EVOLUTION WARS: THE PUSH TO TEACH ‘INTELLIGENT DESIGN’ RAISES A QUESTION: DOES GOD HAVE A PLACE IN SCIENCE CLASS?

New

York -- The growing organization and clout of the intelligent design movement and the prevalence of opinion that humans did not develop from an earlier species are beginning to alter the way that most fundamental tenets of biology are presented in public schools, TIME’s Claudia Wallis reports in this week’s cover story (on newsstands Monday, August 8).

New laws that in some way challenge the teaching of evolution are pending or have been considered in 20 states, including such traditionally liberal bastions as Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania. This week in Kansas, a deeply conservative state Board of Education is expected to accept a draft of new science standards that emphasize the theoretical nature of evolution and require students to learn about “scientific criticisms of the theory.” The proposed rules, which won’t be put to a final vote until fall, would also alter the state’s basic definition of science. While current Kansas standards describe science as “the human activity of seeking natural explanations for what we observe in the world,” the new language omits the phrase “natural explanations,” leaving the door open, critics say, for the supernatural as well, TIME reports.

In a question-and-answer session with Texas newspaper reporters at the White House last week, George W. Bush weighed in on the issue. He expressed support for the idea of combining lessons in evolution with a discussion of “intelligent design”—the proposition that some aspects of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause or agent, as opposed to natural selection. “Both sides ought to be properly taught,” said the President, who appeared to choose his words with care, “so people can understand what the debate is about. ... I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought.”

On its surface, the President’s position seems supremely fair-minded: What could possibly be wrong with presenting more than one point of view on a topic that divides so many Americans? But to biologists, it reeks of faith-based science. And that is provocative not only because it rekindles a turf battle that goes all the way back to the Middle Ages, but because it comes at a time when American science is perceived as being under fresh assault, both politically and competitively. Setbacks ranging from the flaws in the space program to South Korea’s rapid advances in the field of cloning have been cited as examples that America is losing its edge in science. Bush’s comments on intelligent design were the No. 1 topic for bloggers for days afterward. “It sends a signal to other countries because they’re rushing to gain scientific and technological leadership while we’re getting distracted with a pseudoscience issue,” warned Gerry Wheeler, executive director of the 55,000-member National Science Teachers Association in Arlington, Va., “If I were China, I’d be happy.”

As far as most Americans are concerned, however, the President was probably preaching to the choir. In a Harris Poll conducted in June, 55% of 1,000 adults surveyed said that children should be taught creationism and intelligent design along with evolution in public schools. The same poll found that 54% did not believe humans had developed from an earlier species—up from 45% with this view in 1994—although other polls have not detected this rise, TIME reports.

TIME’s package includes a forum of viewpoints from across the spectrum, including:

Francis Collins -- Director, National Human Genome Research Institute

Steven Pinker -- Psychology professor, Harvard University

Michael Behe -- Biochemistry professor, Lehigh University; Senior fellow, Discovery Institute

Albert Mohler -- President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Contact:

Ty Trippet, 212-522-3640, Ty_Trippet@timeinc.com

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The Evolution Wars