[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your reply!

I cannot speak for the "Intelligent Design movement" - for those answers, you'd need to keep up with the lead group at the Discovery Institute.

Here are my responses to your questions:

Does ID (or you -- split your answer, if necessary) accept the fact of speciation and/or common descent?

I accept that variation occurs throughout biological life over time. I do not presume a continuum of biological life from a single common ancestor based on the quantized fossil evidence. IOW, I leave the door open to a mix of intelligent design and evolution.

Does variation have a preprogrammed direction?

Yes, as does everything within space/time based upon the initial conditions. In the case of biological life, the initial conditions may be algorithmic [Euclid] leading to self-organizing complexity, or may be the result of the immutability of segments in the semiosis (language, encoding and decoding of the DNA), information content of the universe, autonomy, etc.

Does variation anticipate need, or is it biased toward need?

Probably both. Adaptation is largely accommodated in the semiosis - and "noise" in the successful communication peculiar to biological life is not necessarily random in the system, i.e. it could be a broadcast.

If you were able to replace the major species -- say bird, reptiles, mammals, insects and flowering plants with the organisms from 500 million years ago, would speciation follow the same path due to an internal program?

Indeed, subject to differences in the environment. IOW, there would still be no new body plans as there were none after the Cambrian Explosion some 500 million years ago because of the master control genes (Gehring). But the survivers might be different based on the environment today - that is the role of natural selection, IMHO.

[js1138]

I have to say that's the clearest statement of your position I've seen. Much to think about. I disagree at most points, but find it interesting. The lack of new body plans could reflect competition. If body plans originate in the transition from single-celled to multi-celled, then it would be difficult for new types to emerge without being eaten. And for modern organisms to alter their body plan would involve a major breech of Dollo's Law.

Lot's of people have spent lots of decades looking for nonrandom variation without finding it. I've seen FReepers argue that most mutations are harmful, but then the chances against a germ cell achieving conception are a hundred million to one. There's an enormous selection factor prior to birth, much greater than after birth.