There has been a lot of debate on the qualification of the concept of intelligent design in the science realm. While some scientists and philosophers argue that the arguments presented in the intelligent design context cannot be observed and tested and can only exist as a quasi-religious doctrine, others hold the opinion that the concept is both observable and measurable and so fits perfectly in the scientific world. The case of evolution has been the subject of similar controversy, especially in the religious domain. Nevertheless, intelligent design is a science because it can be subjected to meaningful scientific observations and tests, unlike evolution which involves extremely long spans of time which makes it impossible to observe and test.
Historical " Biblical Prove
Perhaps the most convincing evidence of the relationship between science and intelligent design can be seen from Biblical history that has come to be proved by science much recently. One such example can be seen in Isaiah 40:22 in which it is written that God is constantly stretching and spreading the heavens like a curtain (Burke, para. 7). This point implies that, since creation, the universe has increased in size due to its progressive expansion. Important questions in the context of this paper are; is it possible to observe the expansion of the universe? Is it testable? If yes, how does this link with intelligent design as a science? Does this link with evolution in any way?
The answer to the first two questions is a resounding yes. While before the 20th century scientists held the opinion that the universe was invariant and eternal (Burke, para. 8), towards the beginning of the 20th century, Einstein developed equations that disproved this notion by showing that the universe was, in fact, dynamic and had a finite end (Kragh " Smith, pp. 141). While Einstein’s contribution was mathematical conjecture, Edwin Hubble in 1929, through his telescope, made the observation that the other galaxies were receding from our galaxy at varying speeds thus confirming Einstein’s equations (Kragh " Smith, pp. 141).
What makes this significant in the context of this paper is the fact that Isaiah 40:22 was written over 2000 years before either Einstein or Hubble made their contributions in astronomy. At the time of Isaiah, there were no mathematical theories suggesting the expansion of the universe and there were also no telescopes to observe the same. This notwithstanding, Isaiah is bold enough to point out that God is constantly spreading the universe. The fact that Einstein was able to predict this expansion and acceleration of the universe using equations is an indication that everything in the universe is systematically designed in a manner that can be deduced using the proper scientific insights. This provides a direct link between what is observed and tested to intelligent design and not to evolution. Using this reasoning, it is clear that while science brings all this knowledge to light, all this knowledge being sought by science is merely an effort to study the intelligent design t of the universe. For evolution, however, Biblical history does not provide any arguments of the changing life forms on the earth. A comparison similar to that for the expansion of the universe cannot be provided hence no claim can be made on whether or not the Bible supports evolution as a scientific principle.
The Scientific Observation of DNA
Crick and Watson, in 1953 made perhaps one of the most important discoveries in the 20th century when they analyzed the structure of the DNA molecule. In their experiments, they found out that DNA allows for the storage of DNA in the form of a code composed of four protein molecules. Crick would later posit that the arrangement of the constituents of DNA showed an uncanny resemblance to the code human beings program into computers. It is from this ‘language’ that all the characteristics and abilities of any living thing are contained thus showing that the code in DNA has a functional significance (Meyer, para. 5-8). Looking at this with from a more critical point of view leads to two questions of profound importance. Where did the information contained in DNA come from? What makes all this information combine in such a way as to create organisms that can carry out all the necessary functions for survival?
Like many other scientific works, the work by Crick and Watson does not answer these questions because they go well beyond the scope of science as we know it today. There is widespread acceptance in the scientific world that the code used in DNA has an uncanny resemblance to the code used in programming computers despite the fact that the structure of DNA was discovered well after the first computer programmes had been written. The code in computers can be observed and tested, and so can the code in DNA as it was by Crick and Watson. The existence of code in computers points to there having been a programmer, to begin with. Following this reasoning, the existence of code in DNA points to there being a “programmer” that is beyond the scope of science as we know it today. For evolution, on the other hand, such scientific observations are not observable. However, this does not disqualify evolution from being a science as well owing to the fact that the collection of evolutionary data in the human context would involve very long time scales that are beyond the lifespan of human beings.
The Golden Ratio
It has been proved scientifically that things designed using the ratio of 1.618… which is based on the Fibonacci series are naturally pleasing to the eye. For that reason, engineers have applied this ratio in most of their designs. However, what makes the golden ratio even more interesting is the fact that natural features, objects, and phenomena are designed according to this ratio in their proportions. Scientific measurements of galaxies and hurricanes show have shown that the ratio 1.618… was used in the development of their proportions. While it can be argued that the proportions cannot be attributed to any intelligent design but rather, circular motion, the same ratio has been measured in the spirals of ammonite shells hence implying the need for very specific genetic codes to produce the designs (Evolution News, para. 1).
The fact that the golden ratio is observed in natural phenomena both within and beyond the domain of earth is an indication of consistency throughout creation. It would be impossible for randomly colliding particles to collide in such a manner that whatever they create maintains a particular ratio in its dimensions. The only reason why the ratio is actually observed all over the universe of is that everything was designed through intelligence. What makes intelligent design a science in the context of the golden rule is the fact that everything, ranging from the curl of the tusk of an elephant to the twist of DNA molecules, is measurable and testable and leads to the same ratio; 1.618…
Conclusion
Intelligent design is a science because it can be subjected to meaningful scientific observations and tests. The strongest proof for this argument is the argument from the Biblical claim of the expanding universe that has come to be proved scientifically only recently. In addition to proving that intelligent design is both observable and testable, the argument stemming from this point of view reduces science to a mere attempt to explain intelligent design. Evolution, on the other hand, involves extremely long spans of time which makes it impossible to observe and test. Due to the fact that time is the limiting factor in the case of evolution, we cannot conclusively say whether or not evolution is observable and testable unless we had the ability to live for the lengths required to make any meaningful observations.
Works Cited
Burke, C. New Universe Research Confirms Biblical Teaching on Astronomy. 17 October 2016. 06 November 2018 .
Evolution News. Do We Live in a "Golden Ratio" Universe? 02 December 2014. 06 November 2018 .
Kragh, H. " Smith, R. W. "Who Discovered the Expanding Universe?" History of Science (2003): Vol. 41, pp. 141-162.
Meyer, S. C. Yes, Intelligent Design is Detectable by Science. 24 April 2018. 06 November 2018 .
