William Dembski: Intelligent Design, the Design Argument, and Special Creation

There is no small amount of confusion concerning the terms "Intelligent Design," "Design Argument," and "Special Creation." Indeed, while some critics use the terms interchangeably (or assume that someone who defends one of these views must be defending all of them), the positions are quite different in what they purport to show.

Intelligent Design is the argument that certain features of our world are best explained by appealing to intelligence, even though the identity of the designing intelligence remains open. (Contrary to the claims of many atheists, David Hume was an advocate of Intelligent Design.) The Design Argument is the argument that certain features of our world are best explained by appealing to God as designer. Special Creation is the claim that God created the world in a particular way (usually in some way that lines up with the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis).

In this video, William Dembski defines Intelligent Design and contrasts his position with the Design Argument and Special Creation.