Geology and Earth ScienceIntelligent Design
Heather Skula
As geology students, we are taught about theories of evolution and natural selection. These topics are classified as Science, because we are able to prove these theories correct with many traces of evidence. Well, imagine if there were teachers trying to teach a "scientific theory" to students that are showed no evidence to it? Unfortunately, this is happening right now.
Intelligent Design is the idea that there is a creator behind the creation of earth and life. Advocators of Intelligent Design believe that certain living things (and certain parts of the universe) are too complex to have formed just by natural selection and/or evolution. Phillip E. Johnson is considered to be the "father of Intelligent Design." He has said that "the goal of intelligent design is to cast creationism as a scientific concept." Just with him saying that, I think that it is quite obvious that advocators of Intelligent Design see the "intelligent creator" as being God. Another advocated of Intelligent Design is William Dembski. He is known for creating the concept of "specified complexity." He believes that some things are too complex to be natural, and therefore there must have been an intelligent "designer" that created it. Unfortunately, advocators of Intelligent Design only look at origins of life that have not yet been figured out by Science. Science that lacks a natural explanation for evolution is then taken by advocators of Intelligent Design and labeled as being created by an intelligent planner.
Okay, now that the idea of Intelligent Designed is defined, I want to get into my (and many others) main concern about it: the fight to teach Intelligent Design in schools. If Intelligent Design is taught in classrooms, by law, it is going against the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Establishment Clause states that no religion should be preferred over another by congress. If Intelligent Design is legally taught in a Science room, it is telling students that there was an "intelligent creator" that planned out the origin of life. This "intelligent creator" is also known as God. It has been stated by advocators of Intelligent Desing that the "designer" is seen as the Christian God, therefore excluding every other religion in the world. Although that is never stated to the public, it is widely believed among followers and supporters of Intelligent Design. Advocators of Intelligent Design try to stay away from discussions dealing with christian beliefs, creationism and the bible (when dealing with the public) because they don't want it to be seen as something religious. Many leading advocators are in fact Christians and do believe that the "intelligent creator" is the Christian God.
In his book, Intelligent Design: The Brigde Between Science and Theology, " William Dembski wrote, "Christ is indispensable to any scientific theory, even if its practitioners don't have a clue about him. The pragmatics of a scientific theory can, to be sure, be pursued without recourse to Christ. But the conceptual soundness of the theory can in the end only be located in Christ." If that isn't considered to be religious, then I don't know what is.
So, now we come to the impact on education systems-- actually teaching this as Science. In November 2005, the board of education in Kansas voted six-four in favor of teaching the flaws in evolutionary science. This meaning that at a high school level, Intelligent Design is allowed to be discussed as science material. My problem with this: many high school students have not yet grown enough to understand themselves. They are not old enough to figure out what it is that they want to believe when dealing with how the earth/life was created. I honestly do not have a problem with other people's beliefs, it's open-mindedness... but when students are being taught that Intelligent Design is Science, I think (as well as many others) that it is insane. Advocators of Intelligent Design do not care about the freedom for others when it comes to choosing what they want to believe in. Instead, they want all to be taught Intelligent Design, especially young adults who are easy to mold.
As geology students, we are taught about theories of evolution and natural selection. These topics are classified as Science, because we are able to prove these theories correct with many traces of evidence. Well, imagine if there were teachers trying to teach a "scientific theory" to students that are showed no evidence to it? Unfortunately, this is happening right now.
Intelligent Design is the idea that there is a creator behind the creation of earth and life. Advocators of Intelligent Design believe that certain living things (and certain parts of the universe) are too complex to have formed just by natural selection and/or evolution. Phillip E. Johnson is considered to be the "father of Intelligent Design." He has said that "the goal of intelligent design is to cast creationism as a scientific concept." Just with him saying that, I think that it is quite obvious that advocators of Intelligent Design see the "intelligent creator" as being God. Another advocated of Intelligent Design is William Dembski. He is known for creating the concept of "specified complexity." He believes that some things are too complex to be natural, and therefore there must have been an intelligent "designer" that created it. Unfortunately, advocators of Intelligent Design only look at origins of life that have not yet been figured out by Science. Science that lacks a natural explanation for evolution is then taken by advocators of Intelligent Design and labeled as being created by an intelligent planner.
Okay, now that the idea of Intelligent Designed is defined, I want to get into my (and many others) main concern about it: the fight to teach Intelligent Design in schools. If Intelligent Design is taught in classrooms, by law, it is going against the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Establishment Clause states that no religion should be preferred over another by congress. If Intelligent Design is legally taught in a Science room, it is telling students that there was an "intelligent creator" that planned out the origin of life. This "intelligent creator" is also known as God. It has been stated by advocators of Intelligent Desing that the "designer" is seen as the Christian God, therefore excluding every other religion in the world. Although that is never stated to the public, it is widely believed among followers and supporters of Intelligent Design. Advocators of Intelligent Design try to stay away from discussions dealing with christian beliefs, creationism and the bible (when dealing with the public) because they don't want it to be seen as something religious. Many leading advocators are in fact Christians and do believe that the "intelligent creator" is the Christian God.
