel mirrors. You see no other views or faiths, only dim reflections of yourself repeated out to infinity.[[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 18:14, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== References in the lead ==
 
Anyone object to me combining the three-fold and four-fold references into one? It would make the article much more readable if it wasn't chock full of <sup>[8][9][10][11]</sup> and the ilk. Of course, it *does* have to be done carefully, so as not to break references referenced later, but that's relatively trivial to fix, if you watch out for it, and slight repetition in the reference lists shouldn't hurt us. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 14:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:No complaint either way about this. The multiple footnotes make it a bit clearer to passersby, many of whom do not check the footnotes, that it's not WP editors that've made these assertions, but that they instead come from many reliable sources. On the other hand, it's more compact when combined, carefully as Adam said.
:<p>I appreciated seeing [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=131029538&oldid=131024374 this edit]. Gotta go for now. Later. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 14:21, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::You make a good point on the merits of both sides, though I'm not quite sure how much more credibility is gained from multiple footnotes as opposed to one - some, certainly, but how much? Anyone else want to weigh in? (P.S. Thanks!) [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 14:39, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Condensing multiple sources down to appear in one footnote does make the article easier to read. But has the side effect of making it look less supported at first glance, a recurring problem we saw in the last few weeks when one particular editor kept objecting to content supported by just "one source" which turned out to be several sources. This sort of confusion is a problem we want to avoid if at all possible I'd think, and if it means trading off a little readibility to do so, then I'm for keeping the sources separate and discrete. [[User:Odd nature|Odd nature]] 19:04, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Right. Methinks that's the clincher, and I withdraw my query. Though "It's necessary because people are idiots" is kind of an annoying reason. I suppose we could still condense the non-controversial statements. If we can accurately identify them.... [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 21:21, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::I like the fact that there are multiple references because to the more advanced reader it looks like it was well done and supported. To the casual reader, references matter. Also, if a reference is needed again, there's no way to repeat it, other than go and break up the first one. Let's keep it neat. Signed, the guy who's on the hook to fix these things. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 13:55, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Uncertain revision. ==
 
As it stands now, we have this phrase: ''"U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III ruled that intelligent design is not science, but is essentially religious in nature"''. I wonder if this would read better as "not scientific, but essentially religious in nature", making both of the possibilities being compared adjectives. On the other hand, I'm worried that "not science", which I believe Jones said in as many words, might be stronger than "not scientific", and thus might - if that is true - mischaracterise Jones' ruling. Thoughts? [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 21:35, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I'm not sure. I would be okay with either a literal quotation, preferrably using quotation marks, or a paraphrase (at the risk of introducing OR of course, if the meaning changes too much). What do other editors think? [[User:SheffieldSteel|SheffieldSteel]] 21:56, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::"H. Conclusion. .... In making this determination, we have addressed the seminal question of whether ID is science. We have concluded that it is not, and moreover that ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents." ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 22:19, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::I've added the quote (well, part of it). Though I am worried about using too many exact quotes - they can be distracting. Still, we'd ''never'' get away with that in paraphrase. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 23:13, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Reversion ==
 
FeloniousMonk extended the quote from the DI to include their comments on natural selection. I'm willing to let them characterise themselves, if indicated as such, but feel it is a straightforward violation of [[WP:NPOV]] to allow the one side to mischaracterise their opposition without comment. Undirected is at best misleading, at worst simply wrong. Unguided is a much more specific synonym that removes most of the incorrect meanings of undirected, and thus stops natural selection from being mischaracterised.
 
I'm afraid that unless good arguments can be given as to how they are ''not'' mischaracterising natural selection by careful use of a word with definitions beyond unguided that include "random", "directionless" and so on, I cannot budge on this issue. I am, however, not actually all that concerned with the particular language and methods used to work around it, so long as the end result either makes it clear that this is how they are characterising natural selection, or silently replaces it with a more accurate depiction. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 12:38, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:It has been reverted back to the quote. I strongly disagree with this, but will let it stand until I can discuss it here. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 12:45, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::I would agree with you, if we were discussing including this quote in the [[natural selection]] article. But we're not, and the quote does a good job of demonstrating ''ID's stance'' on natural selection. The entire thing is inside the quotation marks, making it clear that the statement's veracity depends on the trustworthiness of the Discovery Institute.
::If necessary, I'd be fine with making it more clear that this is their opinion and not fact, but I do not think it necessary. It's in quotes. --[[User:Ashenai|Ashenai]] 12:49, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::I can see no reason to let them mischaracterise their opponents when we never in the article provide any accurate description of natural selection. That's the only descripotion of it, and it's '''wrong'''. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 12:51, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::::It doesn't ''need'' to be correct: it's a quote. In the [[Fred Phelps]] article, there's a quote from him: "fags die, God laughs". The accuracy of that statement is irrelevant: the quote is accurate and does a good job of summarizing his beliefs, and that's what counts. --[[User:Ashenai|Ashenai]] 12:58, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::This isn't being presented as an opinion, this is being presented as a definition. It's like writing that Fred Phelps claims that "when fags die, God laughs, and John Smith agrees with me", then nowhere saying that John Smith denies this. The reader not only has no reason to think this is a quote from the DI - indeed, the word "claim" excuses the excesses of the first part, and gives it a patina of respectability, and even if he knew it was from the DI, has no reason to believe that we'd allow outright misrepresentation in the definition. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 13:13, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::I see the problem, I just don't feel it's a serious enough issue to justify chopping up the quote. Could other editors please give their input? --[[User:Ashenai|Ashenai]] 13:18, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
For clarity:
:'''1:''' Intelligent design is the claim 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"
:'''2:''' Intelligent design is the claim that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause" as opposed to unguided processes such as natural selection.
 
With 1. being Ashenai's preference, and 2. mine. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 16:01, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I must admit to having difficulty in seeing a difference between the two, except for the extent of the direct quote: "not"="as opposed to", "an undirected process"="unguided processes" (assuming a reasonable degree of looseness in whether you consider something to be a single process, or divide it up into multiple, in your definition). I think Adam needs to explain why his (partially paraphrased) version is superior. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 16:34, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::Because "undirected" tends to be read as "random", without any direction (natural selection, of course, has no automatic direction, but it does cause a progressively better fit to the environment), etc - and this wooliness is exactly what the DI wants, and is downright dishonest. "Unguided", however, instead has a more specific meaning, which in context should only be able to be read as "without supernatural influence", which is correct. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 17:15, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I think you're reading too much into differences between these two very close (particularly in this context) synonyms. It is "directionless" not "undirected" that gives a strong implication of randomness. Both "undirected" and "unguided" have the clear implication of being without (external) direction/guidance. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 17:32, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::It's not just me: To quote Xerxesnine, "The use of the phrase "undirected process," while technically correct, nonetheless fuels this exact misconception which ID proponents exploit in their arguments. In the public's mind, "undirected process" is equivalent to "random process" or "accidental process". Or, at least, the Discovery Institute would prefer that people draw those equivalences." (From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Intelligent_design/Archive39#Regarding_the_Discovery_Institute.27s_definition_of_ID]) [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 17:38, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::::And? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 17:40, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::I see no indication that Xerxesnine would regard the closely equivalent "unguided" as any less misconception-fuelling. And given that it is both "technically correct" and <i>how IDers describe ID</i>, it is worthy of inclusion, perhaps with a caveat to minimise the risk of misconception. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 17:50, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::It's a quote, from the most authoritative source of what ID is held out to be by its principal proponents. That quote is the "point"--what ID is held out to be, in brief. Many "counterpoints" follow in the article, along with many additional point-counterpoint presentations of numberous aspects of what the debate/controversy is about. These are derived from, and cited to, many reliable sources about the issues involved. I personally don't see a problem with it. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 17:59, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::But without the caveat, it's a misrepresentation of the opposing views. I just don't see how that can stand untweaked. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:09, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::It has everything to do with accurately representing the viewpoint. It also has something to do with withstanding the expected criticism of not being NPOV. This criticism has been, and probably will continue to be leveled by some or many. But this criticism should not be given the status of becoming true. The article quotes, and should continue to quote, in my opinion, the representation of what ID is, whether we agree with it or not, as faithfully as possible. If the quote summarizing what ID is is considered to be misleading, then please find reliable sources that state what the specific nature of alleged misleading is. I believe the article already states this adequately, based on a wide range of reliable sources. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 18:26, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::::The definition of ID is fine. Their definition of natural selection is not. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:30, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::No definition of natural selection is offered in the lead, only a link to the WP article (which, within the quotation, is a bit debatable, but I have no complaint about that wikilink). ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 18:36, 16 May 2007 (UTC) Oh, I see what you're saying, I think. If the problem is that [[natural selection]] is ''not'' unguided according to prevailing theory in biology, but rather is guided by identifiable natural principles, then find appropriate reliable sourcing for this issue and maybe argue for a brief subsection discussing arguments from those reliable sources that part of the debate is about ''what kind'' of directedness is involved. Personally I don't think it's necessary here, but perhaps more appropriately included in an article such as the [[creation-evolution controversy]] or elsewhere. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 18:49, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
<unindent> The "Undirected" is a reference to their aim of overcoming "materialism" in science and replacing it with the immaterial, or "theistic realism" as Johnson calls it. It might be possible to leave natural selection unlinked in the quote, and follow up with "Although [[natural selection]] is directed by environmental conditions, intelligent design seeks evidence of divine direction." ....... .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 20:09, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::Precisely. Natural selection is asserted in biology to be directed by natural factors. I think this is far too much to deal with in the article lead, and is already partly explained in the article. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 20:37, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Gould: [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/08/1/text_pop/l_081_06.html Natural selection is actually a locally deterministic force.]
:::Futuyama [http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/futuyma.html ...natural selection itself is the single process in evolution that is the antithesis of chance. It is predictable. It says that, within a specific environmental context, one genotype will be better than another genotype in survival or reproduction for certain reasons having to do with the way its particular features relate to the environment or relate to other organisms within the population. That provides predictability and consistency. So, if you have different populations with the same opportunity for evolution, you would get the same outcome.]
:::Both those are pretty good reads, by the way. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 22:14, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::This is why I want to paraphrase. There's no particular reason to be misleading, and, anyway, they use slightly different explanations elsewhere. What about some paraphrase along the lines of ''"...best explained by an intelligent cause" instead of evolution''?
::::Adam, I understand your point, but I have to disagree with it. The DI and its minions ''defined'' ID, what other definition matters? Any other definition, no matter what the reasoning behind using it, is an inaccurate representation of ID. That the DI is inaccurate is irrelevant: we report, the reader decides. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 22:45, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::However, I must, once again, point out that the DI did not define natural selection, and I object only to the part of their statement that misrepresents it. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 23:24, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
*Whether "undirected" is an accurate characterization of the process of natural selection is a matter of interpretation. It depends on what one means by "directed". I think that by the most common and ''most literal'' meaning of "directed", it is accurate to characterize natural selection in this way: one commonly speaks of humans "directing" something (by which we mean not just regulating, but deliberately conducting or managing the affairs of), but almost never of an unthinking process "directing" (e.g., one might say that gravity "regulates" the tides, but rarely that gravity "directs" the tides).
*However, it is not unheard of to speak of something being "directed" by an unintelligent force, especially in poetry and colloquial language. I'm sure that people like Dawkins would have no trouble adopting the metaphor of evolution as a "nonintelligent director", for the same reason that he sees no trouble with the metaphor of evolution as a "nonintelligent designer" (or "blind watchmaker"). But this is still metaphor, and I don't think most people regularly say that a natural process "directs" or "designs" anything; the verbs are usually assumed to have personal agents.
*I don't think that it is profoundly misleading to say that natural selection is "undirected", especially as contrasted with an intelligently-designed process: if anything, natural selection ''isn't'' directed; rather, it is (again, metaphorically) the "director", the thing that is "guiding" evolution in lieu of a designer. Nothing, strictly speaking, directs natural selection itself, just as nothing directs the intelligent designer.
*For all these reasons, the unguided/undirected issue seems trivial: most readers, even ones with an understanding of natural selection, won't see any problem with the "undirected" version in the quote. It doesn't seem worth it to break up the quote for the sake of such a semantic issue; it seems, in fact, to be potentially dangerous, as the Creation Institute could object to Wikipedia putting words in its mouth. Direct quoting is safest. If there are still concerns about whether it is accurate to characterize natural selection as "undirected" (and acceptable to let ID use an uncontested inaccuracy in describing evolution), then my recommendation is to simply use a footnote, rather than scrapping half the quote. The footnote can provide a sourced response to the "undirected" claim. Problem avoided. -[[User:Silence|Silence]] 01:23, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
Which version of ID is being defined? Characterizing natural selection as "undirected" would seem to indicate an intelligent designer that is there doing the guiding at all the times usually attributed to natural selection. I thought there were versions of ID where the designer was involved at certain key irreducibly complex points, and at other times the role of natural selection was acknowledged.
 
