Evolution vs. Intelligent Design: Lessons About Science Communication

Evolution vs. Intelligent

Design: Lessons About

Science Communication

Universitat Pompeu Fabra

July 18, 2008

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Evolution vs. Intelligent Design:

Lessons About Science Communication

Universitat Pompeu Fabra, July 28, 2008

We have a problem in the United States (at least)

 The science-society relationship is experiencing significant tension

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People generally still respect science and technology….

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Source: Science and Engineering Indicators, 2008




European Optimism Regarding

Contributions of S&T to Quality of Life

Percent

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

S&T have improved the quality of life for your generation

S&T will improve the quality of life of future generations

Agree

Disagree

Don't know

Source: Eurobarometer, 2005

5

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But there is increasing tension in the relationship

 From encroachment of science on issues of core human values

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This is not a totally new problem

 Is the world flat or round?

 Should scientists work on nuclear weapons?

 Vaccination

 Recombinant DNA

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Current scientific issues that abut against core values

 Embryonic stem cell research

 Studying “personal” topics

 Sex

 Genetics of behavior

 Neuroscience

 Where is your mind?

 Where is your soul?

 “Intelligent Design” versus evolution in science classrooms and science museums

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Many Americans have reservations about science

Agree

%

56 Scientific research these days doesn’t pay enough attention to the moral values of society

We depend too much on science and not enough on faith

50

Disagree

%

37

45

Science and Engineering Indicators, 2006




European Views of Science and Faith

40

Percent 30

20

10

60

50

Agree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

0

We depend too much on science and not enough on faith

Source: Eurobarometer, 2005

10

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Conflict with values is affecting the whole sciencesociety relationship

 Creating a divide between science and the rest of society

 Society wants to influence science

 Rather than just the reverse

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Teaching evolution versus “Intelligent Design”

 Today’s version of “Creationism”

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Intelligent design claims to believe in gradual change

 But a supernatural being guided the process

 Claims to be a scientific, alternative theory to evolution

 Advocates argue “teach both theories” in science classes

 It is not a theory

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It is the modern version of “creationism”

 But does not argue biblical literalism

 An “intelligent designer” put it all in clearly outlined motion

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People have been fighting creationism for a long time

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“The attempts …to suppress all teaching of evolutionary theory…are a menace not only to freedom but to liberal education….Efforts to keep students from knowing about it are not only futile, but they constitute a violation of the rights of students to know what is the consensus of the best opinion on a great problem.”

American Association of University Professors (AAUP)

Committee on Freedom of Teaching Science, 1925

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Evolution of “intelligent design”

 1859 – Origin of the Species

 1923 – First anti-evolution (in schools) bills past

 1925 – Scopes trial in Tennessee

 1925-1930 – 35 new anti-evolution bills introduced

 1947-1948 - Supreme Court bans religion in public schools

 1950 - Pope accepts evolution

 1981 – “Equal time for creationism” bills adopted in LA and AK

 1987 – Supreme Court overturns LA bill

 1990 - Intelligent design begins to gain ground

 1999 – Kansas stops teaching evolution (reversed in 2001)

 2005 – Federal Court (in Dover, PA case) rejects Intelligent

Design as religion

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New “Academic Freedom” legislation

 Florida

 Louisiana

 Missouri

 Michigan

 Alabama

= “Intelligent design” initiative eruption

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Issue has not been limited to the schools

 IMAX Theaters

 Museums

 Commercial film

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Creation Museum, Petersburg, Kentucky

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Creationism/ID Intrusion Events in Europe

 2004: Italian Education Minister removes evolution from the curricula of middle schools

 After protests, partially reintroduced

 2005: Dutch Education Minister: “You have to admit that evolution theory is not complete.”

 2006: British creationist group, Truth in Science, sends information packs to every secondary school



UK government opposes its use

 2006: Polish MEP holds workshop for EU Parliament members called “Teaching evolution theory in Europe: is your child being indoctrinated in the classroom?”

