"Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Board FAQ – Intelligent Design and Evolution" (2004)

Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Board FAQ – Intelligent Design and Evolution
December 14, 2004

FAQ – Intelligent Design and Evolution

What is the concept of "intelligent design"?
"Intelligent design" purports to be a scientific hypothesis that "life owes its origins to a master intellect" - an intelligent, supernatural designer. In reality, it is an inherently religious argument or assertion made in opposition to the scientific theory of evolution. It is a variant of so-called creation science, which maintains that species originated through abrupt appearance in complex form. Like creation science, the concept of intelligent design was advanced to provide support for the religious view known as creationism -- that man and other species were specially created by God and did not evolve from lower life forms.

How is intelligent design like and unlike traditional creationism?
Like creationism, intelligent design consists of both scientifically unwarranted criticisms of evolution and assertions that it is necessary to invoke the actions of a supernatural being to explain the origin and history of life. Unlike traditional creationism, intelligent design is not committed to a literal reading of the Bible, although it is intentionally non-committal about the age of the earth and other scientific issues in order not to alienate traditional creationists.

Where did intelligent design come from?
The term "intelligent design" was popularized in Of Pandas and People, the very textbook that was adopted for use in the Dover Area schools. Intelligent design and Of Pandas emerged in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Edwards v. Aguillard, which ruled that it was unconstitutional to teach so called "creation science" in the public schools.

Is intelligent design a credible scientific theory?
No. There has been no original research published in scientific journals providing evidence for intelligent design, nor does intelligent design provide testable explanations. The American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences have both described intelligent design as scientifically unwarranted.

Is evolution anti-religious?
No. Many mainstream religions and denominations - including the Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church USA - accept the scientific theory of evolution as consistent with belief in God as the ultimate Creator. Many evolutionary biologists are themselves religious. Standard high school biology textbooks explain the science of evolution without taking positions on the existence of God.

Is evolution "just" a theory?
No. Calling evolution a theory, not a fact, as in the Dover policy, exploits the common definition of "theory" as a hunch or a guess. In science, however, a theory is a systematic explanation of phenomena. The National Academy of Sciences has said that, "evolution is one of the strongest and most useful scientific theories we have." And National Geographic wrote in November 2004 that "the evidence for evolution is overwhelming."

Is evolution education important? Yes. The National Association of Biology Teaches and the National Science Teachers Association agree that evolution is crucial to science education. Efforts to undermine evolution education, such as the Dover Area School Board’s, are not only unconstitutional, but also educationally irresponsible.