The main idea behind intelligent design is that an omnipotent God deliberately created the universe and everything that is in it. He supposedly sat down and created millions of different plant and animal species according to a master plan of some sort. As has been pointed out by people like Jerry S. Coyle, however, the fact that so many of those species ultimately fail just doesn't make sense. It implies that the creator of those species made a huge number of mistakes, which directly contradicts the idea of him being all-knowing and all-powerful in the first place.

Contradicting Intelligent Design

Intelligent design is not strictly the same thing as creationism. One thing that it shares with that theory, however, is that one species cannot evolve into another. This poses several serious problems. Most notably, it leaves a big gaping hole when it comes to the unique variations that exist in nature. It says that some intelligent creator sat down and created millions of distinct species, some of which are remarkably similar to one another. The prevailing problem of this is logical. Why would an intelligent creator choose to create so many plants, animals and insects that resemble one another so closely? It simply makes more sense that they are actually evolved forms of one another.

Why Waste so Much Time?

If all of the species in the world were created through the course of intelligent design, why have so many millions of extinctions taken place throughout history? As noted by Carl Drews, it seems to imply that the creator came up with a huge number of seriously flawed specimens. After all, why couldn't they survive? Intelligent design completely does away with the possibility that some species "disappear" because they evolve into new ones, so people who hold this belief back themselves into corners all the time.

Intelligent Design: Creationism in Disguise?

After creationism took such a serious beating due to scientific findings regarding evolution, many proponents backtracked. In its stead, intelligent design was created. Proponents would argue that intelligent design has been the right idea all along, but the theory only seemed to be developed after creationists had so much trouble disproving the work of Charles Darwin and others. In the rush to come to the defense of an all-powerful "designer," though, those who support the theory of intelligent design have conveniently managed to overlook the issue of extinction. It is quite telling that the point has never been fully addressed by those who are firmly behind intelligent design.

When faced with the issue of extinction, those who support intelligent design will sometimes wave it away and call it a part of the designer's original plan. For a well-thought-out plan, however, intelligent design seems to be pretty chaotic and unpredictable. One of the biggest pitfalls of the theory of intelligent design is its insistence that everything in the natural world is orderly and consistent. If everyday life is a microcosm of how the universe works as a whole, it is pretty clear that chaos reigns supreme.

Comfort in a False Theory

At the end of the day, the idea of evolution is simply discomforting to many people. The concept that things may evolve in a not-so-planned-out way often induces panic in those who prefer order and regulation. Intelligent design is an attempt to apply regimentation into a world that is anything but orderly. Despite all of the findings to the contrary, those who stand behind the idea of intelligent design always fall back on the same old argument: Everything was designed by God or some other all-powerful being. The very fact that the main argument behind intelligent design is so basic and simple flies in the face of logic.

Dispelling the Concept of Intelligent Design

The simplest way to dispel the reasoning of a person who believes in intelligent design is by telling them this: The second that the first microscopic insect went extinct on the planet, the theory of intelligent design was completely annihilated. Years of careful scientific research have proven the hard work that was originally outlined by Charles Darwin time and time again. Those who believe in intelligent design are never able to come up with a good rebuttal for the issue of extinction, and that is because one simply doesn't exist.

In order to have a good debate, both sides of an issue need to be able to present thoughtful, well-researched arguments. Debating with someone who steadfastly believes in intelligent design is extremely frustrating because they bring no credible scientific ideas to the table. They respond to the mountains of research that back up the theory of evolution by pointing to an all-powerful creator and a mysterious "master plan." Instead of becoming frustrated, however, just keep returning to the issue of extinction during these debates. It is one point that typically stops people in their tracks, and it is a great one to keep repeating during these types of debates. If the design is so intelligent, what's the deal with all of the extinctions?