Dean H. Kenyon

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[edit] Biography

[edit] Early career

Kenyon received a BSc in physics from the University of Chicago in 1961 and a Ph.D. in biophysics from Stanford University in 1965. In 1965-1966 he was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemical Biodynamics at the University of California, Berkeley, a Research Associate at Ames Research Center. In 1966 he became Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University until 1969.

In 1969, Kenyon and coauthor Gary Steinman published Biochemical Predestination, a book on the origins of life advocating a theory of natural chemical evolution.

Kenyon was promoted to Associate Professor at SFSU from 1969 to 1974. In 1974 he was a Visiting Scholar to Trinity College, Oxford.

Kenyon's views changed around 1976 after exposure to the work of young-earth creationists. In his own words,

"Then in 1976, a student gave me a book by A.E. Wilder-Smith, The Creation of Life: A Cybernetic Approach to Evolution. Many pages of that book deal with arguments against Biochemical Predestination, and I found myself hard-pressed to come up with a counter-rebuttal. Eventually, several other books and articles by neo-creationists came to my attention. I read some of Henry Morris' books, in particular, The Genesis Flood. I'm not a geologist, and I don't agree with everything in that book, but what stood out was that here was a scientific statement giving a very different view of earth history. Though the book doesn't deal with the subject of the origin of life per se, it had the effect of suggesting that it is possible to have a rational alternative explanation of the past."[1]

In 1980, the San Francisco State University Department of Biology had a dispute over Kenyon's presentation of creationism, then called "scientific creationism" in Biology module 337 Evolution. At that time, Kenyon challenged anyone on the faculty to a debate on the merits of evolutionary theory versus "scientific creationism." According to SFSU biology professor John Hafernik, "There was much discussion in faculty meetings as well. Eventually the faculty voted (none opposed, seven abstentions) not to alter the description of Biology 337 to include creationism. The precedent set, in the context of the 1980 discussions, was that the Department did not support teaching creationism." (Source: Hafnernik email forwarded to the newsgroup talk.origins)

[edit] Expert witness in McLean v. Arkansas

In 1981, Kenyon was recruited to be an expert witness for the creationist side in the McLean vs. Arkansas case that tested the constitutionality of Arkansas' Equal Time Legislation that mandated equal time for "creation science" and "evolution science." Kenyon flew to Arkansas to be deposed and testify during the trial. However, apparently under the influence of creationist attorney Wendell Bird (who was displeased with the defense of the creationist position by the Arkansas attorney general Steve Clark), Kenyon left town just before he was to testify:

"The attorney general presented six science witnesses, two more than had testified for the ACLU, presumably on the grounds that quantity made up for evident lack of quality. There would have been more had not a serious case of disappearing witnesses set in as the second week wore on. Dean Kenyon, a biologist from San Francisco State University, fled town after watching the demolition of four of the state's witnesses on day 1 of the second week. And Henry Voss, a computer scientist from California, was rapidly withdrawn at the last minute when, in pretrial deposition, he too began to expound on things satanic and demonical."
(from p. 34 of: Roger Lewin, 1982, "Creationism on the Defensive in Arkansas." Science, 215(4528), pp. 33-34, January 1, 1982.)

The Arkansas attorney general apparently threatened to sue Bird after this interference:

There were other witnesses for the defense who did not show up. Several scientists who had been listed as potential witnesses for the state, backed out because of what Clark termed "peer pressure."
Another state witness, Dr. Dean Kenyon, a biophysicist at San Francisco State University, mysteriously disappeared on the eve of his day in court. He had flown into Little Rock on a Sunday evening, but when one of Clark's assistants went to take his deposition he could not find him. Kenyon had checked out of the hotel and flown back home. Bird had encouraged Kenyon not to testify, although Kenyon taught evolution theory for 16 years until three years ago when he became a creationist. Bird, who is general counsel to ICR, said he attempted to get other defense witnesses not to testify after he perceived the trial as botched by Clark.
Bird said he was not trying to sabotage Clark's effort. He said he merely had told several witnesses for the state that "I don't think you should jeopardize your reputation with the way [the trial] is being handled." Clark stated he was considering legal action against Bird, whose actions, he said, were "tantamount to tampering with justice."
(p. 29 of: Jack Weatherly, 1982, "Creationists Lose in Arkansas: Missing witnesses and a divided defense muddled the issue." Christianity Today, January 22, 1982. Bracketed insert in original.)

