# Does Intelligent Design state only some things were "designed", or all things? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 28, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864 "2005-09-28T16:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864/1 "2005-09-28T16:08:18Z")
Does the theory of Intelligent Design only state that the “irreducibly complex” biological structures were designed by an intelligence, or does it postulate that everything was designed by an intelligence? Is ID all or nothing? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864/2 "2005-09-28T16:20:14Z")
For Behe, it is the former. Irreducible Complexity is Behe’s favored idea; otherwise he accepted Neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory. I’m not sure exactly where Dembski stands on _all_ issues, but I get the impression that he is most concerened with the earliest stages of evolution. I have not been able to figure out whether he accepts Neo-Darwinism for run-of-the-mill changes or only for speciation events. (I hate having to read Dembski.) Johnson opposes Evolution on _Philosohical_ grounds and tries to stay away from technical discussions (where he would be eaten alive, his legal training being little help in the face of facts). ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864/3 "2005-09-28T16:26:51Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Does the theory of Intelligent Design only state that the “irreducibly complex” biological structures were designed by an intelligence, or does it postulate that everything was designed by an intelligence? Is ID all or nothing? I’m fairly certain, as **tomndebb** has scratched the surface of, that it really depends who you ask. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864/4 "2005-09-28T16:30:12Z")
Thanks for the info so far. Does anybody know if the text the ID’ers are fighting to add to school curriculums describe ID as an alternative to evolution, or as something that happened with evolution? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864/5 "2005-09-28T20:42:59Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Does the theory of Intelligent Design only state that the “irreducibly complex” biological structures were designed by an intelligence, or does it postulate that everything was designed by an intelligence? Is ID all or nothing? Well, it’s not a scientific theory, and hence doesn’t really say much of anything related to science. Rather, people who think intelligent design is necessary for reasons both disingenuous and not entirely clear tend to pick on a variety of purported holes in our body of knowledge that informs Neo-Darwinian evolution, and their targets could range from the origins of life, the so-called “Cambrian Explosion”, complex molecular machines, and so forth. Whenever rebutted, they either ignore the counter-argument, or move on to some other target. I don’t think it’s really possible to characterize the ID movement as having any particular core principle or belief, other than, somehow, somewhere “Goddidit”, and, as the [Meyer paper debacle](http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2177) amply demonstrates, some ID “theorists” appear to hold views that can contradict or mischaracterize the views of the others. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864/6 "2005-09-28T21:29:51Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Thanks for the info so far. > > Does anybody know if the text the ID’ers are fighting to add to school curriculums describe ID as an alternative to evolution, or as something that happened with evolution? It’s actually not text, [but something the teachers are supposed to read:](http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/12748365.htm) > [@](#): > > In October 2004, the board voted 6-3 to require teachers to read a brief statement about intelligent design to students before classes on evolution. The statement says Darwin’s theory is “not a fact” and has inexplicable “gaps,” and refers students to an intelligent-design textbook for more information. Assuming you’re talking about the trial going on in PA this week. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864/7 "2005-09-28T23:37:20Z")
Bah, don’t remind me. Between that and the big protest (with Miltiamen, RKBA “teams” and a Rush radio station) it’s a right wing jamboree here… ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-intelligent-design-state-only-some-things-were-designed-or-all-things/323864/8 "2005-09-29T09:02:39Z")
**tom** and others, your expertise is requested [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=336046&page=3) by someone who wishes to be informed about Endogenous Retroviral Insertions, Information Theory and the chemical biology of DNA and RNA variation mechanisms, and who is seemingly more inclined towards true.origins than talk.origins.