Dover Decided: The Latest on the Intelligent Design Debate

The debate between evolution and intelligent design intersects religion, science, and education, all disciplines that are dedicated to improving humankind’s understanding and experience of life.

But the Constitution has placed these disciplines in distinct spaces in the American community. Religion is to be a private enterprise, while science and education can be part of the public domain.

When the private and public clash and contradict, the courts must get involved and try to enforce the Constitution.

Ruling in the Dover Case

On December 20, 2005, Federal Judge John E. Jones III ruled that it was unconstitutional for the Dover School District in Pennsylvania to present intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in high school biology classes.

Jones, a Republican and Bush nominee, found intelligent design to be "a particular version of Christianity," and teaching it in public school to be a violation of the First Amendment, which prohibits public officials (in this case school board members) from establishing a particular religion.

Case background

A group of parents sued the Dover Area School District in York County, PA for including a statement about intelligent design in the ninth grade biology curriculum.

The parents, including a former science teacher, felt that the introduction of intelligent design violated the separation of church and state - the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

The American Civil Liberties Union represented the parents in court and requested that intelligent design be cut from the science curriculum.

The school district, for its part, argued that the one-minute statement about intelligent design did not violate the Establishment Clause. It simply mentions that there are other theories, some school board members said, and then directs students to the library if they’re interested.

So, what’s the harm in a short statement that recognizes the ongoing debate? Introducing students to this debate will encourage critical thinking, some argue. But others say that the statement blurs the definition of science by suggesting that intelligent design is on par with evolution.

Here’s what Dover District administrators read to their ninth grade biology students (the science teachers wouldn’t do it). Students were allowed to leave the room while it was announced. Judge for yourself:

• "The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin’s theory of evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part."
• "Because Darwin’s theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The theory is not a fact. Gaps in the theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations."
• "Intelligent design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, Of Pandas and People, is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what intelligent design actually involves."
• "With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the origins of life to individual students and their families. As a standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on standards-based assessments."

The statement not only introduces intelligent design as an alternative to evolution, but also suggests that science classes feature evolution because it appears on the standardized test.

What is evolution? What is intelligent design? How does it differ from creationism?

Evolution is the scientific theory that life has evolved over billions of years through mutation and natural selection. The vast majority of scientists accept this theory, and it is the basis of biological science.

Intelligent design advocates differ from creationists in that they accept the notions that some species change and that the earth is more than 6,000 years old. However, they deny that evolution is entirely responsible for the vast variety of life forms.

Those who believe in intelligent design say that certain structures found in living things, such as the extra wings on certain fruit flies or the flagella of bacteria, cannot be explained by Darwinian concepts of natural selection and random variation.

More specifically, they argue that the complexity of the flagella and the various "machines" inside cells could not have evolved from other life forms. Like a mousetrap or a wristwatch, they say, it is evident that there was a designer.

Evolutionists argue that gaps in evolutionary theory should not be assumed to be proof of god or a godlike being. Further, they assert that intelligent design is more attuned to religious theories of existence, rather than scientific ones, because science cannot prove the existence of a god. Since the supposition of a godlike being is central to intelligent design theory, they say, it does not belong in the science classroom.

Considering "theory"

Creationists say that evolution, creationism, and intelligent design are competing theories that should be presented equally and conditionally to students.

Evolutionists explain that creationists are confusing the meanings of "theory." The popular notion of theory is an idea that can’t be proven, but a scientific theory like evolution must be established and confirmed by the scientific method, that is with data that can be reproduced or replicated by others. Therefore, they say, evolution, creation, and intelligent design theories are not at all equal, the latter two having no basis in the scientific method.

Scientific information changes regularly as more discoveries are made, but ordinarily the new discoveries replace old ones. In this debate, newer discoveries based on observable evidence are attacked by older ones based in faith.

Is there a way to satisfy both? Most evolutionists would gladly see creationism taught in religious studies or social studies classes. The creationism theory belongs in that context, they say, where beliefs about the origins of life are explored and compared as assumptions and philosophies in differing cultures. These ways of knowing differ from the more specific scientific method.

School board power

Do school boards have the power to decide the evolution/creation debate?

School board members are elected, and school boards have the right to decide their districts’ curriculum, but they are in defiance of the law if they decide that creationism should be taught in the biology classroom.

In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that creationism was a religious belief and so could not be taught in public schools. In the Dover case, Judge Jones found intelligent design to be a version of creationism.

Since school boards are elected, they are vulnerable to political pressure, and some parents put pressure on school board officials to ignore court rulings and teach students belief-based theories of origin alongside evolution. However, voters who disagreed with the school board decision voted out those members who had supported intelligent design.

The consequences

The Dover trial is likely to have a lasting effect. Although the ruling affects only a small number of school districts in Pennsylvania, it sets a precedent and is likely to dissuade schools across the country from incorporating intelligent design into their science classrooms.

Teaching future generations about the origins of life seems to be vital to the human experience - considering existence, making meaning of life, and passing on knowledge are essential activities for us. And these activities inform much of our decision-making both at home and in the statehouse.

That’s why WomenMatter encourages women to consider their own beliefs when considering political policies.

And the Dover case is part of a larger narrative -- America’s struggle with religion in public life. Should religious beliefs guide public policy? How should the government maintain what may amount to two competing First Amendment ideas -- the separation of church and state and the freedom of religion? How much power should parents have over what their children are taught?

What do you think?

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Posted on: 12/24/2005