Here is a statement from above where the distinction comes into play ''" natural selection is "undirected", especially as contrasted with an intelligently-designed process"'' Are there ID theories that postulate and intelligently-designed "process" as opposed to one or more intelligent design "events" or "instances"? If so, we may need several definitions for these competing theories, and separate evidence sections.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 01:50, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 01:43, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Africangenesis, it's easier to read your comments when you use indents. Anyways, there are more than one version of ID? Where's that? What we're saying is that Evolution is directed by natural selection, not by an intelligent designer, especially since there are no designers. ID changes it story to meet whatever audience they're seeking, so who knows what they're saying. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 01:49, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:You are kidding aren't you? Go read their propaganda, and if you think their "theories" really qualify under anything scientific as a theory, please rewrite the article. Otherwise, I think you may have misinterpreted what was written above. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 01:54, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
::I find things go better if you treat the theories seriously, instead of allowing them just to take critical broadsides at evolution, pin them down on who, what, when and where. There are several different ID theories, you don't allow them to shift from one to the other at their convenience. Remember they are constrained by trying to appear as a science, things can't get too magical. Question every assumption, including how intelligent the designer would have to be for a particular design. What design constraints the designer wasn't apparently able to overcome, etc. What they realize pretty quickly is that ID theory has very little to do with their religion, if they believe the designer is an omniscient, omnipotent being.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 02:01, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
The first sentence of an article is meant to be the most accurate definition of the subject that editors agree on. I don't see anyone thinking "unguided" is ''less'' accurate. I personally agree that it's slightly ''more'' accurate -- undirected could be misunderstood/conflated with "lacking direction". I see no reason not to change the wording to "unguided", it's a bit more accurate and there's no reason at all to stick to the definition provided by DI if a slightly more accurate version is available. (To use a bit of hyperbole, if the democratic party defined themselves as "A political party that advocates democracy", it's technically accurate but wikipedia should feel no obligation to use that definition.) In my opinion, just change the sentence to read "Intelligent design is the claim that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an unguided process such as natural selection." No quotes at all indicating an outside source, this is our definition, not theirs, even if we based it on their statement. While it might be nice to describe a subject from the perspective of people that promote it, that logical extension of that philosophy could lead to some very biased statements used as the defining sentences of articles. [[User:Madprime|Madeleine]] 14:51, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Why not simplify it further ''"Intelligent design is the claim that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, rather than natural processes."'' Simplicity is best. [[User:TimVickers|TimVickers]] 15:48, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Looks good to me. With that in the lead, the whole quotation including "theory" can be cited and discussed in the overview. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 17:01, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
:::I think Tim hit the mark. I am concerned that the rest of the article is so chopped up that it looks like the evolutionists, out of fear and panic, won't let the ID theories have a word in edgewise. Fear is not a sign of strength. Let the ID theories be distinguished in as much coherent detail as possible. Pin them down, let them have their say and then respond. Some won't be able to be stated as a coherent testable theory and that will become obvious. Why the panic?--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 17:28, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
:::<p>I think this first sentence ([http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=131619701&oldid=131592706 implemented here]) is an improvement, if for no other reason than it bypasses the [sometimes bitter] quibbling about quoting the DI's definition, but still faithfully represents what the underlying debate is about. Second sentence then identifies ID as a particular type of theological argument framed in secular-sounding terms. Third sentence identifies the class of proponents that have made it famous, and what they have publicly stated they believe about who the designer is. Fourth sentence identifies that it is asserted to be science that is competitive with current scientific theories of evolution and origin of life. Nice work, Tim, in my opinion. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 00:11, 18 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::There's a reason why we use a quote here, you know. Many here agreed it should stay after man weeks of debate. I returned it to the version that was the result of that. [[User:Odd nature|Odd nature]] 22:52, 18 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::Could you please point out what weeks of debate you're referring to? I'm entering the debate right now and I want to know what you are talking about! I still feel that strictly using any advocacy group's self-defining statements as the defining sentence for an article is a very bad path to be going down, for wikipedia articles in general. [[User:Madprime|Madeleine]] 23:56, 18 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::The discussion Odd Nature refers to is in the two most recent archives. The shorter version [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=131619701&oldid=131592706 implemented here] by TimVickers would, as Odd Nature points out, need much greater support and be subject to discussion as to its merits and disadvantages. I already gave my opinion just above, which is that I think it's an improvement, and admit the discussion is preliminary at this stage. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 00:51, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::I agree with Kenosis. I've never been comfortable with the quote. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 05:10, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
==ID and polytheism==
I noticed that some commentators out there have written that intelligent design can apply to, and indeed suggests, polytheism. I wonder if that idea should be included in the article or not. [[User:204.52.215.13|204.52.215.13]] 19:50, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:[[WP:V|Verifiable sources]] would be needed of such suggestions, and their inclusion in the article would be subject to the requirement of [[WP:NPOV]] that minority positions should not be given undue weight. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 20:12, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Given that ID doesn't even <i>explicitly</i> rule out space aliens, I would very much doubt that it would <i>explicitly</i> rule out polytheism. Implicitly, it is fairly clear that what IDers have in mind is a monotheistic God. However, unless you can catch them in a logical self-contradiction that excludes polytheism (equivalent to the one that excludes natural designers such space aliens), I do not see how they would be even <i>implicitly</i> excluded. This does not however prevent ID from contradicting certain <i>specific</i> polytheistic creation myths. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 03:51, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Odd text ==
 
Can someone have a look at the text just before reference 18? While fixing the reference, I noticed how awkward that read, but I'm not sure my fix really helps. It also seems a little repetitive - it's one of about four references to teaching ID in schools in that paragraph. - Of Pandas and People, that, Kitzmiller, the decision... possibly a couple others. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 04:35, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I agree that it is ugly, and it also seems to be quite inaccurate as well. Although the DI was formed in 1990, its pro-ID arm, the CSC (formerly the CRSC), wasn't formed until 1996 (with planning having occurred in 1993-94). The main articles on the DI & CSC has details on this. [[User:Hrafn42|Hrafn42]] 06:24, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::<Beat me to it!>
:The sentence concerned is presumably this one:
:''The following year a small group of proponents formed the Discovery Institute, which began advocating the inclusion of intelligent design in public school curricula.[18][19][20]''
:It seems to me to be factually misleading in that although the DI was indeed founded in 1990 as it implies, this [http://www.talkreason.org/articles/HistoryID2.cfm history of the IDM] has Johnson publishing his first book, "Darwin on Trial" in 1991 with a grouping of supporters of that book meeting the following year, then in June 1993, the nascent ID movement met again at Pajaro Dunes in California, and "this meeting is generally acknowledged as the birth of the Intelligent Design movement", where Behe first presented his ideas about "irreducible complexity". It's not clear to me when they started using the term ID for their anti-Darwinian writings, but in 1996 the DI overtly became involved with founding of the [[Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture]], and Behe published IC in ''Darwin's Black Box''. Anyway, while I'd like to see this historical development clarified in the Overview, in the lead the sentence above is essentially redundant, as is the one that follows it:
:''The "[[intelligent design movement]]" grew increasingly visible in the 1990s and early 2000's, culminating in a 2005 trial challenging its intended use in public school science classes—the "Dover trial."''
:The lead no longer has an explicit statement that Edwards outlawed teaching creationism, or mention of ''Pandas'' by name, and correctly gives its publication date of 1989 without making the point that "creation-" was changed to ID in 1987: will review the paragraph again, .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 06:41, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
::I don't see what's contradictory about the statement of the verified facts that the year following the publication of "Of Pandas and People" the DI was formed and began advocating teaching ID in biology classes. That's why ''Of Pandas and People'' was written. It gradually became a "movement", the birth of which is said by some to have begun in 1993, with the formation of the CSC (initially the CRSC), and so forth. The "movement" could be alternately said to have "begun" in at least several points in time, 1987 with Edwards v. Aguilard, 1988 in Tacoma, Washington, 1989 with ''Of Pandas and People'', 1990 with the founding of the DI, 1991 with the publication of ''Darwin on Trial'', 1992 with the meeting Johnson mentions as "the movement we now call the 'wedge' began...", 1993 with the Pajaro Dunes meeting, 1995/1996 with the formation of the CRSC. There's no need to pick a discrete date, which might be misleading, because it ''gradually'' became a movement that became increasingly visible through the 1990s and early 2000's. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 11:46, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
==Paragraph 3 revisited==
Taking the above points into account, here's a first draft –
{{quote|The current use of the term "intelligent design" began when a 1987 United States Supreme Court decision regarding constitutional separation of church and state ruled that [[creation science]] could not be taught in [[public schools]],[16] and in response all reference to "creation" in drafts of a textbook intended for high-school biology classes were changed to ''intelligent design''.[17] By 1996 a small group of proponents advocating [[theistic realism]] in place of [[naturalism (philosophy)|naturalistic]] [[science]] had begun the "[[intelligent design movement]]" and with funding from the Discovery Institute were advocating the inclusion of intelligent design in public school curricula.[18][19][20] They gained widespread publicity and persuaded some school boards, but in the 2005 trial [[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]] a group of parents of high-school students challenged a public school district requirement for teachers to present intelligent design in biology classes as an alternative "explanation of the origin of life". ....}}
The Judge Jones bit remains unaltered. Note that this also covers the essential point raised above in [[#Here is the way I see it.]] Corrections and clarifications welcome, .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 10:06, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I thought we just sorted through this mess.
:<p>(1) It was not the "current use of the term" that began in 1989; but the ''use of the term''. Sure the words had been used before, here and there on several occasions, as descriptors. It was not a term for anything before 1989, no more than the phrase "ridiculous plan" is a term for anything. If someone published a book that uses the words "ridiculous plan" to replace "atheism" and proceeded to make a national and international stink about it and advocatd the teaching of "ridiculous plan" (RP), and some people even make the mistake of capitalizing it "Ridiculous Plan", and a movement started advocating teaching it as a scientific theory in biology classes, and several more books followed using ridiculous plan to describe "the scientific theory that there is an 'plan for everything' (PFE), but that it is the result, according to modern systems theory, of mentally ill space aliens or a cosmic jokester" and people started talking about "hey, do you believe in "ridiculous plan?", and so forth, then it becomes a term for something. And I could then proceed to cite you numerous books and articles where the words "ridiculous plan" had been used before in published material and speeches by writers and speakers. The words "intelligent design" were fist used as a term for something with the publication of ''Of Pandas and People''.
:<p>(2) The third paragraph of the article was very carefully rewritten to integrate an international perspective by specifying the facts that were relevant to making it clear to international readers how and why it's a controversy that arose in response to a US constitutional issue. The third paragraph has for over a year now been the third piece of a three-aspect introduction: what ID is, what the scientific community says about it, and what's its legal status.
:<p>(3) Specificity about "theistic realism in place of naturalistic science", if it needs to be said that "theistic realism" is involved, is capable of being more explanatory to the reader if it is integrated into a slighly more detailed explaination starting in the second paragraph of the Overview section. And "theistic realism" is primarily Johnson's term, not necessarily a shared preference of all the DI affiliates-- Dembski, for example, doesn't appear to prefer this term (but correct me if I'm wrong about this). But this has mostly to do with level of specificity and avoiding confusion by inserting too much into the lead. There already is a lead, and an Overview. That first section of the Overview is there for a reason, which is because it's a complex subject, and too much material in the lead will make it too complicated and lengthy if it includes terms that are understood by virtually no one.
:<p>4) The proposed replacement of the concise timeline given presently given in the article of what happened between 1987 and 2005 is not, in my opinion, improved by replacing it with ''"They gained widespread publicity and persuaded some school boards, but in the 2005 trial [[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]] a group of parents of high-school students challenged a public school district requirement for teachers to present intelligent design in biology classes as an alternative "explanation of the origin of life".''
:<p>.... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 11:16, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::N.B.: Folks, please review the article, not just the lead. The Overview section has many aspects that could be done more effectively than at present, and it's there for a reason, which is to overview intelligent design in a somewhat more specific manner than can reasonably be put forward into the article lead. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 11:56, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::The constant drive to rewrite the lead seems ridiculous to me, and a number of the proposals have done nothing to promote clarity. The lead really does not need to be rewritten, it gets its points across quite well. For example, we just had a change from "form" to "variant". Why? They are not semantically equal, there's a bit of a difference in "sense" (no, I don't care that thesauri list them as synonyms).
::::In anu case, Kenosis is right: we've been through the lead, move on to the rest of the article. At this point in time we should really be past the rewrite process and should just be working on maintenance. ''Nota bene'': we will ''never'' be able to write this article in a way the pleases everyone so let's stop trying. If the truth hurts or bothers some, too bad. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 11:48, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== an argument for the existance of God that is framed differently, is not ipso facto teleological ==
 
