Ronald Bailey: Evolutionary Politics

From the article:
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Does it matter what presidential candidates believe about biological
evolution? After all, they are running for commander-in-chief, not
scientist-in-chief. For example, why not practice educational
federalism as many Republican candidates suggest and let local school
boards and individual states decide what should be taught in science
classes? This may seem like an initially appealing option until one
considers that schooling is mandatory.

The problem is that creationism and its latest intellectual spawn,
intelligent design, are clearly religious teachings. So a local school
board or state would be imposing religious teachings on all students
if they required the teaching of creationism or intelligent design in
public schools. The U.S. Supreme court acknowledged this fact in 1987
when it ruled in Edwards v. Aguillard against a Louisiana law that
required the teaching of creationism whenever evolutionary biology was
taught. The Court struck down the Louisiana law because it
"impermissibly endorses religion by advancing the religious belief
that a supernatural being created humankind." In 2005, a federal
district court found in Kitzmiller v. Dover that the goal of the local
school board's mandate that schools teach intelligent design "was to
promote religion in the public school classroom."

Americans simply would not tolerate it if public schools were required
to teach their kids religious doctrines with which they disagreed. One
way out of this morass would be a thoroughgoing privatization of
elementary and secondary education. But until that glad day dawns, it
is not acceptable for presidential candidates to argue that teaching
religion in the guise of creationism and intelligent design in public
schools should be just a local matter. Furthermore, as the foregoing
court cases highlight, it is essential that a president nominate
federal judges who understand the importance of maintaining the
separation between church and state.

A larger question is whether a candidate's belief about the validity
of evolutionary biology has anything to say about his or her ability
to evaluate evidence. A January 4, 2008, editorial by Science editor
Donald Kennedy correctly argues, "The candidates should be asked hard
questions about science policy, including questions about how those
positions reflect belief. What is your view about stem cell research,
and does it relate to a view of the time at which human life begins?
Have you examined the scientific evidence regarding the age of Earth?
Can the process of organic evolution lead to the production of new
species, and how? Are you able to look at data on past climates in
search of inferences about the future of climate change?" Kennedy
concludes, "I don't need them to describe their faith; that's their
business and not mine. But I do care about their scientific knowledge
and how it will inform their leadership."
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Read it at http://reason.com/news/show/124271.html









J. Spaceman

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