For the purpose of greater clarity it seems wise to begin with some definitions and some disambiguations on this site. We have attempted to define these terms in non-tendentious ways, but rather to highlight important distinctions that we think can and should be taken into account when approaching the subject. We are open to read your suggestions for corrections and suggestions for improving our clarifications and for producing a suitable taxonomy for this subject—you can email those suggestions to us by using the link at the very bottom of this page.
We begin by trying define the standard origin of species Neo-Darwinist theory—alleged to no longer to be a theory, but sober fact—and by disambiguating that from other conceptions of the origin of species theories including Intelligent Design. We further attempt to disambiguate those other theories from each other.
1. Darwinian Evolution (hereafter DE), a.k.a. the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis or the current Darwinian Synthesis: is a set of theses believed to explain the naturalistic mechanism of speciation among animals and plants, which includes the following main ideas: 1) natural selection, which they hold to be a non-random natural process that selects and preserves advantageous properties or traits of a biological organisms. The natural selection process is thought to act on genetic information contained in biological organisms by means of a natural process of culling out both disadvantageous heritable traits and by preserving the organism's “better” adapted genetic information. Mutations to genetic information are typically thought to be produced by a random natural process—where the term ‘random’ is defined as a process that does not know in advance what mutations are adaptable, which are then passed on to its progeny. This process of natural selection acting on random genetic mutations, it is claimed, can enable the organism to produce novel traits that can produce functionally better adapted offspring than its competitors in a specific given environment. The information that produces the trait is produced by the accumulation of functionally advantageous traits encoded in genes and is preserved in those who survive and reproduce; 2) the classic Darwinian process is described as a gradual natural process; 3) it typically includes the thesis that there is a universal common biological ancestor to all living things--plants and animals and that there is a complete natural cause and effect chain from non-living materials to all living organisms. They hold that nature’s appearance of being designed by an agent(s) is an illusion.
Disambiguation: Darwinian evolution is not mainly a thesis or set of theses about the origin of living things, per se, but rather a set of theses about speciation or the “creation" of new species from species that already exist. That is, it is a thesis about living organisms that are adapted in such a way that they are advantaged or better able to survive and to pass along their better adaptive genetics into future generations than their competitors are able to do. This is sometimes called survival of the fittest or sometimes, survival of the best adapted. DE should also be distinguished from the following:
2. Darwinian Theistic Evolution (DTE)—sometimes called Theistic Evolutionary Creationism: a view of speciation that includes the basic naturalistic mechanisms of Darwinian Evolution (DE): random (not God-guided) natural selection, random (not God-guided) genetic mutations and common ancestry, but maintains ultimate theistic creation and support of the natural processes. Many who hold this position say that they are Creationists not because of the empirical evidence, but because they believed in a Creator logically prior to the weighing of scientific evidence for and or against. Most who hold this view think there is insufficient empirical evidence for an agent designer of any kind.
3. Non-Darwinian Theistic Evolution (NDTE)—often identified with Intelligent Design (ID), however, ID does not necessarily identify the designer as a theistic designer: A view of speciation that includes 1) God-guided natural processes—where natural selection acting on God-guided genetic mututations, eventually produces better adaptive progeny, and 2) sometimes—though less typically—the thesis of common ancestry. Even though NDTEers believe that there were God-guided natural mechanisms (secondary causes) involved in speciation, many who hold this position believe in 3) the possibility or actuality of some Divine intervention. That is, this category could fit those who think a) God not only could intervene in Creation’s development, but also did intervene; and b) those who think God could directly intervene but for various reasons, did not directly intervene in Creation’s development. In contrast to DTEers, 4) they typically think there is sufficient empirical evidence to support the inference that biological systems were theistically designed and insufficient empirical evidence to support the Neo-Darwinian (unguided), fully naturalistic explanation for the origin of species.
Disambiguation: Darwinian Theistic Evolution differs from Non-Darwinian Theistic Evolution in that DTE 1) claims it exclusively uses only scientific methodology--methodological naturalism (eg. BiologosBiologos); and DTE also claims 2) there is a complete natural cause and effect chain from a first living organism to all living organisms--descent with modification--a complete natural cause and effect chain. Whereas, NDTE typically holds to a God-guided naturalistic processes (secondary causes) to account for the origin of species that may have involved the intervention of some kind of intelligent designer in Creation. They claim to follow the evidence to determine whether phenomena are best explained by divine intervention or by directed secondary causes. Because it admits to the possiblity—some NDTEers argue for the actuality of supernatural (or non-natural) causes—it is claimed by its opponents that this is an outright disguised religious doctrine. It is further alleged by its opponents that in so doing (allowing for the possibility of divine intervention), NDTE is guilty of pseudo-science.
Thus, the most important differences between DTE and NDTE is 1) whether God, after Creating the universe possibly intervened directly in the Creation process of biological organisms (especially humans) and 2) whether or not evolution is guided or unguided by an intelligent designer. Note: in some sophisticated expressions of NDTE, the guiding by God can be accomplished by choosing which of all possible worlds that could be and ones that were feasible for God to create, the one he actually chose to instantiate—the one we are now living in. That is to say, because of God’s omniscience He knows the counterfactuals of even apparently random worlds and is able to instantiate one of those to achieve the eventual desired ends that were desired by Him.
4. Intelligent Design (ID): is a set of theses about the origin of species that contends 1) that the apparent design we see in biological systems is not merely apparent, but that it was actually designed and that design is detectable (can be propertly inferred) on the basis of observational empirical facts. That is, intelligent design can be properly inferred in an analogus way to detecting highly non-random, specified complexity that is typically attributed to human agents (artifacts). 2) Adherents of ID concede that the intelligent design that they discover is consistent with a theistic Designer, but refrain from naming that agent as the only possibility to account for the design we see. However, many, but not all of the leading adherents of ID are Christian theists. 3) that many biological organisms display what they call irreducible complexity—that is, display integrated complexity such that unless all of the parts of the organism are present and organized the way they are, the biological system would be dysfunctional. Thus, they contend intelligent design is a better explanation of that irreducible complex organism than the Neo-Darwinian synthesis explanation. 4) Some ID adherents believe in the common ancestry of all living organisms, while others demur.
Disambiguation: Both Non-Darwinian Theistic Evolution (NDTE) and Intelligent Design (ID) hold that the naturalistic Neo-Darwininan synthesis provides an inadequate explanation for the information contained in living organisms and that a better explanation (by means of inference to the best explanation) is an intelligent agent designer. However, they differ in that Intelligent Design holds to an unspecified designer, thus not necessarily a theistic one (that is a separate argument) and the former does specify the Designer is theistic.
5. Young Earth Creationism (YEC): is a set of theses about the origin of “kinds” of biological organisms and especially human beings. One important thesis involves a specifically literal interpretation of the biblical literature (found in Genesis) regarding Divine intervention and special creation of “kinds” and human beings. They further claim that there is good empirical evidence for the design we see in biological systems and the cosmos—evidence of a theistic (Christian) Designer. Another major thesis they hold, is that there is good empirical evidence for a relatively young earth (approximately 4,000 - 6,000 years old), hence the name, Young Earth Creationism. They also argue that there is strong scientific evidence for Noah’s flood as described in Genesis.
Chart of some of the differences and similarities among the definitions.