The conclusion that ID is teleological, is an argument or inference and not a fact, and should not be stated for the truth of the matter. It should be attributed to specific persons, or the more weasal word "critics". The introductory paragraph is already argumentitive, implying that because the discovery institute members are religious that they can't propose a secular theory. They may have God in mind, but their theory can still be considered on its merits. Have they presented any solid evidence that God exists or is the designer?--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 01:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:Among the issues the article deals with in a moderate amount of depth of summary, one of them is the teleological argument, which is discussed in "Origins of the concept". The sources provided in the lead and in that section are not just critics of ID. If yet more sourcing is going to be needed, despite occasional complaints about the barrage of footnotes the reader is confronted with in the article, more can be provided. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 01:45, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::Attribute it to them. It is a conclusion based upon arguments specific people, have presented. Presumably ID proponents deny teleology, and maintain they will accept aliens or some species of low, but adequate intelligence if the evidence points that way. So it is a point of contention and should not be presented as fact. This is a fringe theory, of little acceptance or merit, but lets not mischaracterize it.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 01:50, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::That ID is a form of [[teleological argument]] is not in contention by anyone who is closely familiar with philosophy and theology. These are basics, not points of contention among reliable sources, independent of public relations by the Discovery Institute and its affiliates. What AfricanGenesis is advocating here and the section above is essentially to sidestep [[WP:NPOV#Undue weight]] in a way which would imply that the whole controversy is merely a debate or controversy between ID and its critics. In a word, ''yes'', ID is ''ipso facto'' a teleological argument. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 02:34, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::OK, I begin to see what some of the difficulty may be at the present. Evidently someone turned a direct quote from [[Kitzmiller v. Dover]] (presently footnote #5) into a ''nota bene'', removing the citation to Kitzmiller. To begin with, I will now proceed to repair this error. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 02:45, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::I'll restore the quote. This is why some people shouldn't be futzing with the souces all the time. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 02:49, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::I've fixed the format of that source and others, removing the "nota bene" non-standard format and again gave each source it's own footnote. The latter I did for two reasons: First, it is less confusing and makes the sources easier to read. Secondly, it helps to show exactly how well-supported the content is thus avoiding many of the more clueless objections about the content not being well-supported. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 03:08, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:It's not just ID critics that say ID is the teleological argument, read the Dover trial ruling, it's a federal court as well. How about reading the sources before edit warring next time? BTW, even ID proponents concede ID is a version of the teleological argument. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 02:49, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:''The conclusion that ID is teleological, is an argument or inference and not a fact, and should not be stated for the truth of the matter''
Umm, no. Sorry African. Read the archives. To put it simply, intelligent design is a ''design argument''. ''Design arguments'' are teleological. No one denies that ID is teleological - some people read Luskin's statements that way, but Luskin isn't trying to contradict Demsbki, Behe, etc., it's just the mangled garbage he comes up with when he tries to explain the whole "why does ID not speculate about the nature of the designer" thing. Do you have a source which trumps everything I have read on the issue - by ID proponents, by opponents, by Jones, by the Stanford encyclopaedia of philosophy, by the Library of Congress catalogue, by Amazon.com's catalogue...? [[User:Guettarda|Guettarda]] 03:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:There seems to be a bifurcation here, I can agree that it is teleological in the general sense, but the text in the introduction specifies the teleological argument '''for the existance of God'''. From what I can see, that is mere inference based upon characteristics of those purporting the theory rather than upon the statement of the theory itself. So the "for the existance of God" should be removed or properly attributed to whomever is making that inference.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 04:11, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::It was made by an impartial judge in Kitzmiller, among others. However, I do think that "Modern variant of the teleological argument for the existence of God" would be more accurate - "variant" emphasises that there is a significant change. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 05:12, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::As differentiated from "It is a form of teleological argument ..."? ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 05:15, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Form doesn't imply significant changes, IMO. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 05:26, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Then it should be attributed to the judge. Did the judge say whether the argument succeeded? If he did would you also be citing ipso facto, unattributed, "God exists"?--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 05:19, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::But it's NOT JUST THE JUDGE, he was summarising evidence from the trial and a large group of people. Admittedly, we could probably do with a few more references there to show the breadth of agreement on this point, but the agreement is widespread. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 05:26, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::Ah, but it's not *just* the judge. Someone needs to read the Dover ruling. We've got critics and proponents along with the judge all saying the same thing. I'd don't think we really need to add more sources to the article just for that, but we can if you insist on continuing to make a stink about it. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 05:29, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::We don't need more references, we just need to qualify the statement. The language I proposed, is well supported by the references:
:::::*''"Critics have characterized it as a form of [[Teleological_argument|teleological argument]] (an argument for the existence of God), framed in such a way that it does not specify the nature or identity of the designer."''
 
:::::Perhaps "critics have characterized it" isn't strong enough, but stating it as a fact is not something I think most editors here would wish to generalize to their editing on other pages. How about "Scientists dismiss it", or "A court has ruled it" or "A court has judged it". I'm open to other suggestions.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 05:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::Can you show me one source saying it isn't a variant of the teleological argument/argument from design? [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 06:29, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::::I don't think you're paying attention to what anyone has said here. It's not just critics who say ID is a teleological argument. It's not just a federal court judge who says ID is a teleological argument. It theologians like John Haught and ID proponents like William Lane Craig and Dembski who say it too. Read [http://www.origins.org/articles/dembski_dibook.html William Lane Craig's endorsement of Dembski's The Design Inference] and [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments Teleological Arguments for God's Existence, 4.3 The Intelligent Design (ID) Movement] by Del Ratzsch. So we have parties from all sides, including their own, saying ID is a teleological argument. For that reason your proposed change is simply inaccurate and will never fly here. I'll add these sources to the article since you seem to be unclear. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 06:33, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::<p>It's not a ''variant'' of teleological argument, but a revival of it. Check the sources please; please do the needed research. These are basics, folks. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 06:53, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::::It's changed to not refer explicitly to God. That's the definition of variant. I agree with your other points, but I think "variant of the teleogical argument for the existance of God framed so as not to explicitly name the designer" is easier to understand: How does it vary? It doesn't explicitly mention the designer, as is soon explained. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 07:27, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
Adam askes ''"Can you show me one source saying it isn't a variant of the teleological argument/argument from design?"''. Recall that we are speaking of the "God" version of the teleological argument. That source would be Behe's "Darwin's Black Box". He specifically did not identify or speculate about the designer.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 07:59, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::No, because we specifically say that it does not identify or speculte as to the nature of the signer as well. that's the reason it's a variant. But it's precisely the same argument, just stripped of some of its context. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 09:34, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Yes, not being specific about the designer or designers, means it is not an argument for the existance of God, either explicitly or implicitly. We contradict ourselves in a single sentence, calling ID an argument for the existance of God that doesn't specify him. Others have concluded that is what the ID proponents really meant. Even if Behe were to later admit that was what he really meant, the no-designer-speculation version, is still the theory he put forward, and he doesn't own it.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 09:54, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Please read the sources. This grows tiresome. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 12:01, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
It's not an argument for the existance of a god as fact. Is this is the argument we can say that evolution is the argument for the non-existence of a god. Some critics call it an argument for the existence of a god and as such it should be stated from the critics view. If not then the critics calling evolution an argument for the non-existence of a god should also be taken as a fact. /me puts on fire proof suit -[[User:PromX1|PromX1]] 12:09, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:But it is the same as the [[Teleological argument]]. I suppose we could debate whether it's better to say "teleological argument for the existence of god", or "teleological argument, normally an argument for the existence of God." But I think the second half of the sentence makes it clear anyway.
Teleological arguments are used for other than God. An archeologist who finds artifacts in certain strata, will look for other signs of the designer, and even if he can't find the remains, will make inferences about the level of advancement of the culture. The ID theory has been posed as a secular theory. Perhaps, those posing the theory had God in mind, but theories don't have minds, they exist as stated.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 19:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:Theory? What theory? Jones in Kitzmiller called it a proposition for a reason: [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/day6pm.html Barbara Forrest's testimony] noted that in 2004 [[Paul Nelson (creationist)|Paul Nelson]] interviewed by a magazine called ''Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity'' stated "Easily, the biggest challenge facing the ID community is to develop a full-fledged theory of biological design. We don't have such a theory right now, and that's a real problem.... Right now, we've got a bag of powerful intuitions and a handful of notions such as irreducible complexity and specified complexity, but as yet, no general theory of biological design." ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 19:54, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Correct, Dave, ID is not a theory. I'm not sure what's so hard about grasping this fact, although I ''do'' understand the motive that creates the need to see ID as a theory.
::This, "...is the argument for the non-existence of a god..." is nonsense. Evolution is mute on the existence of a god or gods. Seems to me that too many people willingly conflate evolution and natural selection with abiogenesis. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 22:55, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::I swear to Darwin that this discussion section is like the movie [[Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day]]. We keep going over the same old crap over and over and over again. ID is not a scientific theory, it is a religious argument to try to shove the teaching of Creationism into our public schools in violation of the US Constitution. It is without a doubt a duplicitous effort on the part of DI to fake out a few foolish school boards to waste money, defending lawsuits that they will always lose, that could be better spent on, you know, education. Once again, and I don't mean to be rude, but I probably will be, but we have gone round and round and round, and we get nowhere. Isn't this the fundamental definition of insanity? Repeating oneself over and over again in the hope of a different result? I'm going to scream!!!!! [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 00:54, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::Except I think some of the editors can only see the shadow of an imaginary divine sun and thus winter and darkness are perpetual. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 17:59, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Over-referencing ==
 
''Intelligent design's primary proponents, all of whom are associated with the Discovery Institute,<sup>[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]</sup>''
 
Oh, come now: That's just excessive superscripting. Can we group the references into 2-4 batches? [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 05:19, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Not a good idea. This is something we've learned through many hard lessons here. The problem is that some don't bother reading through grouped sources. Each source should have it's own footnote to avoid confusion. Read the section above containing Africagenesis' objections and tell me how that wasn't a contributing factor with his issue. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 05:33, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::I'm not saying reduce it to one, but a compromise between identifying multiple sources and readability. Seven is too many for readability. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 05:36, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::<p>I disagree. A number of the current participants in this article just very recently argued about a large quantity of minutia, and how precisely they should be stated in the lead section of the article, neglecting either by accident or design the issue of accessibilty. On balance, in my estimation the extra split-second it takes for the casual reader to choose to skip, hop, or jump past multiple <sup>footnotes</sup> is not even remotely comparable to the actual complexities of the topic of [[intelligent design]]. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 06:38, 19 May 2007 (UTC) On the other hand, the difficulty of line-spacing, or [[leading]], that is caused by footnotes is a problem in general, but that problem is not addressed by reducing more footnotes into less footnotes. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 07:00, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Adam, I'm sorry, but I disagree too. I actually would posit the argument that we could probably reduce that to one reference. "40 days and 40 nights" seems to contain sufficient evidence to link the DI and ID together pretty well. But anyways, aside from that, it doesn't bother my readability to see that many references. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 06:40, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Well, I don't feel so strongly about it to push the point in the face of unanimous opposition... [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 07:25, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::I have no idea what the weight of opinion is here at the moment or in the longer term. But I disagree that consolidating footnotes helps anything in a complex, continually controversial&mdash;or at least repetitively controversial&mdash;article such as this. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 07:38, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::The number of footnotes has grown in response to the neverending objections raised by some readers. It is not enough to simply say "the Sun is a star" with just one source, we have to have that information verified by quotes from astronomers, cosmologists, theologians, physicists, photographers and some school teacher in Iowa. [[User:Jim62sch|<font face="Times New Roman" color="FF2400">&#0149;Jim</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="F4C430">62</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000">sch&#0149;</font>]] 12:06, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::Could always just combine them into a single footnote, the way it was done before (see the FAC discussion) - anything not repeated elsewhere can be lumped together with no loss of information. [[User:Guettarda|Guettarda]] 02:28, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Query ==
 
''It is a variation of the [[Teleological_argument|teleological argument]] for the existence of God that has been framed to not explicitly specify the nature or identity of the designer.''
 
