Should Intelligent Design be Taught in Science Class?

Where did we come from? This question has plagued mankind since the dawn of time, leading humans to devise many fantastic explanations throughout history. Some of these stories are still widely believed, even in the modern age when science is better able to explain our origins. Perhaps the biblical stories have some merit, but do they really belong in science class?

Advocates of intelligent design don’t usually disagree with Darwin’s theory of evolution (unlike creationists, who follow the literal translation of the bible), but rather, think that humans are simply too complex to be merely the products of random genetic mutations. Humans are too “exquisitely complex to have evolved by a combination of chance mutilations and natural selection,” they believe (Wallis, 30). They say that a designer (“God”) must have been responsible for guiding the evolutionary process. The Kansas State Board of Education is trying to change the science testing standards to include intelligent design as an alternative explanation to evolution and natural selection. Christians are afraid that students might abandon Christianity if they only see the scientific point of view. But is it really a good idea to be teaching religion in science class? (Beliefnet)

Opponents of intelligent design say that the theory has no scientific credibility. “The intelligent design people are trying to mislead people into thinking that the reference to science as an ongoing critical inquiry permits them to teach ID crap in schools,” says David Thomas, president of New Mexicans for Science and Reason (Wallis, 33). Some critics of intelligent design refer to it as “creationism in a lab coat” and that “to point to an intelligent designer as the cause of certain biological systems is to abandon scientific inquiry” (Beliefnet). And that isn’t even the worst of it. “Teaching ‘intelligent design’ would violate the Constitutional separation of church and state,” ruled Judge John Jones. “We have concluded that it is not [science], and moreover that intelligent design cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents” (Gallagher). While those who are against intelligent design being taught in science class seem to have more valid points than the people who are for it, it is still unclear as to who is right and how to settle the debate once and for all.

The solution to this debate is (or should be) obvious. Since intelligent design has no scientific credibility, it should not be taught in science class. There is no evidence to support it, and to teach such myths as scientific fact would only confuse students and further contribute to the dumbing down of America. While Christians believe their views to be the absolute truth, there are other religions, and to teach intelligent design in science classes to non-Christian students would not only be an insult, but also a blatant disregard for the constitutional right to freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Science class should not be just another place for Christians to force their beliefs on others. When you are outside of church, the Constitution is your bible. Science class is to learn about science, and for something to be considered science, it needs to be supported by scientific evidence, not just random beliefs. This is not to say that intelligent design cannot be taught in schools at all, it just cannot be taught in science class. If it were to be taught as part of a comparative religions class where it would be presented as only one of many possible beliefs, it would be alright. There is no reason to bring religion into science classrooms. 

There are several opposing viewpoints on whether or not intelligent design should be taught in science class. Some people think that it should be, since they think that evolution must have been guided by God, while others say that there is no place in science for religion. As much as the proponents of intelligent design fight to have it taught in science classes, it doesn’t make it any more constitutional. People need to respect freedom of religion and accept that there is a separation of church and state. There is also no scientific evidence supporting intelligent design, so it doesn’t belong in science class. Because of separation of church and state, and because it is not really science, intelligent design should not be taught in science class.

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sources

Gallagher, Delia, and Phil Hirschkorn. “Judge Rules against ‘Intelligent Design’ in Science Class.” .

“FAQs: What Is Intelligent Design?” .

Wallis, Claudia. “The Evolution Wars.” TIME 15 Aug. 2005: 26-35.