 2006: The Atlas of Creation delivered to schools throughout

Europe and United States

 2007: Pope Benedict XVI published Creation and Evolution , claiming evolution has not been “proven” and that science has narrowed humanity’s view of creation

 2007: Hessian culture minister called for integration of biblical version of creation into modern biology instruction

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How could this be happening in the modern US?

 And Europe




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Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 2005

Source: Miller, et. al. Science

313, 765 (2006).

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What to do?

 Typical strategy is to advocate more public education about science

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But we can’t just “educate” our way out of it

 People do understand much of what we’re saying

 They don’t like it

 Conflict with core values wins out over societal benefits

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We must go beyond public education/understanding

Public Understanding

+

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Public Public

Understanding Engagement

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This involves changing the nature of the communication

Communicating Communicating to the public with the public

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Monologue Dialogue

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Public engagement can be done in a variety of ways

 Public forums/town meetings

 Most don’t work well

 Visits with community groups

 Small group, problem-solving sessions

 Exploiting natural opportunities

 Science museums and centers

 Physicians offices

 Over the neighbor’s fence

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AAAS “Glocal” strategy

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Working with local opinion leaders and resources

(AAAS “Glocal” Strategy)

 Local media and op-eds

 Clergy

 School officials

 Local government leaders/politicians

 Science museums and centers

 Community groups

 Town meetings


= AAAS intervention

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= AAAS intervention

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There has been some progress at the local level

 Dover, PA, case

 Ohio school board reversed requirement on curriculum criticizing evolution

 Wisconsin bill to require teaching evolution

 Kansas’ Manhattan-Ogden School District’s refusal to adopt new standards

 Failure of Utah to pass anti-evolution curriculum bill



Oklahoma bill died in committee

 South Carolina education standards (including evolution) affirmed

 Failure in Nevada to amend constitution to require teaching

“strengths and weaknesses” of evolution

 Failure of some “Academic Freedom” bills

 Except Louisiana

Lessons from the

ID/Evolution wars

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Lessons from the ID/Evolution wars

 Respond within the news cycle

 Go glocal

 Things need to be made personally meaningful to people

 Never debate an ideologue

 Only we care about the integrity of science

 If people don’t like what science is showing, they do feel free to ignore or deny it

 We need to teach about the enterprise of science, not just content

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Don’t let ideologues redefine science!

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One can’t deal with the extremes

 Evangelical fundamentalists

 Evangelical atheists

 Militant agnostics

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One can work with

 Undecideds

 Rational middle

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The fact that some scientists believe something does not automatically make it scientific…..

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Limits of science

 Explanations must be based on naturally occurring phenomena

 Natural causes of events in the natural world

 Any scientific explanation has to be testable

National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine, 2008

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Ultimate lesson

 Never pit science against religion!

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Science and religion address separate aspects of human experience

 Science can neither prove nor disprove religion

 Both science and religion are weakened by claims that something not yet explained scientifically must be attributed to a supernatural deity

National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine, 2008

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Why does all this matter so much?

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Science and technology are increasingly imbedded in every aspect of modern life

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Some major global societal issues

 Environmentally sustainable development

 Need for renewable energy sources

 Information and communications technology

 Universal access to education

 Poverty and economic opportunity

 Technology-based manufacturing and jobs

 Intellectual property rights

 Terrorism

 International security

 Natural disasters

 Science and technology capacity building

 Vaccines and medical therapies against infectious diseases

 Quality and accessibility of health care

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That science is everywhere means:

 For people to prosper in modern society, they need understanding and comfort with S&T

 For science to prosper, the science-society relationship must be positive and strong

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Evolution vs. Intelligent Design: Lessons About Science Communication

Evolution vs. Intelligent

Design: Lessons About

Science Communication

Public Understanding

+

AAAS “Glocal” strategy

Lessons from the

ID/Evolution wars

Ultimate lesson

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Evolution vs. Intelligent Design: Lessons About Science Communication