Design predictions
From ResearchID.org, a nexus for researching Intelligent Design
Another word for prediction is implication. What does intelligent design imply? What would it mean if life was design by an intelligence? Predictions listed here are based on design and teleological reasoning, which can often go hand-in-hand. The major headings are the observation. These predictions are not a complete departure from the methods and assumptions of science currently being used.
Here are a few questions to consider when approaching this topic:
- What do you see as the heuristic value of intelligent design?
- What kind of implications do you see when following the heuristic that there are teleological aspects to the origin and unfolding of phenomena in the universe?
- What kind of predictions do you see when following the heuristic that there are teleological aspects to the origin and unfolding of phenomena in the universe?
- How do you see those implications and predictions being tested?
These questions require new ways of looking at the existing evidence, new ways of seeking pathways to new research, and new means of testing hypotheses.
Please note: These predictions are theoretical proposals for brainstorming research ideas. These are highly speculative and have not gone through any research or testing yet.
Contents |
Predictions, Law, & Chance
When thinking about predictions of ID, the following points should be kept in mind:
- Helpful separation - predictions of ID can be based on the fact that blind natural laws and random chance do not behave certain ways. So, knowing how to separate laws, chance, and design can be helpful for drawing out predictions. Dividing law, chance, and design can make the implications clear-cut.
- Stronger predictions – because of the ways that people think about ID right now, it is important to keep in mind that predictions that negate laws and chance are often stronger (more convincing) as evidence for ID. Because of this, it should be noted if any confirmed predictions of ID are not easily achieved by chance, laws, or these two working together. Since this is the case, it is important to discuss possible Evolutionary Explanations for ID predictions.
- Unnecessary separation - dividing laws, chance, and design is not needed to draw out predictions. One danger is that dividing the three becomes the only focus. If this happens, many good ideas and options could be missed.
- Laws and chance in design - predictions of ID can also work in concert with laws and chance. A machine designed by an intelligent human can use many laws and chance as parts of a designed machine. In this way, a designer of life could use chance or laws.
Design Analogues
- If intelligence is an intrinsic aspect of nature, more design analogues will be found.
- More examples of isomorphic instantiation will be discovered.
- The techonological successes of Biomimicry will continue.
Artificiality and context
- Designed phenomena will be found in environments where order and organization are not likely to arise by random or unifunctional natural means.
- Perhaps life will be found where the habitat is hostile to the emergence of life, or is the environment is generally sterile to biological life.
Function
- Much so-called “junk DNA” will turn out to perform valuable functions. See design, law, and chance for more on this.
- Natural structures will be found that contain many parts arranged in intricate patterns that perform a specific function (e.g. complex and specified information).
- In general, vestigial organs will yield some function for the organism. See design, law, and chance for more on this.
- The correlation between habitability and discovery will strengthen. See Privileged Planet for more on this.
Information infusion and/or Front-loading
- Informational structures beyond the inherent abilities of blind natural forces and random chance will be found.
- (One of the only ways to gain greater understanding of the abilities of chance and forces is to study them and test their limits. This prediction is one of the many reasons that research into contingency and forces, including natural selection and random mutation, is absolutely and indispensably necessary in the design paradigm.)
- Forms containing large amounts of novel information will appear in the fossil record suddenly and without similar precursors.
Order vs. Organization
ID will bring more clarity to nature's abilities to yield order and organization.
Purpose
Step one of the design process.
Plan
Step two of the design process.
- Convergence will occur routinely. That is, genes and other functional parts will be re-used in different and unrelated organisms.
Execution
Step three of the design process.
Realization
Step four of the design process.
Lurking variables
Many of the current methods used in the study of complex phenomena only take into account chance and law. These anti-teleological approaches constantly face frustration and are forced to admit virtual agnosticism with regard to much of the complexity in nature, like the origin of life. If design is intrinsic to nature, but it is not being considered, it is a lurking variable. The inclusion of design as a variable in research could lead to new discoveries that were previously unattainable because the anti-teleological bias obscured potential predictions, explanations, and solutions that are dependent on design-theoretic investigation.
Conceptualization and Actualization
Because of the processes inherent to designing, the concept of ID will have to be explored before the actualized design can be explored.
