Dover and Kansas

Alec MacAndrew

On 20th December 2005, Judge Jones gave his ruling in the Dover, Pa, Intelligent Design case.  In a scathing condemnation of ID, he ruled its teaching in American public schools to be unconstitutional. He clearly ruled that ID does not meet the standards of science and that it is merely warmed up creationism in new clothes, something that scientists have been pointing out for years. Go here to read the full ruling.  Many ID proponents, including Michael Behe were lambasted.  The judge castigated the members of the school board thus:

'The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the Board who voted for the ID Policy. It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy.

While the judge was writing his decision, the people of Dover took matters into their own hands.  They voted eight of the nine members that had introduced the Intelligent Design provisions off the school board.  Good for them.  They have demonstrated, before Judge Jones ruled, that a majority of people in Dover can tell the difference between science and religion. Meanwhile, the Kansas State Board of Education is trying to redefine science (by removing the requirement that science should only offer natural explanations for phenomena) so that they can sneak ID into science classes through the back door.  Of course the ID proponents aren't going to give up, since they are convinced that the biological theory of evolution is a dangerous affront to their religious beliefs and, in the marked absence of any credible scientific challenge to evolutionary theory, they will use every political trick in the book to attempt to prevent evolution being taught.
 
However, they are beginning to look tired and defeated.  In the last 100 years those who would promote the teaching of special creation over biological evolution as the explanation for the diversity of species (and, the thing that most upsets their religious sensibilities, the origin of Homo sapiens) have seen their position radically eroded:
 

• In 1935 it was illegal to teach evolution in Tennessee.  Other states considered introducing a similar law until the furore over the trial of John Scopes who was convicted of teaching evolution persuaded them not to do so. (The Tennessee law, although it fell into disuse, was not formally repealed until 1967)
• In the 60s, 70s and 80s, creationists, using their oxymoronic concept of creation 'science' attempted to get equal time in biology classes for evolution and special creation.  Several states enacted 'equal time' statutes. In 1987, the US Supreme Court declared such laws, in particular the equal time laws of Louisiana, to be unconstitutional.  Thereafter, no state was able to introduce creationism into science class.
• Intelligent Design was invented as a blatant political and religious attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling.  To do so, its public face claims that the 'intelligent designer' should not necessarily be identified with God, and could be little green aliens (when everyone knows that God is the 'intelligent designer' that the ID movement wishes to promote).  Fortunately the courts have always seen through this attempted dishonesty. And now, so have the townspeople of Dover, Pa.
• Now, in Kansas, the creationists have given even more ground. They have given up even on mentioning ID in science class.  They are reduced to attempting to set standards that require teachers to present the 'scientific controversy over chemical evolution' and over 'common ancestry' and to redefine science to include all explanations (not just natural ones). They merely wish their children to be taught that there are scientific controversies, where none exist.
• Finally, in Dover, the Intelligent Design movement has been unmasked for the dishonest and scurrilous activity that it is, and sent packing.

 © 2005