New design arguments: old Millian objections

An increasing number of natural scientists are doubling as natural theologians. I critically examine two recent defences of the design argument by biologists: Darwin's Black Box by Michael Behe and Nature's Destiny by Michael Denton. Each claims that recent findings in biology provide new evidence for belief in a supernatural designer. For the sake of argument, I grant both the validity and soundness of their arguments. What I then try to show is that even if we grant that the new biology supports a supernatural designer, J. S. Mill's objections, based on ordinary observation, still make it reasonable to doubt that the designer is the God of traditional theism – a being infinite in power, knowledge, and goodness.