[inquest]

Of course SETI is an attempt to resolve two opposed, proposed theories. Just like the Michaelson-Morley experiment was, [sorry about the spelling] And in quite similar circumstances, with analogeous stakes.

Good, we agree. That means SETI is not itself a theory, which means it's inappropriate to compare it to ID. If you want to compare ID to the "theory" that extraterrestrial life does exist (which I'm still pretty sure is not part of any science curriculum), then that's a different line of inquiry.

[donh]

Good, we agree. That means SETI is not itself a theory, which means it's inappropriate to compare it to ID. If you want to compare ID to the "theory" that extraterrestrial life does exist (which I'm still pretty sure is not part of any science curriculum), then that's a different line of inquiry.

OK, have it your way: SETI is not a theory. It is a search, intended to try to validate the proposed theory that Extra-Terrestrial intelligence exists. ID is a theory--searching for ID would be equivalent to SETI. I feel much better now.