Yesterday, driving to work, I was listening to a bit on the CBC about intelligent design - some ridiculous piece of weaponry in the arsenal of the anti-evolutionists.
Intelligent Design (referred to ID) proposes that the theory of evolution is faulty because it cannot explain EVERYTHING. ID faults evolution for not explaining every last little detail, like highly complex and repetitive patterns in nature. The ID-ologists proclaim that because there are so many repetitive complex patterns occuring in animal, mineral and vegetable alike, they must have been "designed" with intent by some conscious being.
All I can think of in reply is, "COME ON!" Of course we don't know EVERYTHING! And it's not the fault of any theory anywhere - we're human beings! I'm fairly positive that at this particular place in our development (or evolution, of you will) we are not capable of knowing or discovering EVERYTHING, and that's okay...
True intelligence is being able to admit when you don't understand or know something. It's the drive to keep searching, keep experimenting and wondering. It is NOT the ability to say, "I don't know, therefore, it must be magic," which, is essentially what this ID guesstimate gives us.
If we can't comprehend all the mysteries and complexities that exist all around us and inside us, we do not have to come up with some imaginary friend or process responsible for it all.
And, if that's how you personally deal with the unknown, well, that's fine, we all have our own take on the world. But consider that this story of Intelligent design is being taught in some schools, along side other curriculum such as evolution, gravity and algebra. Outside of a mythology class or a comparative religion study, this sort of story telling does not have a place in any school.
As a species, we have learned so much over our lifetime; and we have much more to learn. It makes me cringe to think that someone could give up that easily - just point their finger at a mystical, unknown source, with no evidence other than the fact that our species hasn't uncovered a theory of EVERYTHING!
And, it makes me sad to think that there are so many people out there willing to take the wonder of out everyday life as well. Should we be in such a rush to know all that there is to know that we just start making it up as we go?