Ignorigng whether "form" or "variation" or "modification" or something else is preferred - I could go either way, so long as we in some way emphasise the change - I must ask: does the word "framed" actually provide important meaning? Because it would read better to say "It is a variation of the [[Teleological_argument|teleological argument]] for the existence of God that does not explicitly specify the nature or identity of the designer." or, if not using a noun that emphasises change, "It is a form of the [[Teleological_argument|teleological argument]] for the existence of God modified so that it does not specify the nature or identity of the designer." or... something like that, but I'm worried that subtle shades of meaning might be lost. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 12:17, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:As is ordinarily the case, there are multiple different ways of stating the information to the reader. No objection to replacing "framed" with another suitable verb. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 14:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::"Presented"? [[User:KillerChihuahua|KillerChihuahua]]<sup>[[User talk:KillerChihuahua|?!?]]</sup> 19:41, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
==Intro structure again==
 
I've restore the intro back to it's long standing structure, which 1) is easier to read, 2) is neither sympathetic nor in opposition to its subject, 3) has stood for years for good reason. That reason is that that structure simply makes sense from a editorial and a policy standpoint: Simply state what ID is followed by what its proponents say it is in the first paragraph. This satisfies WP:NPOV for being neither sympathetic nor in opposition to its subject. The following paragraph can then be devoted to describing how it was received by the venue in which ID stakes its claim, the scientific community. The remained should cover its legal status. The recent change to the structure interleafed the ID and scientific community's views within the first two sentences, making for an article structure that appears to be "tit-for-tat" and more difficult to read. I've yet to read a compelling argument for why that is better, and again this appears to have been done without consensus. [[User:FeloniousMonk|FeloniousMonk]] 17:26, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::I probably did not help that situation, with [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=132020966&oldid=132016485 this edit], wherein I tried to squeeze in a clause about it being held out to be a scientific theory (while actually being a form of teleological argument, a philosophical or theological argument for the existence of God). I had hoped maybe there'd be some support for the approach, but it fell flat. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 20:39, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::It was a nice idea, but, well, we can't trust people to realise the teleological argument isn't a scientific theory given one of my friends insists [[flood geology]] is more scientific than evolution. (remind me to paste the last online conversation we had about that sometime). [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 21:59, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Don't forget to paste the last online conversation about [[flood geology]]. [[User:Orangemarlin|Orangemarlin]] 00:47, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:Well, Kenosis seemed to think the information from the last sentence of the first paragraph had to go immediately after the lead sentence, so my rearrangement was the only NPOV way to do that without repeating information. Didn't really think it'd stand. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:07, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== all of whom are associated with the Discovery Institute ==
 
== Shorten the SD ==
This clause is a bit out of place where it is; what do you think about moving it to the discussion of the Discovery Institute in paragraph 3 (or, rather, the information from it) where it would fit more comfortably? [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:10, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
The definition of Intelligent Design should be as follows:
:Why do you think its out of place? [[User:KillerChihuahua|KillerChihuahua]]<sup>[[User talk:KillerChihuahua|?!?]]</sup> 19:19, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
is a philosophical/theological movement and subsequent teleologically scientific movement which seeks to reinvigorate and expand scientific language concerning the Aristotelian category of telos and thus expand the parameters of modern science and its tendency towards positivistic emphasis in the natural sciences.<!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Mountbrocken|Mountbrocken]] ([[User talk:Mountbrocken#top|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Mountbrocken|contribs]]) </small>
:This section title almost made me vomit until I read the comment. Thanks. '''<font color="006400">[[User:Simoes|Simões]]</font>''' (<font size="1"><sup>[[User talk:Simoes|talk]]</sup>/<sub>[[Special:Contributions/Simoes|contribs]]</sub></font>) 19:35, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
::It interrupts the flow of the facts: While moving from ID not explicitly naming the designer to the leading proponents identifying him as the Abrahamic God, we suddently add a completely unrelated fact about those proponents belonging to the Discovery Institute. It could be made to flow a lot better, with simpler wording, if we talked about the DI when we're talking about the DI anyway, instead of forcing it into a discussion about the designer according to ID. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 19:50, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I'll bite: what has ID to do with Aristotle? I followed many arguments, by proponents and opponents of ID, and Aristotle wasn't mentioned even once. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 18:28, 16 April 2025 (UTC)
:::Why not think about how to make the sentence flow better, rather than moving it out of the lead? [[User:Guettarda|Guettarda]] 02:26, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
{{collapse top|title=Time wasted with claptrap}}
::::But the third paragraph ''is'' part of the lead? [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 10:59, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
The [[WP:Short description]] should be improved. One, the overall article is about the creationist argument. With this in mind we can describe ID as an "argument" and thereby give the potential reader the essence of the topic. But two, more importantly, "pseudoscientific" adds unnecessary POV. Would we be happy with an article title of [[:Pseudoscientific arguments about the creation of the universe]]? ''No''. But we do have various articles in [[:Category:Cosmogony]] and [[:Category:Physical cosmology]]. Would any of the articles benefit from SDs that said "[[:Scientific argument about such & such]]"? Again, ''no''. Let's just say that [[:Intelligent design]] is an argument and leave out the unnecessary "pseudoscientific" adjective. – [[User:Srich32977|S. Rich]] ([[User talk:Srich32977|talk]]) 01:16, 27 October 2022 (UTC)
:::::As the primary proponents, all of whom ''are'' associated with the DI, believe the designer is the Abrahamic God, it is important to have that information in the lead. Its crucial to understanding ID. That said, if I could think of a better way to integrate that, I would, and if you can think of better phrasing, please post it here. It would be nice if we could improve the flow. [[User:KillerChihuahua|KillerChihuahua]]<sup>[[User talk:KillerChihuahua|?!?]]</sup> 11:22, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:"'pseudoscientific' adds unnecessary POV". Can't see it myself. 'pseudoscientific' is used in the first sentence of the lede, so is clearly considered an integral NPOV element of the topic. As such, it merits inclusion in the SD; as [[WP:Short description]] says "These descriptions ... help users identify the desired article", so including 'pseudoscientific' functions to aid in identifying 'Intelligent design' as the article about the pseudoscientific argument. -- [[User:Jmc|Jmc]] ([[User talk:Jmc|talk]]) 01:44, 27 October 2022 (UTC)
::I observe that the [[simple:Intelligent Design]] article on the simple English Wikipedia treats the subject drastically differently than this one and doesn't even mention pseudoscience. ~[[User:Anachronist|Anachronist]] <small>([[User talk:Anachronist|talk]])</small> 04:46, 27 October 2022 (UTC)
:::Wikipedia is not a reliable source. But maybe someone should change the [[simple:Intelligent Design]] article. I have experience there. Does one replace "pseudoscientific" by "stupid" or "wrong" to change it from English to Simple English? --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]]) 05:21, 27 October 2022 (UTC)
::::This is not a question of RS for either WP or Simple WP. (No matter what, the Simple ID article must be NPOV. And changes to the Simple article are best discussed there.) I "simply" ask that we remove the POV-laden "pseudoscientific" from the short description in this regular WP article. – [[User:Srich32977|S. Rich]] ([[User talk:Srich32977|talk]]) 05:02, 28 October 2022 (UTC)
:::::{{tq|This is not a question of RS}} Yes it is. You were trying to change this Wikipedia article based on what another Wikipedia article says, so you were trying to use the other article as a source for this one. --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]]) 05:17, 28 October 2022 (UTC)
 
::If something is science and looks like science, one does not need to mention that it is science. That is the reason why the "scientific" adjective is not used.
== statement unsupported by reference ==
::Pseudoscience is something that pretends to be science, so it looks like science but it is not science. That is the reason why the "pseudoscientific" adjective is used. --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]])
::: My concern is about the POV vs. NPOV tone of the SD. We can describe the article as "an argument about ...." and avoid saying it is "arcane", "former", "inaccurate", "irrelevant", "dismissed in scientific circles", "[[:hogwash]]", etc. The [[WP:SDAVOID]] guidance says "avoid 'former', 'retired', 'late', 'defunct', 'closed', etc.." Removing "pseudo" helps us comply with this guidance. – [[User:Srich32977|S. Rich]] ([[User talk:Srich32977|talk]]) 04:42, 28 October 2022 (UTC)
::::No, it does not. Calling a pseudoscience "pseudoscience" is perfectly NPOV when reliable sources consistently call it pseudoscience. I think you need to actually read [[WP:NPOV]] instead of just saying it. Also [[WP:FRINGE]], [[WP:PSCI]] and [[WP:FALSEBALANCE]].
::::Also, the logic "the rules say we should avoid X, therefore we should avoid Y" leaves something to be desired. --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]]) 05:17, 28 October 2022 (UTC)
:::::If the words "pseudoscience" or "pseudoscientific" are to be replaced, I do appreciate Hob's suggestion to use the words "stupid" or "wrong" instead. - [[User:Roxy the dog|'''Roxy''' ]]the [[User talk:Roxy the dog|'''dog''']] 06:46, 28 October 2022 (UTC)
::::::@[[User:Srich32977|S. Rich]] You've failed to address the point I made in immediate response:
::::::'pseudoscientific' is used in the first sentence of the lede, so is clearly considered an integral NPOV element of the topic. As such, 'pseudoscientific' merits inclusion in the SD; as [[WP:Short description]] says "These descriptions ... help users identify the desired article", so including 'pseudoscientific' functions to aid in identifying 'Intelligent design' as the article about the pseudoscientific argument.
 