[edit] Expert witness in Edwards v. Aguillard

Following the McLean ruling, which declared the teaching of "creation science" in public schools to be an unconstitutional establishment of religion, Louisiana's version of the "Equal Time" legislation was put to the test. This time, Wendell Bird was deputized by the state and ran the state's defense of the law. Dean Kenyon was advertised as the creationists' lead expert witness, however the case (which eventually became Edwards v. Aguillard when it reached the Supreme Court) was decided by summary judgment, and so never went to a full trial. Nevertheless, in written briefs and in his oral arguments, Bird relied heavily on an expert witness affidavit written by Kenyon. This affidavit is online at the TalkOrigins website. It was entered into evidence in the Kitzmiller case as evidence that Kenyon was explicitly defending "creation science" -- and advocating that it be given equal time in public schools and textbooks as the "only" alternative to evolution -- while at the same time working on a public school textbook, which eventually became the first "intelligent design" book, Of Pandas and People.

[edit] Edwards and Pandas

In 1987 in Edwards v. Aguillard the Supreme Court heard a case concerning a Louisiana Law that required "creation science" be taught on an equal basis with evolution in public schools. Anti-creationists argued that this was illegal on the basis that it violated the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution. Kenyon issued an affidavit in that case, stating his support for creationism, and defining it thus:

Creation-science means origin through abrupt appearance in complex form, and includes biological creation, biochemical creation (or chemical creation), and cosmic creation. (...) Creation-science does not include as essential parts the concepts of catastrophism, a world-wide flood, a recent inception of the earth or life, from nothingness (ex nihilo), the concept of kinds, or any concepts from Genesis or other religious texts.

The Supreme Court did find that the law violated the establishment clause and the teaching of creationism in America's public schools was henceforth declared illegal. However, it also noted that

Teaching a variety of scientific theories about the origins of humankind to school children might be validly done with the clear secular intent of enhancing the effectiveness of science instruction.

Around the same time, Kenyon was co-authoring with Percival Davis a creationist school textbook entitled Of Pandas and People. After the Edwards decision, all references to "creationism" were replaced with "intelligent design" (and in one case a reference to "creationists" was replaced by "cdesign proponentsists") [1].

[edit] Continued controversy

In October 1992, Kenyon was censured by his SFSU departmental colleagues for allegedly teaching religion in his introductory biology course. Kenyon was eventually reinstated, and he claimed his colleagues' objections rest on a naive, positivist view of what constitutes legitimate science.

Kenyon co-authored a paper, "The RNA World: A Critique," which appears in the Winter 1996 issue of Origins and Design, a journal where he is on the Editorial Advisory Board.

At one time, Kenyon was listed as an author of the forthcoming textbook The Design of Life, a retitled edition of Of Pandas and People. Kenyon is a Fellow of the Discovery Institute, the driving force behind the intelligent design movement.

[edit] Works by Kenyon

  • Kenyon DH, Steinman G. Biochemical Predestination. McGraw Hill Text (January, 1969) ISBN 0-07-034126-5.
  • Davis PW, Kenyon DH. Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins. Foundation for Thought & Ethics; 2nd edition (September, 1993) ISBN 0-914513-40-0.
  • Steinman G, Kenyon DH, Calvin M. The mechanism and protobiochemical relevance of dicyanamide-medicated peptide synthesis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1966 Aug 24;124(2):339-50. PMID 5968904
  • Smith AE, Kenyon DH. Is life originating de novo? Perspect Biol Med. 1972 Summer;15(4):529-42. PMID 5040075
  • Smith AE, Kenyon DH. The origin of viruses from cellular genetic material. Enzymologia. 1972 Jul 31;43(1):13-8. PMID 5050651
  • Smith AE, Kenyon DH. A unifying concept of carcinogenesis and its therapeutic implications. Oncology. 1973;27(5):459-79. PMID 4578174
  • Smith AE, Kenyon DH. Acupuncture and A.T.P.: how they may be related. Am J Chin Med (Gard City N Y). 1973 Jan;1(1):91-7. PMID 4774360
  • Kenyon DH. On terminology in origin of life studies. Orig Life. 1975 Jul;6(3):447-9. PMID 1187108
  • Nissenbaum A, Kenyon DH, Oro J. On the possible role of organic melanoidin polymers as matrices for prebiotic activity. J Mol Evol. 1975 Dec 29;6(4):253-70. PMID 1542
  • Kenyon DH, Nissenbaum A. Melanoidin and aldocyanoin microspheres: implications for chemical evolution and early precambrian micropaleontology. J Mol Evol. 1976 Apr 9;7(3):245-51. PMID 778393

[edit] References

  1. ^ p. 7 of: Kenyon, Dean, and Pearcey, Nancy (1989). "Up From Materialism: An Interview with Dean Kenyon." Bible-Science Newsletter, 27(9), 6-9. September 1989.

[edit] External links