MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT INTELLIGENT DESIGN1

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

The so-called evolution wars (Futuyma 1995; Pigliucci 2002) between the scientific understanding of the history of life on earth and various religiously inspired forms of creationism are more than ever at the forefront of the broader ‘‘science wars,’’ themselves a part of the even more encompassing ‘‘cultural wars.’’ With all these conflicts going on, and at a time when a potentially historical case on the teaching of Intelligent Design (ID) in public schools is being debated in Pennsylvania, it may be useful to consider a number of books that have come out recently to help scientists and the public at large to understand what all the fuss is about. Let me make clear at the outset that creationism is not going to go away just because it will be defeated on intellectual grounds. If that were the case, we would not have this problem at the onset of the 21st century, long after Copernicus and Galileo ought to have paved the way. This is a problem deeply rooted in psychological fears, religious ideology, political opportunism and widespread anti-intellectualism, the latter itself with complex and profound roots (Hofstadter 1963). However, it is important to understand what the intellectual issues are, if one is to honestly make a case for science to the general public. Moreover, it is important for scientists to come to terms with the fact that most of the discussion is inextricably connected with issues about the very nature of science; that is, with philosophy. That is why the first book to be considered in this review is about philosophy of science, though it was written by a biologist. We will then examine what an actual philosopher has to say about the issue, and conclude with two edited volumes, one of which attempts to give a ‘‘balanced’’ view, the other unapologetically proscience.