::::::You don't seem to have any issue with 'pseudoscientific' being used in the article itself, so your objection to it in the SD seems perverse. --[[User:Jmc|Jmc]] ([[User talk:Jmc|talk]]) 07:44, 28 October 2022 (UTC)
This sentence in the introduction:
 
:[[User:Srich32977]] Can you put the existing SD alongside something proposed ? I am doubtful you will make headway for [[WP:SDLENGTH]], but a definite comparison might at least get a focus back to about being shorter. Cheers [[User:Markbassett|Markbassett]] ([[User talk:Markbassett|talk]]) 07:21, 1 November 2022 (UTC)
*''"Its advocates claim that intelligent design is a scientific theory that stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, scientific theories regarding the evolution and origin of life."''
:I agree. The inclusion of the qualifier "pseudoscientific" is superfluous to the point that it reeks of bias.
:I don't think it's a battle worth fighting.
:Yes, the short description is… not short. Especially when you compare it to the length of the rest of the article. Further, some of its content is redundant with the body content.
:But it's not just the first sentence that has a POV problem. The entire short description—nay, the whole article—is marred with bias to the point that it to me looks not salvageable. And even if it were, it seems that it's guarded by a group of ideologues: fanatics who will pile on their fallacious rhetoric until the hope is sucked dry from you by the tyranny of their majority. [[User:Emilimo|Emilimo]] ([[User talk:Emilimo|talk]]) 10:19, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
::Yup, the tyranny of [[WP:BESTSOURCES]]. <sarcasm warning>How sad!</sarcasm warning> [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 11:43, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:::Straw Man. I am ''not'' criticizing [[WP:BESTSOURCES]]. When I say tyranny of the majority (which I definitely feel is happening on a large scale around discussion of this topic) I'm criticizing use of specific rhetorical devices and fallacious reasoning such as (but not limited to) [[argumentum ad populum]] and secondary implications such as [[groupthink]], overconfidence in conventional wisdom and secular orthodoxy, false sense of inerrancy, and myriad intellectual vices such as [[appeal to ridicule]] which you just used on me with your sarcasm.
:::I'm not without hypocrisy; I admit my previous comment used blatant ad hominem attack. But just because I indulged in intellectual vice for a moment doesn't invalidate my sentiment.
:::A new article need to be written about what ID really is at a fundamental level—a theory of the origin of life—outside of and disconnected from its social contexts. [[User:Emilimo|Emilimo]] ([[User talk:Emilimo|talk]]) 13:02, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
::::It isn't a scientific theory. Not even a scientific hypothesis. Because nobody took care to formulate it as a cogent scientific hypothesis. [[Phillip E. Johnson]] died without knowing the hypothesis of intelligent design. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 13:09, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:::::That sounds like an appeal to ignorance. The theory is not valid because there hasn't been a person who has put it in a form that acceptable to you and the consensus/majority? Who is the authority on what constistutes a "cogent scientific hypothesis"? Why would we need Phillip E. Johnson to come back to life and do it for us? How do you know one is not already out there? [[User:Emilimo|Emilimo]] ([[User talk:Emilimo|talk]]) 13:35, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:::::Wait you got me on another red herring there; I never claimed it to be a scientific theory. Which is why I think there needs to be a page presenting it without any claims of it being a scientific theory, similar to the page on the [[Big Bang]]. Just because I am suggesting the theory—in and of itself—as not scientific does not mean that it is pseudoscience. On the contrary it would arguably call for it to be, by definition of pseudoscience, no longer labeled as pseudoscience. You don't see the [[Big Bang]] theory labeled as pseudoscience. As should be the case with ID. [[User:Emilimo|Emilimo]] ([[User talk:Emilimo|talk]]) 13:45, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
::::::Big Bang, despite your protestations, ''is'' a widely-accepted scientific theory. For the metaphysical correspondent of ID, see [[Teleological argument]]. That, my friend, is a bona fide philosophical argument, but alas it has nothing to do with [[science]]. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 13:49, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
::::::{{tq|That sounds like an appeal to ignorance}} Oh, the irony. ID itself is one huge heap of appeal to ignorance ("I tried to find a way how evolution can make things like X, and I failed"; insert every biological feature for X); it does not have any actual content beyond that. And that is the very reason why ID is no scientific hypothesis. You are talking to people with lots of experience debating "Cdesign proponentsists", and every time one asks one of them for the theory of ID, one gets crickets.
::::::{{tq|How do you know one is not already out there?}} The burden of proof is on the person who claims that it exists. Bring it here, and everybody will be baffled, stunned, and surprised.
::::::Independent of that, this is [[WP:NOTFORUM|not a forum]]. Your claim of bias is commonplace for every article about any pseudoscience - see [[WP:YWAB]] - and does not impress anybody. --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]]) 15:09, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:::Sources are sometimes bias as well. Given that it is a controversial topic we should add further in the article that "it is considered by most scientists a pseudoscientific argument" given the right sources, but not in the opening paragraph. Is like if someone made the opening paragraph of [[Gender pay gap]] to be "The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the ALLEGEDLY difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working." - [[User:Barumbarumba|Barumbarumba]] ([[User talk:Barumbarumba|talk]]) 23:39, 29 December 2023 (UTC)
::::The thing is, all pro-Intelligent Design sources are notoriously unreliable, and "unbiased sources" are invariably accused and denounced as being negatively biased due to accurately describing Intelligent Design as religiously-inspired, anti-science flimflam. [[User:Apokryltaros|Mr Fink]] ([[User talk:Apokryltaros|talk]]) 00:00, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
:::::I fully agree with you. Since the professional editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica didn't consider it appropriate to apply the label "pseudoscientific" to ID theory, it seems reasonable to avoid that in order to preserve neutrality. The better approach would be to neutrally include the statement by the US National Academy of Science saying that it isn't a legitimate scientific theory. I would argue that the term 'pseudoscience' is appropriately applied to theories like Flat Earth. Because ID has support from a number of scientists with relevant educational backgrounds, I believe it is more accurately categorized as 'fringe science' or 'questionable science' prominent supporters of ID include: award winning chemist Dr. Henry F. Schaefer III, professor of biochemistry Dr. Michael Behe, and Microbiology professor Dr. Scott Minnich. Further, a 2018 Pew Poll of members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science found that 2% of members believed humans had always existed in their present form, and another 8% believed that human evolution was guided by a supreme being. [Elaborating on the Views of AAAS Scientists, Issue by Issue | Pew Research Center] [[User:BeLikeBritannica|BeLikeBritannica]] ([[User talk:BeLikeBritannica|talk]]) 20:43, 18 March 2024 (UTC)
::::::Read the FAQ. --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]]) 12:57, 19 March 2024 (UTC)
::I created an account just to agree and complain about the rampant and abhorrent bias and POV narration in the article. While I do not subscribe to the belief myself, the rampant author judgments within is disgustingly transparent and, if I can be crass, immature and embarrassing to read to someone looking for information on the subject. When you have editors like Hob Gadling or Roxy the Dog using charged language like "stupid" to describe belief systems, it worsens the content of the site and makes this article read like the tangents of a lonely Redditor upset that they had to go to Sunday school when they were eight, rather than a source of information.
::For comparison's sake, the article on Scientology reserves such personal judgments, attributing labels of ingenuity and falsehood to third parties, not from the author's own original judgments. Similar belief systems are treated with more respect, but this one is marred entirely because of its prevalence in western culture.
::Such impartial author viewpoints are rampant throughout the article. A few keypoints of contention I noticed from a cursory search include the tangent of the Discovery Institution (cited from someone saying they're "a leader" because several members of the movement are "associated," as if there's any other article out there that pulls such vague weasel wording. To air out dirty laundry, it's very apparent that this is for the purpose of associating the article with conservative think tanks as a prelude, rather than as a detail later on in the history of the article, where such information should be placed). The line "Detailed scientific examination has rebutted several examples for which evolutionary explanations are claimed to be impossible." strikes me too (the preceding claims should be included in a summary, with these examinations placed in a proceeding criticism section. Such is the norm for most articles, but this one gets an exception because the editors REALLY want everyone to know their takes on it). "The Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District court ruling held the latter to be the case." line is out of place and only contextualized by scouring the references and notes before when this should have its own section, the line itself following what reads like original research on the dilemma of what the belief states. The article itself is littered with details that add very little ("A Discovery Institute report says that Charles B. Thaxton, editor of Pandas, had picked the phrase up from a NASA scientist, and thought, "That's just what I need, it's a good engineering term."") There is a separate article for that book; include the information there! In the section on concepts of the belief system, while generally more well-constructed, it still has its fair share of issues. The paragraph of "Critics point out that the irreducible complexity" is vague in referring to whom these critics are, which is embarrassing when the section on Specified complexity does this tactic of citing a vague "scientific community" correctly. The "Fine-tuned universe" paragraph has only one citation, and it doesn't even link to anything! The distinction of the ideology from the movement is made too little too late for how the article presents the relevance of the Discovery Institution...
::I could go on, but I have a feeling the people responsible for the poor state of the article have their heels dug in so deeply that they will refuse to acknowledge the myriad of problems within the article, so I'll abridge my grievances: the article is absolutely filled with author judgments more concerned with refuting the subject rather than presenting a clean, readable text, and as a result the article is filled with poor citations, clunky and out-of-place details, and an astonishing amount of frontloaded bloat. It has been an absolute chore to read this thing.
::I know this is going to be taken in bad faith to be misconstrued as "remove all criticism from the article," which is absolutely not backed up by anything I just said, so let me repeat that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking that the few people with self-restraint here actually structure the article to read like something trying to give an overview of the subject foremost, criticisms debunkings and all, in a clean, readable manner, and not like it was written foremost as a sloppy blog entry wearing the skin of an encyclopedia.
::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 20:56, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
:::ID is a paragon of pseudoscience, according to [[WP:BESTSOURCES]], and we have the website policy [[WP:PSCI]].
:::About Scientology: we don't say that because that is a matter of judging intentions rather than judging facts. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 21:09, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
::::I would implore you to actually read the post you're replying to.
::::I do not care about validity of the subject matter (though I do think the "pseudoscience" label could benefit from a citation and end a lot of talk on this page if added, since one thing I keep seeing while reading posts here is that there's apparently a lot of sources calling it one). I'm discussing the poor state in which this article is written because it's entirely from people foremost interested in taking the ideology down a peg thinking they have article ownership and loading it with original research, to a point that it reads worse than other infamous pseudoscience topics. Similar articles have clear and lengthy sections for criticisms and debunkings that serve just fine. This one opts to make a massive mess of the subject. It's a badly written article.
::::You can agree or disagree with the subject, but from an objective point of view the article is a mess. If I find the energy/time, I'll clean up a lot of my grievances myself.
::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 22:10, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::The tone can get copy/edited. But the fact that it is patent pseudoscience should remain inside the article, very clearly and unambiguously expressed. In that respect we have no choice, since website policy is binding. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 22:16, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::{{tq|The tone can get copy/edited. But the fact that it is patent pseudoscience should remain inside the article}}
::::::For probably the third time now, I don't give a crap about that label. I would even agree that it should be there if it was sourced. My problem is the article is poorly written. I have given several examples demonstrating this, please actually read those instead of arguing against a point nobody is making.
::::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 22:48, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::Okay, to the point: criticism sections are dissuaded. Criticism should be spread inside the article, refuting each point being made by the pseudoscientists.
:::::::In other words: the fact that this article does not have a criticism section is a net positive, and the articles which do aren't good examples to imitate. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 23:02, 12 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::::{{tq|Criticism should be spread inside the article, refuting each point being made by the pseudoscientists.}}
::::::::Do you have a policy you can point to that illustrates that to be the case? This is one of the only articles I have seen on the site whose reading goes out of its way to meticulously try to debunk everything stated within it. This type of writing isn't employed in many other religious articles if at all, and reads choppy and unfocused.
::::::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 01:24, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::[[Wikipedia:Criticism#Avoid sections and articles focusing on criticisms or controversies]]. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 02:05, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::While I do honestly appreciate the attempt at giving a policy, the subject of this page should fall under an exception mentioned:
::::::::::"For topics about a particular point of view – such as philosophies (Idealism, Naturalism, Existentialism), political outlooks (Capitalism, Marxism), or religion (Islam, Christianity, Atheism) – it will usually be appropriate to have a "Criticism" section or "Criticism of ..." subarticle. Integrating criticism into the main article can cause confusion because readers may misconstrue the critical material as representative of the philosophy's outlook, the political stance, or the religion's tenets."
::::::::::In the case of this article, there are several instances where this kind of information is haphazardly placed about because of the lack of refrain. I listed one in the article trying to link the subject to a conservative think tank, but there are more.
::::::::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 02:47, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::ID is propagated by a Christian conservative think-tank. It's not some accidental detail of it, it is so by design. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 03:24, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::The section as worded reads like a clear violation of [[WP:AWW]]. A stronger relationship than "The leading proponents of ID are associated with" should be provided, and this information should be listed in the section regarding the movement. While the information is important to include, in its current state it's not important enough to include in the opening section, much less before the early history of the ideology before YECs.
::::::::::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 03:50, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Let me tell you something: the people who hate mainstream science already got the message that Wikipedia is against them. So, we're writing for a certain audience, not for everybody.
:::::::::::::Our bias is not concealed. People who love Wikipedia, love it for such bias. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 05:11, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::::This is an open encyclopedia, not your personal blog. I don't give a crap what windmill-tilting you seem to think is being waged against a couple hundred creationist nutjobs, the article is written like crap and I've given several clear examples and policies that showcase very specific examples.
::::::::::::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 17:37, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
{{od|::::::::::::::}} @[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] Rather than yell at clouds, it'd be better to positively address issues. Here's a small example with a big issue behind it: you say, "The "Fine-tuned universe" paragraph has only one citation, and it doesn't even link to anything!". The reason it (and many pseudo-links like it) doesn't link to anything is the big issue and it needs someone with your energy to address it. -- [[User:Jmc|Jmc]] ([[User talk:Jmc|talk]]) 03:19, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
 
