91Ö±²„

Science

Students Get Lessons in Government, Science During Trial on ā€˜Intelligent Designā€™

By Sean Cavanagh ā€” October 20, 2005 6 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Much of the testimony offered in court during the first few weeks of the potentially historic trial over ā€œintelligent designā€ has borne the characteristics of a classroom lecture. Make that a very difficult classroom lecture.

From gene duplication and protein sequences to lactose systems and vertebrate embryos, lawyers and witnesses on both sides of this legal battle over the Dover school districtā€™s policy requiring students to be exposed to the controversial concept have ventured deep into the realm of biology and chemistry in their arguments over its definition.

(Requires Macromedia Flash Player.)

ā€œItā€™s Tuesday,ā€ quipped U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones III before testimony began Oct. 18ā€”and so the topic must be blood clotting, he said, to laughter from the courtroom.

Yet at least one group of regular attendees at the case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District seems to have embraced the scientific lingo and the entire legal spectacle that surrounds it. Arriving nearly every day alongside reporters, legal advocates, and parties to the case are students and teachers, drawn by the opportunity to hear daily debates over questions of science, theology, and the law, and later use them in classroom discussions. Craig Riggall, a 25-year-old teacher at Immanuel Christian School in Hazelton, Pa., brought his class to court on the second day of testimony this week, hoping it would broaden his studentsā€™ understanding of the constitutional issues at stake. Later this school year, they are expected to study the 1925 trial of John T. Scopes, a Tennessee teacher charged with violating state law by teaching evolution. Some legal scholars call the ā€œmonkey trialā€ a precursor to the case playing out here.

ā€œWeā€™re studying American history, and so one of the things we [want] to see is how the court works,ā€ said Mr. Riggall, who listened to testimony alongside about 20 high schoolers. The teacher speculated that most of his students had never been in a courtroom before.

The students heard elaborately detailed biology from Lehigh University biochemistry professor Michael J. Behe, a leading advocate of intelligent design. Though he teaches history, not science, Mr. Riggall said he hoped his students were following closely enough so that they could discuss key concepts in class. He would not push them to accept one view or the other, he added.

See Also

Read the related story,

Defense Makes Its Case in Intelligent-Design Trial

ā€œI would probably stress what heā€™s talking about with ā€˜irreducible complexity,ā€™ ā€ Mr. Riggall said, referring to a core principle of intelligent design. ā€œI want them to understand that.ā€ Irreducible complexity is the idea that certain biological systems are made up of several interacting parts, all of which are needed for the system to function. Such complexity suggests that those systems, may have been designed, rather than created through evolution, intelligent design advocates say.

Federal court officials in Harrisburg were flooded with requests for seats at the trial, particularly during its opening days. As the case continues, the court has tried to provide equal access to both the public and the press, said Kevin Neary, a deputy court clerk for the U.S. District Court in Harrisburg. He did not have an official estimate of how many students sat in on the proceedings, although he said the requests have come from parents, as well as teachers, bringing children.

ā€˜Make Your Own Decisionā€™

The federal court case stems from the 3,600-student Dover, Pa., school systemā€™s effort to introduce students to the concept of intelligent design through a change in the science curriculum and a four-paragraph statement read to 9th grade biology classes. Intelligent design is the view that some facets of living things show signs of having been designed by an unnamed guiding forceā€”rather than having evolved through the process of natural selection and random mutation, as the vast majority of scientists believe.

When the Dover policy was approved last year, 11 parents in the district filed suit to halt it, arguing that the measure amounts to a form of religion, such as biblically based creationism, and calling it an unconstitutional insertion of religion in the classroom.

One student who did not buy that argument was Kristin Miller, 17, of nearby Dillsburg, Pa. Ms. Miller and several classmates listened to testimony this week, sharing space in the ninth-floor courtroom with reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters wire service, and the Canadian Broadcasting Service.

The senior, who came to gather information for her public high schoolā€™s government class, said she was convinced that intelligent design has a place in science courses.

ā€œYou can make your own decision as a student, rather than your school making it for you,ā€ Ms. Miller said. ā€œThatā€™s how it should be in Dover.ā€

Whatā€™s a Theory?

Students who listened to testimony on Oct. 18 were presented with hours of detailed testimony from Mr. Behe, who was the first witness called by the defense.

After more than a day of hearing Mr. Behe describe intelligent design as legitimate science, Eric Rothschild, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, aggressively challenged the university professorā€™s assertions in his cross-examination.

