Final answer:
A key criticism of the intelligent designer argument is that the complexity and waste in the universe imply inefficiency, which counters the idea of a supremely intelligent designer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to a criticism of the argument that an intelligent designer, which must be much greater than human intelligent designers, is akin to God as a result of the complexity and order found in the universe. A common criticism discussed involves the problem of complexity itself.
The argument posits that complexity and grandeur observed in the universe imply the work of an Intelligent Designer. However, critics argue that if the universe were the product of a supremely intelligent designer, the vast complexity and apparent waste in the universe would not be necessary.
This suggests a contradiction in the Intelligent Design argument: the more complexity is used as evidence of design, the less plausible it becomes that an efficient, intelligent designer is behind such wasteful complexity.
Another criticism could involve questioning the very premise of Intelligent Design. As critics point out, one should examine whether the origins of objects and beings could naturally occur, rather than assuming they look designed and therefore must have a designer.
This naturalistic explanation stands in contrast to the theistic implications of Intelligent Design Theory. Furthermore, the argument leads to a logical problem often referred to as the regress argument: if everything complex requires a designer, then the intelligent designer itself, being complex, would require an even greater designer, leading to an infinite regress.