Feeling Uncreative On A Rainy Tuesday...So, I thought I'd post a great comment I read over at Stinging Nettle by a poster named Stevelaw. This excellent post deals with the idea of "intelligent design" (i.e. creationism) being taught in public schools.
Very well said...I think it's more accurate to say that ID does not belong in a science class because it ISN'T A SCIENCE. It isn't a scientific theory, it isn't a branch of science, and it has no relevance any form of scientific study.
Science is the process of finding explanations for natural phenomena by gathering empirical data to support those explanations (also known as theories or hypotheses). ID does not rely on empirical data of any sort to prove a hypothesis. In fact, it does exactly the opposite. ID declares that there is no need to gather ANY data about natural phenomena because the explanation or theory that supports it is not a scientific but a supernatural one.
So what it comes down to is:Evolution = scientific theory subject to verification by gathering empirical evidence
Intelligent Design = unverifiable supernatural explanation for natural phenomena.
So what is this debate about, really?
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