In the debate over intelligent design one of the more annoying problems is the media's predilection to misdefine ID, and to avoid reporting the positive case scientists make for the theory based on scientific evidence. Stephen Meyer, CSC Director, this weekend penned a clear and concise description of the theory that everyone --especially journalists-- should read and remember.

Over at ID The Future Meyer writes:

But lost in the controversy over the legality of teaching about intelligent design has been any serious discussion of the scientific merit of the theory itself. According to media reports and the judge in Pennsylvania, the theory is just a "faith-based" alternative to evolution, based solely on religion rather than scientific evidence.

But is this accurate? As one of the architects of the theory, I know it's not.

Contrary to media reports, intelligent design is not a religious-based idea, but instead an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins – one that challenges strictly materialistic views of evolution.

Using these examples and explaining how based upon our experience of cause and effect, in every instance we know of the cause that produces irreducibly complex systems is intelligence. Meyer concludes:

Thus, contrary to media reports, the theory of intelligent design is not based on ignorance or religion, but instead on recent scientific discoveries and on our uniform experience of cause and effect, the basis of all scientific reasoning.