:While I do appreciate the invitation, and will probably take it up when I have more time on my hands, un
Is not supported by the reference. First of all, the reference only has one author, so it would not support "Its advocates claim", perhaps it might support "One of its advocates claims". However, the characterization of the substance also appears to be wrong. It may be claiming that a methodology which does not exclude ID apriori is superior, which is quite different from from making a claim about ID's relative status vis'a'vis evolution. It is arguing for openness to evidence for design, hardly a superiority argument. How could this error have survived so long in a highly visible place like the intro?--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 08:19, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:Judging byIsome of the rather... let's say "brash adamancy" of some of the regulars on this talk page i. I worry that such radical changes such as removing that problematic paragraph and rearranging the criticisms into a cleaner format would be misconstrued as trying to hide or mitigate criticisms against the subject matter. Rather than risk a one-sided edit war, it would be better for the people adding these text to just provide a proper citation and not make the article a complete mess.both carrying the article's current style, I suspect I may need to take your advice regardless.
:[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 03:36, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
:As the article is protected, I'm working at a proposed rewrite that cleans up some of the grievances I have with the page on my userpage. As of writing I have the introductory paragraph glanced at. If you're not being coy, I'd like honest feedback on my proposed changes.
:[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 18:10, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
 
::The [[WP:LEAD|introduction]] of an article contains the summary of the body of that article. So, unless the version you are proposing is very closed from the current version, any new introduction not properly summarizing the '''current version''' of the article is likely to be a non starter. --[[User:McSly|McSly]] ([[User talk:McSly|talk]]) 19:09, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
I have changed the statement to better reflect the reference, here is the replacement:
:::{{tq|So, unless the version you are proposing is very closed from the current version}}
:::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds/sandbox|It is, just a tad more streamlined, cleaned, and worded more impartially.]] I left commentary, including two explicit requests for citations.
:::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 19:43, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
::::You are requesting a citation for "pseudoscience". But no citation is given, according to [[WP:CITELEAD]]. So, yes, there is a reason why no citation is given.
::::I saw the changes you advocate for: the changes are minor, and often not compliant with [[WP:PAG]]s. About impartiality, see [[WP:FALSEBALANCE]].
::::Also, I don't see why [[WP:RS]] should be provided for a ''hidden comment.'' [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 00:26, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::{{tq|You are requesting a citation for "pseudoscience". But no citation is given, according to WP:CITELEAD. So, yes, there is a reason why no citation is given.}}
:::::I believe the exceptions listed in [[MOS:CITELEAD]] are applicable here, given how contentious the label has been in these talk pages, and from the opening sentence of the article itself having ''five ''citations within it. Moving the fifth reference to specifically address the pseudoscience label adds no new citations to the lead and satisfies my complaint with that particular point. I ask in my suggestions for someone to provide a source since (1) I believe there may be a more readily-available source that could be used in its place, and (2) I typed it on mobile and don't like using the article editor for more than basic formatting.
:::::{{tq|I saw the changes you advocate for: the changes are minor, and often not compliant with WP:PAGs. About impartiality, see WP:FALSEBALANCE.}}
:::::I'm tempted to evoke [[WP:SARC]] here, as "and often not compliant with WP:PAGs" is possibly one of the most vague and thus irrelevant complaints that could be levied. I ask for forgiveness in being heated for a moment; the idea that a simple cleanup to the article, a cleanup in which I've not added anything to even hint at the validity of ID and attempted to avoid [[WP:POVDELETION]] by retaining criticisms except in cases where it would be better to move information, is even remotely the same thing as trying to make a false balance is overly simplistic and a tad insulting. Wikipedia is not obliged to validate pseudoscience, I can agree and don't think either of us said otherwise, but it's also [[WP:NOTOPINION|not a place for authors to engage against the subject]] (much less [[Wikipedia:Fringe_theories|focus on discrediting fringe theories]]) to make it a messy read or use the notion of bias existing to [[WP:SOAP|go on tangents about the subject]] in ways that harm the objective tone and pacing of the article.
:::::The thing that really gets me scratching my head about all of this is that the sources and facts are against ID, so making a clearer article helps ID proponents none.
:::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 06:43, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::[[WP:FALSEBALANCE]] was a reply to {{tq|more impartially}}. You proposed minor edits, so I don't see those as either cleanup of the article or making the article more impartial. This all debate seems therefore as much ado about nothing. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 07:12, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::{{tq|WP:FALSEBALANCE was a reply to more impartially}}
:::::::I never asked for more impartiality, I described this as a perk of the cleanup. Please follow the conversation.
:::::::{{tq|You proposed minor edits, so I don't see those as either cleanup of the article or making the article more impartial.}}
:::::::I'll ignore the non-sequitur in that and reassert the context of what's happening: I am pulling teeth against a user who thinks [[WP:NOOBJECTIVITY]] means an author should argue against the subject of an article, and am being met with resistance for miniscule cleanups in the opening paragraphs. I would go through cleaning up the entire thing for its other myriad issues, but lack any trust that such exhaustive efforts would be met with anything besides someone violating [[WP:OWNER]].
:::::::This debate being "for nothing" can be amswered with one question: what is going to happen if I try to get even those simple cleanups in the lead put in? I hope, in that front, I'd have made a stink for nothing.
:::::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 07:28, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::::Well, friend, I'm only one editor, so I never decide myself the [[WP:CONSENSUS]].
::::::::[[WP:NOOBJECTIVITY]] is an essay, meaning it is neither policy, nor guideline. [[WP:PSCI]] on the other hand is website policy. So, obviously, website policy trumps an essay. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 08:05, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::{{tq|Well, friend, I'm only one editor, so I never decide myself the WP:CONSENSUS.}}
:::::::::I'm really interested in what conversation you're having in which you're debating if ID is pseudoscience.
:::::::::It seriously is grating to read so many replies from you that fail to address even one point being brought up and instead go after some paranoia.
:::::::::{{tq|WP:NOOBJECTIVITY is an essay, meaning it is neither policy, nor guideline.}}
:::::::::That argument is on-par with the "evolution is just a theory" sound bite creationists love. [WP:NOOBJECTIVITY] summarizes a policy which reads {{tq|"which means representing fairly, proportionately, and, as far as possible, '''without editorial bias,''' all the significant views that have been published by reliable sources on a topic."}}
:::::::::Emphasis mine. Meanwhile you're on here justifying an article littered with [[WP:OR]] with {{tq|"Our bias is not concealed. People who love Wikipedia, love it for such bias."}} I
:::::::::
:::::::::{{tq|WP:PSCI on the other hand is website policy}}
:::::::::Is '''anyone''' here arguing that ID isn't pseudoscience?
:::::::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 19:33, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::[[WP:PSCI]] requires a certain tone of the article. While you admit that ID is pseudoscience, you seek to soften the tone of the article. E.g. downplaying that it is essentially a movement propagated by a conservative Christian think tank. And that it caters to fundamentalist Christians and evangelicals, since Catholics and mainline Protestants made peace with the theory of evolution. And that instead of seeking to discover new objective facts in biology, it is essentially a ploy to introduce God in sciences, i.e. despite the boundaries established by Immanuel Kant, who said he had to deny knowledge in order to make room for faith. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 21:21, 14 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::{{tq|WP:PSCI requires a certain tone of the article}}
:::::::::::I do not believe you are meeting that tone. You are going beyond meeting explaining that the content of the article is wrong and are more focused on a personal mission to debate everything within it with [[WP:OR|Original Research]]. There's several instances where you're barely citing scientific experts or explaining that the counterarguments come from these experts.
:::::::::::* "A sufficiently succinct summary of the argument from design shows its unscientific, circular, and thereby illogical reasoning" '''<-- This is ''your ''conclusion presented without a source'''
:::::::::::* "Whether this lack of specificity about the designer's identity in public discussions is a genuine feature of the concept – or just a posture taken to avoid alienating those who would separate religion from the teaching of science – has been a matter of great debate between supporters and critics of intelligent design. The Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District court ruling held the latter to be the case." '''<-- Debated by whom? This is the closing paragraph of a section, not the beginning summary. Don't just reference the court ruling in-sentence either, put its verdict at the end and cite the case.'''
:::::::::::* "Variations on the phrase appeared in Young Earth creationist publications (...) there in the first place."" '''<-- Move source 34 earlier, since there's a clear split in the paragraph where it stops referencing material from it and starts referencing material from 33.'''
:::::::::::* "Critics point out that the irreducible complexity argument assumes that the necessary parts of a system have always been necessary and therefore could not have been added sequentially." '''<-- I don't have anything suggesting needing fixed here, I want to point out that this paragraph is mostly good. The vague "critics" is part of the introduction, but even it's cited, and later on it starts giving names with specific arguments. This is good. This is how the article should read. There's a lot of sections that read like this, and I feel as if it would be unfair to leave them unrecognized.'''
:::::::::::* "Irreducible complexity has remained a popular argument among advocates of intelligent design;" '''<--- I say the paragraph is "mostly" good because of this line. This should be reworded or removed. It doesn't help the proceeding explicitly cited debunking, and it is redundant. You are presenting this idea first in the argument list. Narratively, this weight assumes that it's a popular argument (avoid weasel words too).'''
 
:::::::::::There are more examples, but I wish to move on. <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds#top|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/OldManYellsAtClouds|contribs]]) 14:08, 19 September 2024 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
*''"One advocate has argued that it is irrational to rule out empirical evidence for design a'priori and that doing so reduces evolutionary explanations to little more than tautologies."''
 
