A War on Science: Intelligent Design in the Classroom

When the local school board in Dover, PA decided in 2004 to include intelligent design in the science curriculum, the move touched off another battle over Darwinian evolution. A War on Science, originally airing on the BBC, examines the controversy in context, first tracing the history of the conflict over evolution from the famous 1925 Scopes “monkey” trial to the 1987 Supreme Court ruling that found teaching creationism in public schools to be unconstitutional. Proponents of intelligent design—such as lawyer and born-again Christian Phillip Johnson (who launched the movement) and scientists affiliated with the Discovery Institute (a think tank that advocates for the teaching of intelligent design)—attempt to define the theory, using terms such as “irreducible complexity” rather than Bible quotes to bolster their claim that scientific evidence exists supporting the existence of an all-powerful intelligence directing life. On the other side, numerous scientists, including Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins and zoologist and naturalist David Attenborough, flatly reject any notion of a guiding hand in life's evolution. Biologist Kenneth Miller, who served as an expert witness when Dover parents took the school board to court, delivers the strongest critique, deconstructing the evidence for intelligent design in a detailed analysis that lists its flaws point by point. Ultimately, the judge agreed that intelligent design was not a scientific theory and overturned the school board's actions. A War on Science effectively illustrates that intelligent design is a Trojan Horse for creationism: the ostensible target may be Darwinian evolution, but it's the American educational system itself that would end up suffering the most collateral damage. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Wadland)