Beyond the

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Beyond the WedgeIntelligent Design, Science,
and Culture

• Wesley R. Elsberry
• Texas AM University

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The 25 year view

• There are real problems to be faced
• Habitat loss and subsequent biodiversity
  reduction
• Global climate change
• Biotechnology in medicine
• Use of GM crops in agriculture
• Resource assessment and management
• Socio-political restraints on science

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Why care about intelligent design?

• Intelligent design is a movement which affects
  science education
• Science education is critical to dealing with the
  problems just listed
• Must weigh what effect intelligent design will
  have on the public understanding of science

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The Intelligent Design Movement

• Another form of antievolution
• Followed setbacks to young-earth creationist
  legal efforts
• The high-profile ID advocates are creationists
  (sensu Phil Johnson)

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What about intelligent design?

• Anti-evolution
• Anti-science
• Socio-political wedging
• Primarily religious motivation
• Primary ID organization Discovery Institute
  Center for Renewal of Science and Culture

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Intelligent design and the next 25 years

• Want to know what ID will look like over the
  next 25 years?
• Examine their plans
• The wedge document
• Essays by DI CRSC Fellows
• Watch their actions
• Political involvement
• Choice of venues for discussion

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Order is important

• Research first
• Politics later

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The wedge strategy

• Given shape in the wedge document
• Surfaced in 1999
• Described as promotional material
• Outlines goals of the DI CRSC at 5, 10, and 20
  years
• Same language also seen on the DI CRSC web site
• Attack the definition of science
• Naturalism is the bogeyman

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Wedge image
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Wedge goals (quoted)

• GOALS
• Governing Goals
• To defeat scientific materialism and its
  destructive moral, cultural and political
  legacies.
• To replace materialistic explanations with the
  theistic understanding that nature and human
  beings are created by God.

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Wedge goals (quoted)

• Five Year Goals
• To see intelligent design theory as an accepted
  alternative in the sciences and scientific
  research being done from the perspective of
  design theory.
• To see the beginning of the influence of design
  theory in spheres other than natural science.
• To see major new debates in education, life
  issues, legal and personal responsibility pushed
  to the front of the national agenda.

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Wedge goals (quoted)

• Twenty Year Goals
• To see intelligent design theory as the dominant
  perspective in science.
• To see design theory application in specific
  fields, including molecular biology,
  biochemistry, paleontology, physics and cosmology
  in the natural sciences, psychology, ethics,
  politics, theology and philosophy in the
  humanities to see its influence in the fine
  arts.
• To see design theory permeate our religious,
  cultural, moral and political life.

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More wedge (quoted)

• Phase I is the essential component of everything
  that comes afterward. Without solid scholarship,
  research and argument, the project would be just
  another attempt to indoctrinate instead of
  persuade. A lesson we have learned from the
  history of science is that it is unnecessary to
  outnumber the opposing establishment. Scientific
  revolutions are usually staged by an initially
  small and relatively young group of scientists
  who are not blinded by the prevailing prejudices
  and who are able to do creative work at the
  pressure points, that is, on those critical
  issues upon which whole systems of thought hinge.
  So, in Phase I we are supporting vital writing
  and research at the sites most likely to crack
  the materialist edifice.

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More wedge (quoted)

• Phase II. The primary purpose of Phase II is to
  prepare the popular reception of our ideas. The
  best and truest research can languish unread and
  unused unless it is properly publicized. For this
  reason we seek to cultivate and convince
  influential individuals in print and broadcast
  media, as well as think tank leaders, scientists
  and academics, congressional staff, talk show
  hosts, college and seminary presidents and
  faculty, future talent and potential academic
  allies.

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More wedge (quoted)

• Other activities include production of a PBS
  documentary on intelligent design and its
  implications, and popular op-ed publishing.
  Alongside a focus on influential opinion-makers,
  we also seek to build up a popular base of
  support among our natural constituency, namely,
  Christians. We will do this primarily through
  apologetics seminars. We intend these to
  encourage and equip believers with new scientific
  evidence's that support the faith, as well as to
  "popularize" our ideas in the broader culture.

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More wedge (quoted)

• Phase III. Once our research and writing have had
  time to mature, and the public prepared for the
  reception of design theory, we will move toward
  direct confrontation with the advocates of
  materialist science through challenge conferences
  in significant academic settings. We will also
  pursue possible legal assistance in response to
  resistance to the integration of design theory
  into public school science curricula. The
  attention, publicity, and influence of design
  theory should draw scientific materialists into
  open debate with design theorists, and we will be
  ready. With an added emphasis to the social
  sciences and humanities, we will begin to address
  the specific social consequences of materialism
  and the Darwinist theory that supports it in the
  sciences.