:::::::::::{{tq|While you admit that ID is pseudoscience}}
--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 09:33, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::::This statement reads as if you're proposing that everyone who agrees with the scientific community should be okay with the sloppy article, which is ridiculous. It's entirely possible to be objective about a topic known to be false, and to criticize an article on the subject for its shortcomings.
:::::::::::{{tq|you seek to soften the tone of the article (...)}}
:::::::::::It is apparent you are not reading my posts, and came in here with a preconceived notion that everyone critical of the article's writing and structure must be a proponent of ID, and no amount of reasoning or given examples of the article's shortcomings will convince you otherwise.
:::::::::::Get this through your head. Sit down and read this slowly, multiple times if needed: '''I am not arguing about the validity of ID. I am addressing the writing of a poorly-constructed Wikipedia article.'''
:::::::::::It's as if you think not including the sources of these statement would make anyone susceptible to believing ID. When a lot of people see articles like this one, argumentized takedowns that use your own wording more than the scientific community's, they see someone with a personal grudge about the ideology and want to know why it made them so mad, and end up looking into it. Having names behind the statements make the content stronger and more reliable, which hurts ID more.
:::::::::::Instead of squabbling with you further, I'm going to begin making some minor edits to the article to fix some of these myriad issues.
:::::::::::[[User:OldManYellsAtClouds|OldManYellsAtClouds]] ([[User talk:OldManYellsAtClouds|talk]]) 14:07, 19 September 2024 (UTC)
:@[[User:Srich32977|Srich32977]], I agree! Wikipedia should be neutral. I changed/removed "pseudoscientific" [[User:Leonardo da vin|Leonardo da vin :D]] ([[User talk:Leonardo da vin|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Leonardo da vin|contrib.]]) 04:14, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
::Typical creationist attitude: From a huge body of text, pick the part you agree with, ignoring all the refutations, and conclude that you must be right. You were reverted because Wikipedia does not work like that. --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]]) 09:12, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Uhh, yeah, but wikipedia should be neutral to ''everybody,'' and Christians are people, right, @[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]]? [[User:Leonardo da vin|Leonardo da vin :D]] ([[User talk:Leonardo da vin|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Leonardo da vin|contrib.]]) 16:27, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::: Being "neutral" does not include having to treat pseudoscience as science. See also [[WP:YESBIAS]] and more controversially [[WP:YWAB]]. [[User_talk:Black Kite|Black Kite (talk)]] 16:42, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::creationists think that its not pseudoscience. [[User:Leonardo da vin|Leonardo da vin :D]] ([[User talk:Leonardo da vin|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Leonardo da vin|contrib.]]) 16:45, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Creationists are objectively, demonstrably wrong about that. We don't include objectively, demonstrably wrong claims in an encyclopedia, that's exactly contrary to our purpose here. [[User:MjolnirPants|<span style="color:#004400;">'''ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants'''</span>]] <small><small>[[User_talk:MjolnirPants|''Tell me all about it.'']]</small></small> 17:22, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Well, @[[User:MjolnirPants|MjolnirPants]], you are wrong because evolution is demonstratably wrong. '''WRONG!''' What are the chances of something like life on earth ''randomly'' evolving out of pond scum? Amd besides, life can't come out of non-life. Also, natural selection can't gain information, it ''loses'' it. Amd those galapagos finches adapted, not evolved. This is why intelligent design by God is rigt! [[User:Leonardo da vin|Leonardo da vin :D]] ([[User talk:Leonardo da vin|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Leonardo da vin|contrib.]]) 21:02, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::Exactly why this article isnt neutral!!! [[User:Leonardo da vin|Leonardo da vin :D]] ([[User talk:Leonardo da vin|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Leonardo da vin|contrib.]]) 16:46, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::You need to read [[WP:NPOV]] to find out that "neutral" on Wikipedia does not mean "science and bullshit need to be treated equally". --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]]) 16:52, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::: Well, unfortunately for them, ID is actually the poster child for pseudoscience, it ''exactly'' fits the definition of something that is clearly not science being presented as such. I have no doubt that creationists disagree with that definition, but we follow the reliable sources. And doing that is what makes editing neutral ([[WP:FALSEBALANCE]] also applies here). [[User_talk:Black Kite|Black Kite (talk)]] 16:54, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::I don't know why you insist: the position of Wikipedia about ID is publicly known for at least a decade. And no, it won't change just because you ask nicely. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 18:15, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
::::This is not about "Christians". This is about liars who pretend to do science while actually doing badly camouflaged religion, in order to circumvent the American constitution. --[[User:Hob Gadling|Hob Gadling]] ([[User talk:Hob Gadling|talk]]) 16:52, 25 February 2025 (UTC)
{{collapse bottom}}
 
== Moving up god of the gaps to argument from ignorance ==
::However, if that's only one person's opinion, then it's not important enough for the lead. Let's see if it can be supported first. [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 11:01, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Can't you chaps count? There were two sources, but not everyone's read Behe's black box. However, the original sentence misses the fundamental point picked up by Johnson in 1987 before he'd even heard of ID, that for creationism to succeed it needs a fundamental redefinition of science to accept the supernatural. So I've added two more sources and modified the sentence to reflect that. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 11:15, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Seeing as they are both the same logical fallacy should we merge or put them next to each other? It's strange that the same fallacy is at the second front and then at the end. [[User:Question169|Question169]] ([[User talk:Question169|talk]]) 20:43, 27 March 2025 (UTC)
::::The references that I can access don't support the statement. In fact [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_District/4:Whether_ID_Is_Science#Page_66_of_139} is not by the advocates, but is someone else charactarizing what they think the advocates think. I've already discussed Meyer above. I own Behe, can you provide the text or page numbers that support text?--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 11:36, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:[[User:Question169]] I think they are not exactly the same -- the one seems a subset of the other -- and the cites are to separate labels by different people. Plus there may be some logic to the order of mentioning the larger scope argument-from-ignorance first in a reasonable summary of a Scott paper saying that about ID, then follows the section Possible theistic implications with Coyne there, and then that leads into the specific theistic god-of-the-gaps subset citing Ratszch mentioning opponents object design theories are disguised god-of-the-gaps. Not sure that it is really worth several whole screens just to note who made what vague label accusation, but they do seem distinct, and the order of presentation may have some logic to it. Cheers [[User:Markbassett|Markbassett]] ([[User talk:Markbassett|talk]]) 01:19, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
<unindent> Who said anything about what ID advocates think? The sources show what they '''claim''', and Kitzmiller is a secondary source describing ID on the basis of a long and detailed investigation in court. To be clear, the sentence as modified reads as follows:
{{quote|Its advocates claim that intelligent design is a [[theory|scientific theory]] requiring a fundamental redefinition of [[science]] so that it is no longer limited to searching for [[naturalism (philosophy)|natural explanations]] for what is observed in the universe, and accepts [[supernatural]] explanations.}}
That's more basic to ID than whether or not they claim it's "superior" to science. ... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 11:56, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Semi-protected edit request on 16 April 2025 ==
:[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/day11pm.html#day11pm132 Behe's testimony on redefining "scientific theory"] Search for "astrology". [[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 12:05, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
::I can't see where Behe is claiming that science needs a redefinition, rather the opposite, he claims that ID is testable, and that evolution is not, apparently under the current definition of science. I suspect this is related to the tautology argument of Meyer that is discussed above.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 12:23, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:Well page 66 says nothing about what the advocates claim, it appears to be more about what experts have said that science is and is not. --[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 12:08, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
::Regarding Kitzmiller p 66, after stating the scientific position that "rigorous attachment to “natural” explanations is an essential attribute to science by definition and by convention", states that "ID is predicated on supernatural causation", "ID takes a natural phenomenon and, instead of accepting or seeking a natural explanation, argues that the explanation is supernatural.", followed on p 67 by other statements including "ID’s rejection of naturalism and commitment to supernaturalism . . .” (Fuller) .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 12:29, 20 May 2007 (UTC) correct which expert: further down, "It is notable that defense experts’ own mission, which mirrors that of the IDM itself, is to change the ground rules of science to allow supernatural causation of the natural world".. with more on p 68: would you prefer a list of page numbers? ....... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 12:36, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
{{edit semi-protected|Intelligent design|answered=yes}}
Sentence tweaked on basis of Adam's suggestion to:
The definition of Intelligent Design should EXCLUDE the term pseudoscience and the definition should be this: is a philosophical/theological movement and subsequent teleologically scientific movement which seeks to reinvigorate and expand scientific language concerning the Aristotelian category of telos and thus expand the parameters of modern science and its tendency towards positivistic emphasis in the natural sciences. [[User:Mountbrocken|Mountbrocken]] ([[User talk:Mountbrocken|talk]]) 18:28, 16 April 2025 (UTC)
{{quote|Its advocates seek a fundamental redefinition of [[science]] so that it is no longer limited to searching for [[naturalism (philosophy)|natural explanations]] for what is observed in the universe, thus accepting [[supernatural]] explanations, and on this basis claim that intelligent design is a new [[theory|scientific theory]].}}
One of Johnson's statements added as a citation, and Behe's black box commented out pending confirmation. No doubt further sources can be found if needed. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 12:19, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:The new Johnson source supports the redefinition statement, at least for himself and Ratzsch.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 12:41, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
::Ta. Note Adam's improved the sentence to:
:{{quote|Its advocates seek a fundamental redefinition of [[science]], no longer limiting it to [[naturalism (philosophy)|natural explanations]] for what is observed in the universe, but accepting [[supernatural]] explanations as well, and on this basis claim that intelligent design is a new [[theory|scientific theory]].}}
::Which looks better to me. .. [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 12:45, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:::''"And Ratzsch's conclusions, which we endorse, are bound to be controversial."'' This quote enlists both Meyer and Nelson, this source probably should replace the Meyer reference. [http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1685] The "redefinition" is looking pretty solid now.--[[User:Africangenesis|Africangenesis]] 12:50, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Nice citation, I've added it in addition to Meyer's essay which, though it woofles on at tedious length, explicitly spells out the need to jettison naturalism if ID is to be accepted as science: "Clearly, if naturalism is regarded as a necessary feature of all scientific hypotheses, then design will not be considered a scientific hypothesis...... As Phillip Johnson has argued, the use of "methodological rules" to protect Darwinism from theoretical challenge has produced a situation in which Darwinist claims must be regarded as little more than tautologies expressing the deductive consequences of methodological naturalism." .... [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 15:45, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
<p>I added a clause about ID being claimed to be a scientific theory in the second sentence of the lead [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=132241781&oldid=132235865 here], and adapted the syntax accordingly, thus bringing it to its present form [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&diff=132247219&oldid=132245832 here] (and Raul654 also contributed an intermediary edit).
<p>I think it's important to keep in mind that ID is primarily a legal strategy (though this needn't be stated explicitly at the ouset, but rather must be deduced from the many well-verified facts derived from the reliable sources about the topic). The drive of ID proponents to call it a scientific theory arises out of the [[Edwards v. Aguilard]] decision, the relevant passage of which is presently introduced in the WP article at the beginning of the Overview. Because its proponents are driven to say it's a theory whether or not they are successful at changing the definition of science, it is important to make this statement in addition to the statement just added by Dave, Africangenesis and Adam. I have no objection to this approach just implemented and indeed compliment how concisely this info was stated just today, along with the citations just provided.
<p>The only issue I have at the moment has to do with the use of the word "claimed" three times in the first paragraph of the lead (one of which I'm responsible for). Not wanting to mess with the first sentence myself, I'd like to see "claim" replaced with another word such as "proposition", "concept", "position", "assertion" or some other suitable word. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 17:36, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
:I went ahead and changed "claim"->"assertion" in first sentence, given the new 4th sentence by AdamCuerden/Africangenesis/DaveSouza and the add'l clause in 2nd sentence. It's merely tentative to tide it over until editors here can decide about it. Look forward to seeing what the collection of editors arrives at. My compliments on the research effort involving the last sentence of the first lead paragraph by Africangenesis, Dave_souza and Adam Cuerden. ... [[User:Kenosis|Kenosis]] 17:55, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
::"Proposition" rather than "assertion" might be a bit more neutral for the first sentence, but I agree that "assertion" is better than "claim". For the other two, how about "Stated by its proponents to be...", and "on this basis, claim..." if we're staying with "assertion" in the first sentence, or "on this basis, assert..." if we're changing it? [[User:Tevildo|Tevildo]] 18:09, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Replied above: it is not clear what Aristotle has to do with ID.
== Kenosis' addition to the second sentence ==
:The only mention of telistic science was Thomas Nagel's paper on ID. For the rest, neither proponents, nor opponents made a connection between ID and Aristotle. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 19:23, 16 April 2025 (UTC)
:Aristotlelian philosophy held that truth was established by quality of rhetoric and appeal to authority. For Aristoteleans, heavy objects fall faster than light ones, and both fall at constant speed. This was replaced in the 17th Century by the concept of ''fact'', a loanword from law. Where ''truth'' was established by authority, ''fact'' was established by weight of empirical evidence.
:Anybody who has been paying attention will realise that there has been a concerted effort over more than half a century to roll back the scientific revolution and go back to Truth as the arbiter of reality. This has been led by two particularly powerful lobbies: cdesign proponentsists and climate change deniers.
:Wikipedia still runs on facts. Try Conservapedia. '''[[user:JzG|Guy]]''' <small>([[user talk:JzG|help!]] - [[User:JzG/Typos|typo?]])</small> 20:19, 16 April 2025 (UTC)
{{hat|Forum posts about philosophy}}
:The definition of a scientific theory is not that has been proven (verified), but that the theory can be falsified. This must be the case, since an absolute verification is impossible for any theory (even mathematics and logic rely on assumptions which need not be true). And it is easy to falsify Intelligent Design. Just do a biological experiment to let any kind of organism evolve a flagellum where it did not have one at first. You may use any kind of environment to speed up the process.
:Then if ID can be falsified, and it is easy to imagine a falsification (spontaneous generation of life was pretty popular before it was discovered to be false), why call it pseudoscience? [[Special:Contributions/77.164.151.163|77.164.151.163]] ([[User talk:77.164.151.163|talk]]) 19:04, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::I think you should ask real Aristotelico-Thomists how they feel about ID. [[User:tgeorgescu|tgeorgescu]] ([[User talk:tgeorgescu|talk]]) 22:27, 16 April 2025 (UTC)
::How is truth not the arbiter of the reality? If X is real, then we can say that the statement "X is real" is ''true''. Empirical evidence is important ''precisely because'' it points us in the direction of the truth.
::And that's not to mention that "fact" is often defined in reference to truth. For example, Wikipedia defines fact as "a ''true'' datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy's entry on "facts" mentions the word "truth" 103 times.
::If "facts" don't correspond to any truths (and are consequently false statements), then we should, in the words of Hume, commit them to the flames. [[User:Brent Silby|Brent Silby]] ([[User talk:Brent Silby|talk]]) 19:52, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
:::{{tq|How is truth not the arbiter of the reality?}} Guy literally explained it in his comment. Why are you asking questions that have already been answered?
:::{{tq|If "facts" don't correspond to any truths (and are consequently false statements)}} This statement betrays a serious misunderstanding of what a fact is. If the truth and the facts disagree, then the facts win. Every time. Welcome to methodological naturalism. [[User:MjolnirPants|<span style="color:#004400;">'''ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants'''</span>]] <small><small>[[User_talk:MjolnirPants|''Tell me all about it.'']]</small></small> 20:05, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::::"If the truth and the facts disagree, then the facts win"
::::There is no such thing as truth and facts disagreeing. Funnily enough, I don't even have to go past Wikipedia to demonstrate this. Wikipedia page for truth defines "truth" as "the property of being in accord with ''fact'' or reality". Wikipedia page for fact defines "fact" as a ''true'' datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. [[User:Brent Silby|Brent Silby]] ([[User talk:Brent Silby|talk]]) 20:15, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::::: Two people can have diametrically opposite views, one according with reality and one not, and yet both can believe that they are speaking the "truth". Only one, however, will be speaking facts. Indeed, [[WP:V]] ''used'' to say that Wikipedia is based on "verifiability, not truth" and was removed for exactly the reason that some people found it confusing. [[User_talk:Black Kite|Black Kite (talk)]] 20:40, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::What you just wrote would still be true if you substituted facts for truth: two people can have diametrically opposite views, one according with reality and one not, and yet both can believe that they are speaking the "truth". Only one, however, will be actually making true statements (assuming that their views are actually diametrically opposed). [[User:Brent Silby|Brent Silby]] ([[User talk:Brent Silby|talk]]) 20:46, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::: If everyone only believed facts that aligned with reality were their "truth", you would be correct. In the real world, however, people believe many things, a lot of which are either non-factual or cannot ever be proved to be facts. [[User_talk:Black Kite|Black Kite (talk)]] 20:55, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::::I don't understand how that makes me wrong, though. The fact that people often hold false beliefs to be true and to correspond with reality only tells us about the less-than-perfect cognitive faculties of the aforementioned humans. Not to mention that there are lots of people who think that they hold factual beliefs, while they actually don't, so truth and factuality are in the same boat here. [[User:Brent Silby|Brent Silby]] ([[User talk:Brent Silby|talk]]) 21:12, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::::: I didn't say you were wrong, but in a Wikipedia environment the two words are not quite congruent, especially where we are talking about beliefs, such as in this article. [[User_talk:Black Kite|Black Kite (talk)]] 21:28, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::::::Oh, I don't dispute the Wikipedia ruling and I understand why it was made. Basically, as far as I can tell, what Wikipedia means is that everyone has their personal beliefs/opinions, but Wikipedia only cares the academic consensus (as it should).
::::::::::My problem is that due to poor phrasing ("verifiability not truth"), it got many people to have confused takes about what Wikipedia actually cares about. That's why one of my favorite essays is [[WP:Truth, not verifiability]]. [[User:Brent Silby|Brent Silby]] ([[User talk:Brent Silby|talk]]) 21:40, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
{{hab}}
 