Mr. Behe had suggested that intelligent design, despite having been rejected by the overwhelming majority of scientists, is every bit as credible as other, once-nascent scientific opinionsā€”such as the Big Bang theoryā€”that later gained acceptance.

But Mr. Rothschild scoffed at many of the professorā€™s claims, suggesting that Mr. Behe was overstating the supposed ā€œgapsā€ in evolutionary theory, while glossing over inconsistencies in his arguments for intelligent design.

At one point, the lawyer read the definition of a scientific theory offered by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, which defines the term as a well-substantiated explanation of the natural world that can be tested. Mr. Behe had taken issue with the academyā€™s definition; in turn, the lawyer grilled the professor on how he defined the term.

ā€œYou used a looser definition of ā€˜theory,ā€™ is that correct?ā€ Mr. Rothschild asked.

The professor responded that his definition was ā€œintentionally broaderā€ and based on the common experiences of scientists.

Using that broader definition, Mr. Rothschild asked, was astrology a valid theory?

When Mr. Behe responded that at one time astrology would have been considered a legitimate theory, the lawyer displayed a dictionaryā€™s definition of the term on a wide screen in the courtroom. Astrology is the attempt to gain an understanding of human life through the movements of celestial bodiesā€”a belief system that was influential in past societies but is not recognized as science today.

ā€œThatā€™s the scientific theory of astrology,ā€ Mr. Rothschild deadpanned.

The lawyer also displayed statements from the NAS and another pre-eminent organization, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, both in Washington, which flatly reject suggestions that intelligent design is science.

Mr. Behe called the academy document a ā€œpolitical statementā€ rather than a scientific one, and a ā€œmis-characterization of intelligent design.ā€

ā€œThere are no citations here,ā€ Mr. Behe said of one of the statements. There was no ā€œmarshalling of evidence,ā€ he added.

Mr. Rothschild, however, said larger issues are at work.

ā€œYou havenā€™t convinced the contemporary scientific community,ā€ the lawyer said later, ā€œthat your idea has any scientific merit, is that correct?ā€

The professor, however, suggested that some scientists used flimsy logic in defending certain rules and definitions with their discipline.

ā€œWhat does it mean to swear allegiance to a theory?ā€ Mr. Behe asked at one point. ā€œThatā€™s not scientific.ā€

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 91Ö±²„'s editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Improve School Culture and Engage Students: Archeryā€™s Critical Role in Education
Changing lives one arrow at a time. Find out why administrators and principals are raving about archery in their schools.
Content provided by 
School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide ā€” elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Science Leader To Learn From Computer Science for All: This District Leader Is Making It a Reality
An initiative to create and expand a computer science program pays big dividends in a Colorado district.
13 min read
Anna Otto, Computer Science and Online Learning Coordinator for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, and her 9-year-old son, Aiden, who was born prematurely at 28 weeks and lives with cerebral palsy, pictured at home in Longmont, Colo., in Dec. 17, 2024.
Anna Otto, the computer science and online learning coordinator for the Adams 12 Five Star school district in Colorado, and her 9-year-old son, Aiden, who was born prematurely at 28 weeks and lives with cerebral palsy, at home in Longmont, Colo., on Dec. 17, 2024. Otto's passion for computer science is inspired, in part, by the role it has played in her son's ability to walk independently.
Jimena Peck for 91Ö±²„
Science Q&A Closing the Gender Gap in Computer Science Starts With Student Input
Girls are less likely to take computer science then their male peers. Designing classes that appeal to them can help close the gap.
4 min read
Anna Otto, Computer Science and Online Learning Coordinator for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, visits a 5th grade class at Glacier Peak Elementary School in Brighton, Colo., on Dec. 9, 2024. Otto leads the development of the district's K-12 computer science pathway, integrates digital literacy into core subjects, and collaborates on creating AI guidelines and professional learning initiatives for the district.
Anna Otto, the computer science and online learning coordinator for the Adams 12 Five Star school district in suburban Denver, visits a 5th grade class at Glacier Peak Elementary School in Brighton, Colo., on Dec. 9, 2024.
Jimena Peck for 91Ö±²„
Science LEGO Educationā€™s Latest Offering: The Building Blocks of Science Lessons?
The toymaker plans to release units that inch closer to a core curriculum.
3 min read
Lego Classroom
Courtesy of LEGO Education
Science The STEM Stereotypes That Hold Students Back Aren't What You Think
Girls may not underrate their math performance compared to boys, after all. But math-oriented sciences are a different matter.
3 min read
Two Female College Students Building Machine In Science Robotics Or Engineering Class
iStock/Getty