Evolution and Design
The debate between evolutionary theory and intelligent design. Evolution explains apparent design through natural selection and random mutation, apparently eliminating the need for a designer. Intelligent Design (ID) proponents argue that biological complexity exhibits 'irreducible complexity' requiring an intelligent designer. The debate centers on whether evolution explains all biological design or whether some complexity requires design explanation.
Real World
The 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover trial in Pennsylvania put Intelligent Design on trial, with biochemist Michael Behe defending irreducible complexity in the bacterial flagellum against evolutionary biologists who demonstrated step-by-step evolutionary pathways.
Exam Focus
Distinguish clearly between evolution as science and ID as philosophy/theology; examiners penalise answers that conflate these as equivalent scientific theories.
How well did you know this?