Proponents of intelligent design don't accept that some of the very complex nanomachines that we have inside ourselves could have come about solely on the basis of natural selection.

In this quote, Francis Collins, a renowned geneticist and director of the National Institutes of Health, addresses the debate between intelligent design and natural selection. He highlights the belief held by some proponents of intelligent design that certain complex biological systems, such as the nanomachines within our bodies, could not have arisen solely through the gradual process of natural selection. According to this perspective, these intricate systems require an intelligent creator or designer, rather than being the product of evolutionary processes.

Collins suggests that the proponents of intelligent design reject the scientific explanation provided by natural selection, which posits that complex organisms and systems evolve over long periods of time through small, incremental changes driven by environmental pressures and genetic variation. These critics argue that some of the complexity in biological systems is too sophisticated to have occurred without the involvement of a guiding intelligence. However, Collins, as a scientist, believes in the power of natural selection to account for the development of such complex structures over time.

The mention of nanomachines refers to the incredibly detailed and finely tuned components within our cells, such as proteins and enzymes, which carry out essential tasks necessary for life. Proponents of intelligent design often point to these complex systems as evidence that there must have been an intelligent creator behind their existence, suggesting that their complexity cannot be explained by evolution alone.

Collins' quote represents his stance on the evolutionary process, acknowledging the ongoing debate between those who believe in natural selection and those who support intelligent design. As a scientist, Collins advocates for a naturalistic explanation of complexity, grounded in evolutionary biology, while acknowledging the philosophical and theological dimensions of the intelligent design argument.