Denying Evolution: Creationism, Sciencism, and the Nature of Science

By: Massimo Piggliucci, PhD.

www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ ftrials/scopes/scopes.htmScopes Trial Homepage

National Center for Science Educationhttp://www.ncseweb.org/default.asp

Creationism (Read Ch. 22!)

Book:

Websites:

Six Important Cases in the 20th Century

Creationist Tactic: The majority opinion is the correct opinion (Let’s send those evolution-thinking teachers packin’).

Scopes Monkey Trial: Populist William Jennings Bryan battled Clarence Darrow in Dayton, Tenn. Local school teacher (Scopes) teaches human descent from lower animals, which was against state law.

SIXTY - FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY (1925), CHAPTER NO. 27, House BillNo. 185

AN ACT prohibiting the teaching of the Evolution Theory in all the Universities,Normals and all other public schools of Tennessee, which are supported in whole or inpart by the public school funds of the State, and to provide penalties for the violationsthereof.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, That it shallbe unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals and all other publicschools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds ofthe State, to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taughtin the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.

Section 2. Be it further enacted, That any teacher found guilty of the violation of this Act,Shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction, shall be fined not less than OneHundred $ (100.00) Dollars nor more than Five Hundred ($ 500.00) Dollars for eachoffense.

Section 3. Be it further enacted, That this Act take effect from and after its passage, thepublic welfare requiring it.

Passed March 13, 1925

From Hunter’s “Civic Biology”, 1914.

Creationist Tactic: Creationism is science too. What about academic freedom?

McLean vs Arkansas Board of Education (1982): Judge Overton defined what constitutes Science.

http://fp.bio.utk.edu/evo-eco/resources-this_semester/McLean%20v_%20Arkansas%20Board%20of%20Education.htm

Louisiana Creationism Act (1987): Argument for equal time. Supreme court didn’t buy the idea that creationism is science.

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/edwards.html

Six Important Cases in the 20th Century

Webster v. New Lenox School District (1990):A school district can prohibit a school teacher from presenting creation science in the classroom.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1618/Webster_vs._New_Lenox.html

Creationist Tactic: Evolution is not science.

Peloza v. Capistrano Unified School District (1993): A school district can require a teacher to teach evolution because it is a scientific theory.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/peloza.html

Six Important Cases in the 20th Century (cont.)

Case against Independent School District 656, Minnesota (2001): A teachers right to free speech does not supercede curriculum .

Six Important Cases in the 20th Century (cont.)

US District Court in Louisiana (1997): Teachers are not required to read aloud a disclaimer about evolution. Also, ruled that intelligent design is the same as creation science.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=mn&vol=apppub%5c0105%5cc8001613&invol=1

http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/getcase/5th/case/9830132CV0&exact=1

Six Important Cases in the 20th Century (cont.)

Creationist Tactic: ID is science.

Kitzmiller v. Dover School Board (2005) in Pennsylvania, a lawsuit provoked by officials who sought to require that intelligent design, the suggestion that nature is too complex to have occurred only through random evolution, be part of the science curriculum.

Flat earthism

Geocentrism

Young-earth creationism

Gap

Day-age

Progressive

Intelligent Design

Theistic evolution

Materialist evolution

Special Creation

Evolution

Young Earth

Old Earth

What is intelligent design theory?

1. ‘Theory’ that some things in nature are the result of intelligent design (ID).

2. Presumably makes no claims as to the identity of the designer, does not claim the designer is supernatural, and seeks no link between religion and science.

Not true. ID is defended only by people subscribing to a particular ideological view: creationism.

Doesn’t meet the most basic scientific criteria for being a scientific theory

“The more learned and witty you bee, the morefit to act for Satan you bee.” John Cotton, 1642

Anti-rationalism, anti-elitism, and immediate practicality

Anti-IntellectualismRichard Hofstadter (1963) Anti-intellectualism in American Life

Creationist view:Anti-rationalism. Rationality is not a positive good but something to be mistrusted.

Two fears concerning rationality:

Fear that rationality is emotionally sterile

Fear of moral relativism

Anti-Intellectualism (cont)

Academic Freedom and Concept of Democracy

“The essence of academic freedom is thatteachers should be chosen for their expertnessin the subject they are to teach and that the judgesof this expertness should be other experts.”

From Bertrand Russell (1940) Freedom and the Colleges

Creationist view: Democracy should determine what is taught in public schools.

Anti-Elitism

Creationist view: Any claim to superior knowledge within a democratic society amounts to elitism.

1) Knowledge is unequally distributed among Americans, but not political and civil rights

2) Why do Americans respect expertise in areas other than education?

3) Why are Americans elitist with respect to sports, entertainment, and finance?

Creationist view: (If it ain’t practical, it ain’t good)

Education and inquiry are not good unless it hasimmediate practical value.

Why should thegovernment fundresearch on salamanders?