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The Chronicle of Higher Education: Colloquy

COLLOQUY
THE QUESTION
RESPONSES
BACKGROUND

Professor Ryan (no. 448) seems to be using a minimalist definition of science, when suggesting to Prof. Okimoto: "Your argument against Prof. Moody's view is merely that ID doesn't belong in the curriculum because we haven't figured out tests for it yet. You must concede to him that it is a live hypothesis, even if you add the proviso that it is on hold for the moment. But then you're on thin ice, surely a college biology text book should devote a page or two to such a live hypothesis as ID." This appears to be related only to questions regarding falsifiability. Yes, falsifiability is considered an essential for science. However, the issue is what should be taught in K-12 science classes, and in higher-education science classes, as well as what should be accepted into science. Science has its own qualifications for accepting something as science, including more than falsifiability: fit to the rest of science, apparent utility to science, ability to explain known phenomena, and so on. Very important is peer-review: vetting by scientists for inclusion in science, presumably based on fit to qualifications.

Thus, even for acceptance into science, an adequate case has not been made for ID. As to mention in a 'college biology text book,' that of course depends on authors and publisher, and then on subsequent adoption of such a textbook. However, I would guess that if ID were discussed in a higher-education biology class at this point, it would most likely be as an example of something that is not considered scientific, to contrast to what is. In contrast to the foregoing, K-12 science education should reflect what science already accepts as part of science: meaning that ID has no legitimate role, and could earn such a role only by first being accepted by scientific fields as part of the science in their fields. In that respect, efforts, such as in Ohio, to politically force ID into science standards is just that -- politics outside of science, trying to infringe on science education.

-- James Swan, Professor, Wichita State University (posted 2/14, 2:40 p.m., U.S. Eastern time)
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