Does “Intelligent Design” qualify as a legitimate Scientific Theory as the word is defined in the scientific method?
The problem with an intelligent design theory is that it’s so broad that it lacks falsifiability. A strong scientific theory is structured so that experiments that attempt to disprove it could be constructed. That is, you know it’s a good theory when you can think of a situation that would prove it false. It’s hard to think of an experiment that proves intelligent design is false. That’s not to say its completely weak as a theory, other ideas of life’s origin often have the same problem, but it’s harder to think of a way to disprove a creative entity.