Intelligent Design is a Social Theory

Originally posted October 30, 2005, the following post was my first writing on Intelligent Design.

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There are many school districts across the United States on their own or by law adding Intelligent Design to the high school science curriculum. The State Legislatures of Pennsylvania, Mississippi , Arkansas , South Carolina , Georgia and five others have had antievolution bills introduced in 2005. The language of these bills, in essence, state “alternatives” to evolution must be given equal time Many put forth Intelligent Design (ID) as such an alternative and William Dembski in 1998 declared ID a robust scientific theory (Matzke 2005).However, is Intelligent Design a scientific theory? In order to discuss this question, one must be clear about what a scientific theory is. For this article, a scientific theory is defined as follows: a scientific theory is a model that describes accurately a large class of observations, and makes definite predictions about the results of future observations (Hawking 1988). The theory of evolution describes accurately a large class of observations, and makes definite predictions about the results of future observations, and has survived countless experiments. Intelligent Design, on the other hand, has not. Intelligent Design is the view that nature shows tangible signs of having been designed by a preexisting intelligence. It has been around, in one form or another, since the time of ancient Greece (What is Intelligent Design?). This is an interesting conjecture; but it is a long way from a scientific theory. The main postulate of Intelligent Design is a preexisting intelligence, which cannot be proved, nor disproved by observation or experiment. As such, any preexisting intelligence would be outside the hot big bang model of the universe, and any actions taken by such a preexisting intelligence would have been before the beginning of time. Therefore, according to the law of economy, a preexisting intelligence should be cut out of any model of the universe, for any actions taken by it cannot be observed.

Intelligent Design cannot be put on equal footing with the theory of evolution in the high school science curriculum, for it is not a scientific theory. At best, Intelligent Design is a social theory. A social theory refers to the use of abstract and often complex theoretical frameworks to explain and analyze social patterns and large-scale social structures (Wikipedia Social Theory). Historically societies have used a preexisting intelligence to explain phenomena that have no clear explanation. Intelligent Design is, therefore, confined to the high school social studies curriculum.

Once in its proper place the discussion of Intelligent Design changes from should it be taught to—is it Constitutional? The answer to that depends on how one defines a preexisting intelligence. Is it God in the Judeo-Christian sense? Alternatively, is it a race of little green men from another star system or another universe? Intelligent Design is vague in this area. If it is God, then Intelligent Design is just another term for creationism, and thus is Unconstitutional as the Supreme Court has found:

First, the Court concluded that legal mandates to teach creationism did nothing to advance the cause of academic freedom because the open and unregulated field of academic science already permitted consideration of alternative theories. Legal mandates to include creationism were not necessary to protect academic freedom because the free market in scientific ideas had already considered creationism and rejected it on the merits. Second, the Court took note of the long history of strong links between creationist theory and certain fundamentalist religious sects. These two elements led the Court to conclude that the argument of a secular purpose for creationism was a “sham” (Brauer 2005).

For Intelligent Design to be Constitutional the preexisting intelligence would have to be that of a race of little green men from another star system or another universe, and once that case is made, Intelligent Design loses 99% of its supporters. If the above case is made, then man is no longer the center of the universe, and Intelligent Design then would be no better then the theory of evolution in the eyes of the people that support Intelligent Design.

Intelligent Design is creationism by another name, for the supporters of Intelligent Design would not accept any preexisting intelligence, but that of God in the Judeo-Christian sense that makes Intelligent Design a social theory and a political issue. If any science were behind the claims of Intelligent Design, there would be no need for State Legislatures to introduce bills calling for Intelligent Design to be placed in the high school science curriculum. Intelligent Design would have made it into the curriculum on its own merits.

Why should there be bills promoting creationism in the public schools? If people want their children taught Intelligent Design/creationism there are private schools that will do it. Science has its own problems in the United States without having to fight-off religion. Not enough students are interested in science. That is not to say it is the fault of science teachers; science is expensive (the really interesting stuff usually is) and when the budget needs to be cut the first slice is taken from science. A subject that needs the latest and best textbooks and equipment at all times nationwide. American society is, has been, and always will be heavily dependent on science and the technology it provides for its survival. Thus, the teaching of science should be of the first importance. Yet, American society keeps getting sidetracked by debates that were or should have been settled over 200 years ago. The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” This also holds true for the states. The above bills are repugnant to the Constitution and therefore cannot become law. Americans need to remember we, not only, have freedom of religion; we have freedom from religion as well.

Keegan

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Links

• Intelligent Design is not Science
• Intelligent Design Links

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Matzke, N (2005) Intelligent Design bill proposed in Pennsylvania [On-line] Available: 10 October 2005 http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2005/PA/929_intelligent_design_bill_propos_4_1_2005.aspBrauer, M.J. at el (2005) Is It Science Yet?: Intelligent Design Creationism And The Constitution Washington University Law Quarterly Volume 83 Number 1 2005 p 24 [On-line] Available: 10 October 2005 http://law.wustl.edu/WULQ/83-1/p%201%20Brauer%20Forrest%20Gey%20book%20pages.pdf Hawking S.W. (1988) A Brief History of Time. New York: Bantam p 9

What is Intelligent Design? Access Research Network [On-line] Available: 10 October 2005 http://www.arn.org/idfaq/What%20is%20intelligent%20design.htm

Wikipedia Social Theory [On-line] Available: 10 October 2005 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_theory#Classical_Social_Theory

Brauer, M.J. at el (2005) Is It Science Yet?: Intelligent Design Creationism And The Constitution Washington University Law Quarterly Volume 83 Number 1 2005 pp 101-102 [On-line] Available: 10 October 2005 http://law.wustl.edu/WULQ/83-1/p%201%20Brauer%20Forrest%20Gey%20book%20pages.pdf

Constitution of the United States Amendment One [On-line] Available:10 October 2005 http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html