== The connection with creationism should be removed ==
Kenosis keeps trying to draw a conclusion in the second sentence of the rough form
{{archive top|OP says they will not propose any concrete change. --[[User:McSly|McSly]] ([[User talk:McSly|talk]]) 17:03, 26 July 2025 (UTC)}}
Although ID points to a designer, it has little connection with creationism. Creationism wants to prove Genesis 1 fully, while ID only says there was a designer (like the Big Bang theory says there was a beginning) regardless of whether that was an alien, a supercreature or whatever. Of course speculation about the designer is common, but it does not necessarily have anything to do with the bible (how many other religions have a story about how life began?)
 
There are creationists who try to make use of the success of Intelligent Design, of course. But their opinions are not central or influential in the movement. It's like atheïsts making use of the success of pychoanalysis, and then considering the entire field of psychoanalysis to be motivated by atheïsm. [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 19:35, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
"Claimed by its advocates to be a scientific theory, it is actually a form of teleological argument"
:Have you read and understood the article? N.B. the hatnote and the second paragraph of the lead section. [[User:Just plain Bill|Just plain Bill]] ([[User talk:Just plain Bill|talk]]) 19:46, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::Judging what is science or not is not something to be left to judges and courts. It should be the task of philosophy of science. Making it judged by a judge or court will not change the opinion of the scientists. [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 19:58, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::unless a motivation from philosophy of science is given by the judge or court, of course. [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 20:11, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::::Nice deflection. The Kitzmiller case came after the Discovery Institute's framing of creationism in "intelligent design" terms. The core thesis of the article may be found in the second paragraph's first sentence:
::::{{tq|Although the phrase intelligent design had featured previously in theological discussions of the argument from design, its first publication in its present use as an alternative term for creationism was in Of Pandas and People, a 1989 creationist textbook intended for high school biology classes.}}
::::N.B. the first sentence of the hatnote:
::::{{tq|This article is about a specific pseudoscientific form of creationism.}}
::::I am finished with this thread. regards, [[User:Just plain Bill|Just plain Bill]] ([[User talk:Just plain Bill|talk]]) 21:03, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::: ID and creationism are thoroughly linked together through the proponents at the Discovery Institute. Other, similar, propositions are covered at [[Teleological argument]]. [[User_talk:Black Kite|Black Kite (talk)]] 20:15, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::::From their website:
::::The two most prominent creationist groups, Answers in Genesis Ministries (AIG) and Institute for Creation Research (ICR) have criticized the intelligent design movement (IDM) because design theory, unlike creationism, does not seek to defend the Biblical account of creation. AIG specifically complained about IDM's “refusal to identify the Designer with the Biblical God” and noted that “philosophically and theologically the leading lights of the ID movement form an eclectic group.” Indeed, according to AIG, “many prominent figures in the IDM reject or are hostile to Biblical creation, especially the notion of recent creation'.” Likewise, ICR has criticized ID for not employing “the Biblical method,” concluding that “Design is not enough!” Creationist groups like AIG and ICR clearly understand that intelligent design is not the same thing as creationism. [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 20:27, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::::: (ec) Yep, exactly. [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]], you should read the article more carefully. I specifically direct you to the [[Intelligent_design#Of_Pandas_and_People| section mentioning "cdesign proponentsists"]], showing how they screwed up doing a basic search and replace while simply rebranding creationist books to ID books. --[[User:McSly|McSly]] ([[User talk:McSly|talk]]) 20:30, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::::::I wouldn't advise reading the article with anything but extreme caution indeed! [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 20:46, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::::::after all, my advisors at the UvA when I completed my master thesis did not consider wikipedia to be a reliable source. I'm pretty sure they back me up to read cautiously and check all the references. [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 20:49, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Wikipedia agrees with your advisors at the UvA, so that's good. [[User:Gråbergs Gråa Sång|Gråbergs Gråa Sång]] ([[User talk:Gråbergs Gråa Sång|talk]]) 06:29, 9 July 2025 (UTC)
 
::::: This is also covered by the FAQ at the top of this page. So we should probably stop wasting too much time here. --[[User:McSly|McSly]] ([[User talk:McSly|talk]]) 20:32, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
I'm not sure about this for multiple reasons:
::::@[[User:Black Kite|Black Kite]] you forgot to mention Isaac Newton in [[Teleological argument]]. See [https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/8DD64733666B3D587AB86278F6BB4261/S0269889722000059a.pdf/using_ones_talents_in_honor_of_god_lambert_ten_kate_16741731_and_isaac_newtons_natural_philosophy.pdf] bottom of page 35:
::::Moreover, the second edition contains the theologically charged and methodologically significant General Scholium, in which Newton, amongst other things, urged that the system of the world is dependent on “the design and dominion of an intel ligent and powerful being,” [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 20:42, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
:::::This isn't intended as a [[Wikipedia:Notaforum|forum]] to discuss ID, it's only for making changes to the article. To do that, you'd need to show that you read and *understood* the FAQ and not claim that it's just 'a judge'.
:::::Furthermore, the science vs pseudoscience question is separate from whether ID is linked with creationism.
:::::If you have specific changes you'd like to make, you can suggest them. [[User:MilesVorkosigan|MilesVorkosigan]] ([[User talk:MilesVorkosigan|talk]]) 20:54, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
::::::I would suggest to link the term to Isaac Newton as one of the first people using it as the underlying belief under his scientific works, and note that the opinions on ID being creationism or serious science differ among scientists. [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 10:39, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Ok, so what '''specific wording''' are you proposing? and what are the [[WP:RS|sources]] you want to use to back up those changes? With that, we will be able to discuss. --[[User:McSly|McSly]] ([[User talk:McSly|talk]]) 13:19, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
::::::::I noticed that my opinion is not really liked here, therefore I'd rather not grind you on specific wordings and position. As source the pdf I gave is fine. For the rest, I leave it up to you guys, if or what you'll do with this talk - if you have questions for clarification, in case I wasn't clear earlier, I'll happily answer those. My wish is only the suggestion just above this comment. [[User:Maarten Havinga|Maarten Havinga]] ([[User talk:Maarten Havinga|talk]]) 16:54, 26 July 2025 (UTC)
{{archive bottom}}
 
== Should be mentioned as Creationism ==
:1. It may count as OR. Has any independant source explicitly used that to debunk the ID claim?
in the lede, preferably even in the first 10 words. <!-- Template:Unsigned IP --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/24.10.72.161|24.10.72.161]] ([[User talk:24.10.72.161#top|talk]]) 22:23, 24 August 2025 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:2. Is it actually a good debunking of the claim? [[Flood Geology]] and oher forms of [[creation science]]?
:Such impatience! It's in the third sentence of the lede, as well as in the hatnore. . . [[User:Dave souza|dave souza]], [[User talk:Dave souza|talk]] 23:46, 24 August 2025 (UTC)
::2a. Far more blatantly religious pseudosciences, did not fall out of favour because people were embarrassed by it; it fell out of favour because Edwards v. Aguilard ruled against it. Both were being tught as a theory on a state scale.
::2b. Even ignoring that, what the teleological argument is is fairly obscure. Its status as a scientific theory is being debunked by a slighly awkward definition that does not have much strength.
:3. The first sentence is already misleading as to natural selection. Must we contininue to harp on the DI party line for another half-sentence?
[[User:Adam Cuerden|Adam Cuerden]] <sup>[[User_talk:Adam Cuerden|talk]]</sup> 18:16, 20 May 2007 (UTC)