[Avodah] intelligent design

[Eli Turkel]

To be clear "intelligent design" is a very specific topic. It has nothing to
do with G-d being intelligent.

Due to various attacks on creationism being non-scientific certain
groups (mainly
Protestant groups with a very literal reading of the Bible) have
invented "intelligent design" as an alternative to Darwin. Officially
"intelligent design" does not seek to prove that there is a G-d that created
the universe (again that violates separation of church and state). Rather the
main argument is that because nature is so complex it could not have
come by natural evolution.

Prof. Aviezer brought several proofs against the idea. He stressed that
because intelligent design is wrong it does not mean that Darwin and natural
evolution is right. His personal viewpoint is that evolution in correct but it
happened in jumps (eg a meteor hitting earth) rather than natural selection.

I have some statistical questions about Aviezer's arguments but when I asked
him he basically ignored the question.

-- 
Eli Turkel