<<Is "intelligent design" a mind-like action such as "thoughtful
conceptualization for the accomplishment of a purpose", a hand-like action
such as "imposing a new form or structural arrangement on available raw
materials" or some other category of action?
>>
"Design" is a word that is both a _verb_ and a _noun_. Check your dictionary
to verify this.
Howard uses it as a _verb_. The word _action_ appears three times in his one
sentence above. He wants IDers to define design as a _verb_. What is
design, he asks, conceptual action or manual action or some other kind of
action?
IDers they refrain from doing because, I believe, they do not want to get
involved in questions about the_designer_ at this time. Bill said, "But the
mode assembly [design as a verb] is a separate question." In fact, in his
post of April 4 Bill said "For most instances of intelligent design we don't
have any account of the mode of assembly." Their current interest is in
establishing that _design_ as a noun can be verified by scientific and
logical methods.
IDers use the word design as a _noun_. IMO the best noun-definition of
design is given by IDer, Mike Behe: design is "a purposeful arrangement of
parts." In this sense, Bill Dembski is right: as a_noun_, design "has a
perfectly well understood common usage." The simplest way to define design
as a noun is to _point_ to examples of it. Point to the marvelously intricate
eye of the trilobite and you will clearly understand what design as a noun
is. Ask how the trilobite eye was designed (as a _verb_) and as Bill said,
"we don't have any account of the mode of assembly."
Howard has never responded to or acknowledged noun-definitions of design
given by IDers. He wants IDers to define design as a verb. He has their
answer, "We don't know at this time how design in nature is accomplished, we
just know that it exists."
Hope this helps.
Bob