Jeffrey T. Allen
Francisco J. Ayala's Stance on Intelligent Design Theory (2009)
In Darwin and Intelligent Design evolutionary geneticist Francisco J. Ayala argues that, first, intelligent design (ID) is "bad" science and "bad" theology, and second, religion and science are separate domains. Ayala thinks that ID is bad theology because, to be consistent, it must (erroneously) attribute the origin of an organism's imperfect "dysfunctionalities" to an ostensibly perfect designer. In part, Ayala maintains that ID is bad science because it is effectively shielded from empirical testing in the absence of suitable auxiliary assumptions—namely, independently established propositions about the putative designer's goal and abilities—preventing ID from being able to predict anything about organisms' biological features. But Jeffrey T. Allen argues that if ID is bad science, then it is good theology, and so Ayala's combined views are not consistent with each other.