Free Speech on Evolution

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Free Speech on Evolution is a Discovery Institute intelligent design campaign. It began in 2005 and has been run hand-in-hand with the Institute's Teach the Controversy campaign. Its goal is to introduce intelligent design into United States public high school science curricula while discrediting evolution, which the Institute terms "Darwinism."

The term gained exposure when the Institute was widely quoted in the press in 2005 after president Bush publicly spoke in favor of teaching intelligent design alongside evolution as a competing theory and Institute fellow John G. West responded with a statement framing the issue as a matter of free speech: "President Bush is to be commended for defending free speech on evolution, and supporting the right of students to hear about different scientific views about evolution."[1][2] The campaign employs a number of methods based on the claim that scientific alternatives to evolution are being suppressed by "darwinists" practicing discrimination that threatens "academic freedom" requiring a concerted response to demand the allowing of "free speech on evolution."[3] The primary message of the campaign is:

"Across America, the freedom of scientists, teachers, and students to question Darwin is coming under increasing attack by what can only be called Darwinian fundamentalists. These self-appointed defenders of the theory of evolution are waging a malicious campaign to demonize and blacklist anyone who disagrees with them."[4]

Though the Institute portrays itself as supporting "the right of scientists and teachers to speak their mind about evolution",[4] every leading scientific professional organization has through position statements unequivocally endorsed evolution as a widely accepted and well-proven theory.[5][6][7][8] McGill University Professor of Education Brian Alters states in an article published by the NIH that "99.9 percent of scientists accept evolution".[9]

A notable characteristic of this campaign is the Institutes framing the issues as a confluence of free speech, academic freedom and discrimination,[10][4][11] issues which appeal to a large segment of the American population.

"As a general approach, Discovery Institute favors teaching students more about evolution, not less. We think students deserve to know not only about the strengths of modern evolutionary theory, but also about some of the theory's weaknesses and unresolved issues. In other words, students should be taught that evolutionary theory, like any scientific theory, continues to be open to analysis and critical scrutiny. According to opinion polls, this approach is favored by the overwhelming majority of the American public, and it has also been endorsed by the U.S. Congress in report language attached to the No Child Left Behind Act Conference Report."[12]

Part of the campaign's approach has been to position the Institute as opposed to any required teaching intelligent design while other Institute campaigns, Teach the Controversy and Critical Analysis of Evolution, introduce high school students to design arguments through the Discovery Institute-drafted lesson plans. Teach the Controversy and Free Speech on Evolution both require that "competing" or "alternative" "theories" to evolution to be presented while the Critical Analysis of Evolution model lesson plan fills that requirement by listing intelligent design books by Institute Fellows as such alternatives for students.

"Discovery Institute opposes mandating the teaching of intelligent design, but it supports requiring students to know about scientific criticisms of Darwin's theory, which is the approach adopted by the science standards in Ohio, Minnesota, New Mexico, and currently under discussion in Kansas. Discovery Institute also supports the right of teachers to voluntarily discuss the scientific debate over intelligent design free from persecution or intimidation."[13]

The campaign has found traction with the Discovery Institute's constituency, conservative Christians, but has failed to produce gains with a wider audience.[14][15] [16] Critics of the Institute and intelligent design have alleged that the campaign is founded on intellectual dishonesty. PZ Myers describes the "free speech on evolution campaign" as promoting intolerance, lies and distortions,[17] while Wesley R. Elsberry says 'Free Speech on Evolution' is a "catchphrase" describing false compromises offered by Institute Fellows that introduce intelligent design into science classes indirectly by having teachers "teach the controversy."[18] New Mexicans for Science and Reason (NMSR) cite the Institute's press releases touting 'Free Speech on Evolution' as an example of the Institute promoting what they call "The Lie."[19]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bush Remarks On 'Intelligent Design' Theory Fuel Debate Peter Baker, Peter Slevin. Washington Post, August 3, 2005.
  2. ^ A Country Ruled by Faith Garry Wills. The New York Review of Books, November 16, 2006.
  3. ^ Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez And Academic Persecution Discovery Institute. May 18, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c Free Speech on Evolution Campaign Main Page Discovery Institute, Center for Science and Culture.
  5. ^ Statement on the Teaching of Evolution American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2006.
  6. ^ Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences, Second Edition National Academy of Sciences, 1999.
  7. ^ Ruling, Kitzmiller v. Dover page 83
  8. ^ "Not a single expert witness over the course of the six week trial identified one major scientific association, society or organization that endorsed ID as science." Ruling, page 70 Kitzmiller v. Dover.
  9. ^ Finding the Evolution in Medicine, Cynthia Delgado, NIH Record, National Institutes of Health, Vol. LVIII, No. 15, July 28, 2006
  10. ^ Holocaust Denier Led the Charge Against Academic Freedom on Evolution in Alabama Casey Luskin. Discovery Institute, Evolutionnews.org.
  11. ^ Free Speech on Evolution Campaign Page 2 Discovery Institute, Center for Science and Culture.
  12. ^ Key Resources for Parents and School Board Members Discovery Institute, September 21, 2005.
  13. ^ President Bush's Support for Free Speech on Evolution and Intelligent Design Draws Praise From Discovery Institute Discovery Institute press release, August 2, 2005.
  14. ^ Intelligent-design backers applaud Bush World Net Daily, August 3, 2005.
  15. ^ Bush Praised for Defending Free Speech on Theory of Life's Origin Jim Brown. AgapePress, American Family Association, August 5, 2005.
  16. ^ President Bush calls for teaching Intelligent Design in schools Good News Magazine.
  17. ^ While we're at it, let's also fire the math teachers who can't do algebra PZ Myers. Pharyngula (blog). August 01, 2005.
  18. ^ Letter to the St. Petersburg Times on ID Poll Wesley R. Elsberry. The Panda's Thumb. January 1, 2006.
  19. ^ The Lie: "New Mexico's Science Standards embrace the Intelligent Design Movement's 'Teach the Controversy' Approach" New Mexicans for Science and Reason.

[edit] External links