In his book, Intelligent Design: The Brigde Between Science and Theology, " William Dembski wrote, "Christ is indispensable to any scientific theory, even if its practitioners don't have a clue about him. The pragmatics of a scientific theory can, to be sure, be pursued without recourse to Christ. But the conceptual soundness of the theory can in the end only be located in Christ." If that isn't considered to be religious, then I don't know what is.
So, now we come to the impact on education systems-- actually teaching this as Science. In November 2005, the board of education in Kansas voted six-four in favor of teaching the flaws in evolutionary science. This meaning that at a high school level, Intelligent Design is allowed to be discussed as science material. My problem with this: many high school students have not yet grown enough to understand themselves. They are not old enough to figure out what it is that they want to believe when dealing with how the earth/life was created. I honestly do not have a problem with other people's beliefs, it's open-mindedness... but when students are being taught that Intelligent Design is Science, I think (as well as many others) that it is insane. Advocators of Intelligent Design do not care about the freedom for others when it comes to choosing what they want to believe in. Instead, they want all to be taught Intelligent Design, especially young adults who are easy to mold.
2 Comments:
Science, defined as the search for knowledge through tests, experimentations, and procedures. Science centers on the natural world, what is more or less physically experienced and studied. Intelligent Design is the belief that a Greater Being created everything around us. This Greater Being is more philosophically existent than physically. With religious advocators pushing Intelligent Design as a science, how fair is that for the sciences already taught in the high schools. Many of the sciences aren't sufficiently taught in schools as is, and those that are being taught are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to educating the students.
In essence, Intelligent Design is more closely related to culture and the arts than it is to the sciences. When you look at different cultures and their beliefs, many significant differences can be seen among assorted areas. Each culture differently portrays how the Greater Being created everything. Also, not all cultures have a belief that they were created by a Greater Being. With so much variety and differences, how could Intelligent Design be taught as a science and still be fair to other beliefs. There would have to be a variety of courses taught to give equal learning time between the many varieties. Plus, how does that work out for those people who feel Intelligent Design is a fallacy. These people would also give rise to complaints similar to what many more religious people have towards evolution.
There is a class that does teach Intelligent Design, even though many believers of it feel offended because of the words misinterpretation. Mythology is the study of a cultures belief that pertains to the supernatural. Many believe that the word "myth" pertains to falsehood, stating that what is studied in it are lies and stories. But that is only common belief, not actual meaning. Mythology classes give better meaning and understanding to the many forms and beliefs felt when it comes to Intelligent Design. Fighting for more mythology based classes instead of fighting to alter the current teachings of science is not only a more sensible move; it offers the balance that is needed.
With attempts to have Intelligent Design taught as a science, you can't help but wonder what else would be changed. If Intelligent Design is accepted as a science, could a redefining of the word science be imminent?
In the end, science should remain what it is; a search for knowledge, discovering the world through testing and experimentations.
It is extremely terrifying to even attempt to grasp this concept of a "creator" and to me, is the absolute strangest thing I’ve ever heard of. For so many years I’ve been at a war of debates with myself questioning all that surrounds me in my physical world as well as my internal world. What I have found, all that has been shaped by my own personal experiences, remains my own personal oneness with myself and the natural universe. I would never think to attempt to impose my view on anyone, EVER, nor would I shoot down any plane of faith hovering in the sky, everyone is entitled to their absolute freedom to think whatever they feel;, but for me, this feeling of oneness is my personal "religion" or "spiritual awareness" or whatever else it may be labeled, it simply is what it is, my own, and no one else’s. When we start to push ideas and thoughts and abstract, strict demanding sets of rules on people and then throw guilt on top of that (shaping begins easiest at an early age) then we absolutely pull further away in truly becoming an open minded society and more of a 1984ish world seems to echo as televangelists attempt to sell packets of holy water right there in front of me, in my living room. We all know what it was like at the fall of the roman empire when greed and power become over-riding factors in mans dilemma in ruling over a group of people.This is evident as well in cases of conditioning populations with propaganda in order to controll us, at times, with fear. This is ignorance and the seemingly human drive to rule over people for some gratification that is unknown to me. When did this begin? Is the universe really hostile by nature? How can you possibly be in a position to defend an organization doing extensive damage to the world, to peoples minds and to our future and still sleep at night. Look at all the war going on because of this escapade to whole heartedly back up thousands of years of words, myths and at times lies. People are dying for their faith all the time. When people realize that living a positive life with compassion for all living things and respect to all cultures is possible without grabbing on to one of the hundreds of religions out their, then we may be able to move pro-actively towards a more peaceful environment more bent on the science of nature, an open minded society and a world helping eachother rather than dividing quadrants and throwing stones. Unraveling real questions with hard studies that hold themselves up when questioned. Studies that do not segregate people or threaten to punish people, that is madness in its purest form! If evolutionary studies of this planet taught me anything at all, it is that we (seem to be) nothing more than the smallest traces of combined elements floating quickly through the atmosphere. A brushstroke of time, and that none of this matters at all. Life is way to short to dedicate oneself to persuading others for reasons unknown to anyone. We are all still trying to figure out what reality is,(that is, scientifically) why we are here and where we are all going. I think great harm can be done when we give up the inner search to expand ourselves outward. As the great Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."
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