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Rob Koons research

• If theistic science or intelligent design
  theory is to become a progressive research
  program, it must do more than poke holes in the
  evidence for Darwinism it must acquire auxiliary
  hypotheses about the intentions and preferences
  of the designer from which we can generate
  specific, testable predictions and informative
  explanations. (NTSE conf. Summary, 1997)

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Dembski, research, politics

• Though design theorists believe Darwinism is
  dead wrong, unlike the creationist movement of
  the 1980's, they do not try to win a place for
  their views by taking to the courts. Instead of
  pressing their case by lobbying for fair
  treatment acts in state legislatures (i.e., acts
  that oblige public schools in a given state to
  teach both creation and evolution in their
  science curricula), design theorists are much
  more concerned with bringing about an
  intellectual revolution starting from the top
  down. Their method is debate and persuasion. They
  aim to convince the intellectual elite and let
  the school curricula take care of themselves. By
  adopting this approach design theorists have
  enjoyed far more success in getting across their
  views than their creationist counterparts. (from
  What every theologian should know about
  creation, evolution and design)

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ID and politics

• "The whole politicization of ID research
  associated with the "Wedge is something from
  which we want to distance ourselves.
• Michael Polanyi Center, Baylor U. (from a post to
  MetaViews by Robert Baldridge)

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Johnson and politics

• But Johnson argues that forcing intelligent
  design theory into public schools is not his
  goal. "We definitely aren't looking for some
  legislation to support our views, or anything
  like that," he says. "I want to be very cautious
  about anything I say about the public interest,
  because obviously what our adversaries would like
  to say is, "These people want to impose their
  views through the law.' No. That's what they do.
  We're against that in principle, and we don't
  need that.
• - SF Weekly, 2001/06/20

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Intelligent design Politics
Since about 1998, intelligent design advocates,
including Fellows of the DI CRSC, have
aggressively pursued the political goals outlined
in the Wedge document.
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ID politics highlights

• 1998-2001 Burlington-Edison, WA
• 2000/05/10 US Congressional briefing
• 2000 Kansas intervention
• 2001 Arkansas HB2548, Georgia HB391, Michigan
  HB4382, Michigan HB4705
• 2001 Santorum amendment
• 2002 Georgia HB1563, Ohio HB481, Ohio Board of
  Education

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Santorum amendment

• Drafted by DI CRSC advisor Phillip Johnson
• Proposed by PA Sen. Rick Santorum (2001/06/18)
• Amended SB 1, No Child Left Behind
• Amendment removed in joint committee
• According to legal texts, language considered and
  removed can only be said to be rejected
• Language added to Joint Explanatory Statement

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Santorum amendment

• Bill signed into law by Pres. Bush
• DI CRSC now advising school boards that they
  should comply with the law
• The Johnson/Santorum language is NOT law it is
  report language
• Expect to see more obfuscation from the DI CRSC
  on this issue

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Intelligent design Science
Intelligent design advocates have not fulfilled
the writing and research portion of what the
Wedge document and various advocates originally
stated was the first priority of the movement.
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Desperately seeking (premature) validation

• Theme of ID activity at 1997 NTSE conference It
  could be science
• Progressive change in attitude over past several
  years
• Now, ID advocates simply assert that ID has
  scientific status
• Unfortunately, there is no evidence that this is
  so (Gilchrist)

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Distinguish modes of argument

• This isnt about negative arguments (cf. Koons)
• Looking for positive development of intelligent
  design
• So far, there seems to be little, if any, progress

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ID Progress Report?

• 1996 Behes Darwins Black Box published
  (irreducible complexity)
• 1997 Naturalism, Theism, and Scientific
  Enterprise (NTSE) conference (Jonathan Wells in
  attendance)
• 2002/01/28 Jonathan Wells lecture
• Question Progress report on scientific advances
  within ID paradigm since NTSE?
• A Behes irreducible complexity (translation
  No progress)

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ID Progress Report

• 2002/04/23 AMNH forum with William Dembski
• Asked what scientific progress ID has made since
  1997
• Answer Havent had funding work is in progress
• Translation No progress

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Who decides?

• ID approach
• Bypass generally skeptical scientists and the
  scientific community
• Push the issue at various levels
• US Congress
• State legislatures
• School boards
• Individual teachers

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The Borrowers

• Intelligent design is parasitic upon both
  scientists the young-earth community
• Borrows critiques from evolutionary biologists
  for negative argumentation
• Borrows blocks of votes from the young-earth
  creationist (YEC) movement to get political
  muscle
• Recycles YEC negative arguments

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Summary

• DI CRSC is out to make science safe for theism
• Goal is to re-define science
• Research was supposed to come first
• Scientific justification is on the back burner
• Political activism is the primary focus
• Political action at many levels is evident
• Expect more of the same for the future

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Resources

• Skepticism of Intelligent Design
• http//www.ncseweb.org
• http//www.talkreason.org
• http//www.talkdesign.org
• General critiques of antievolution
• http//www.talkorigins.org
• http//www.antievolution.org
• Intelligent Design advocacy
• http//www.discovery.org/crsc
• http//www.arn.org
• http//www.iscid.org

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