I refer to Steven Foong's letter Who is to know Shakespeare wasn't a monkey? which is a response to my earlier letter.

First of all, whether I am a Darwinist or not is immaterial to the discussion. I certainly did not assume Foong to be a creationist.

Secondly, probability is at the heart of quantum mechanics, which is the foundation of almost all modern technologies, from laser (CD, DVD players) to semiconductors (computers, cell-phones) to high-tech medical diagnostic equipments (MRI, PET scan, CT scan, etc.).

In quantum mechanics, the square of wavefunctions is to be interpreted as probability. And the universe can be described as a 'giant' wavefunction. Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable to assign a probability of existence to our universe.

Quantum field theorists have to deal with infinities due to ultraviolet divergence all the time. They use a technique called renormalisation to rescale away the infinities. If anyone can come up with a way to renormalise the infinite chain of creator/designers to one, I am all ears.

As Ken Cowan pointed out , some physicists consider the universe as a particularly long-lived vacuum fluctuation. Vacuum polarisation/fluctuation is not some esoteric theory conjured up by physicists.

Its palpable effect on the electron magnetic moment has been confirmed and observation agrees with theoretical prediction to better than one part per billion (Paul CW Davies, The forces of Nature ).

I'm not familiar with Michael Behe's work. From what little I've read, they seem to confirm my point of view that what appears to be 'irreducibly complex' to Behe may not be so to other experts.

Foong also admitted that he would call his intelligent designer God, and he agrees with me that it is faith. To paraphrase the Bard, a rose by any other name is just as thorny. Intelligent design by any other name, is just as unscientific.

The theory of intelligent design has not produced a single testable prediction, let alone one that is accurate to one part per billion. It is most emphatically not science. It is faith masking as pseudoscience.