Why is “Intelligent design a difficult foe”?

Good article in today’s Toronto Star. In “Intelligent design a difficult foe,” Jay Ingram discusses why ID has gotten such traction in the U.S. He pulls no punches and right up front plainly states that ID is not science and goes on to explain why:

“Scientists constantly test their theories, trying to poke holes in them. They perform observations and/or experiments to do that. If their preconceptions are not supported by what they see, detect or calculate, they are discarded.

“Darwin's theory of evolution has been subjected to more than a century's worth of testing. Not once has a fundamental prediction made by the theory been shown to be incorrect.”

….

“Proponents of intelligent design, on the other hand, do no experiments. They have promised them in the past, but so far, nothing. Instead, they simply criticize evolution. So, they're talking about science but they're not doing any. Science is about doing something. ID should not be taught in science classes because it isn't science.”

Ingram goes on to consider the sad state of science literacy in the U.S. and other factors that make it difficult for many people to grasp the concept of evolution.

Jay Ingram is a science journalist who apparently has a gig on the Discovery Channel. A scan of some of his past articles reveals a talent for explaining complex ideas in clear, simple language.