Dr. Jerry Coyne's flimsy and coarse demolition of what in fact is a straw man version of intelligent design would not warrant response if The New Republic had not promoted it as a cover story recently. We asked TNR's editors if they would like an article in rebuttal, but the editors apparently thought such would not be needed.

So here is a reply by Dr. Jonathan Wells, biologist and author of Icons of Evolution. Darwinists will respond to it with their customary scholarly sobriety, assailing Wells personally, whooping it up for "overwhelming evidence" for Darwin's theory that doesn't have to be inspected because, after all, it is "overwhelming", and suggesting that those who differ from them want to install a theocracy.

But we suggest the reader read (or re-read) Coyne's piece from TNR, then read Wells. It is a fair means of comparison not available in TNR.