Pepper Trail | Essays | What's at Stake in the Evolution "Debate"

On my desk is the fragment of a tooth from an ancient camel that roamed the area around Fossil, Ore., 40 million years ago. My kids and I unearthed it on a summer camping trip, and today I found myself fingering it as I read yet another story about the evolution "debate."

This controversy pits Darwin’s concept of evolution and natural selection against "intelligent design," which asserts that life is so complex that it must reflect a guiding intelligence. Mindful that the teaching of creationism has been barred by the courts, intelligent design advocates are careful not to name the designer, but their arguments postulate a creation that was perfect and unchanging; in other words, divine.

Across the country and throughout the West, school boards are struggling with this issue, often seeking incoherent "compromises" that satisfy no one. They must certainly confuse students. In Utah, for example, a conservative state senator recently withdrew his plan to require instruction in "divine design". . . but only after being assured by the state superintendent of public instruction that human evolution would not be taught in Utah schools.

Meanwhile, in a recent sit-down with Texas journalists, President Bush weighed in on the issue: "both sides ought to be properly taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about." Many may feel – well, fair enough. Give this intelligent design idea equal time, or at least a fair hearing. What’s the problem with that?

The problem is that there simply is no debate in the scientific world about the validity of evolution. After a century and a half of research, there is near-universal agreement among biologists that Darwin’s principle of natural selection, coupled with modern knowledge of genetics, explains the development and workings of life on earth. This consensus is fundamental to modern medicine, to genetics, to embryology, to the classification of plants and animals, and to every other branch of biological science.

Everywhere we look, the living world shows evidence of both past and continuing evolution, from the development of feathers on dinosaurs and birds to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. In contrast, "intelligent design" makes no testable predictions, and it is not supported by any data at all – certainly nothing as tangible as my fossil camel tooth.

		WHAT'S AT STAKE IN THE EVOLUTION "DEBATE" On my desk is the fragment of a tooth from an ancient camel that roamed the area around Fossil, Ore., 40 million years ago. My kids and I unearthed it on a summer camping trip, and today I found myself fingering it as I read yet another story about the evolution "debate." This controversy pits Darwin’s concept of evolution and natural selection against "intelligent design," which asserts that life is so complex that it must reflect a guiding intelligence. Mindful that the teaching of creationism has been barred by the courts, intelligent design advocates are careful not to name the designer, but their arguments postulate a creation that was perfect and unchanging; in other words, divine. Across the country and throughout the West, school boards are struggling with this issue, often seeking incoherent "compromises" that satisfy no one. They must certainly confuse students. In Utah, for example, a conservative state senator recently withdrew his plan to require instruction in "divine design". . . but only after being assured by the state superintendent of public instruction that human evolution would not be taught in Utah schools. Meanwhile, in a recent sit-down with Texas journalists, President Bush weighed in on the issue: "both sides ought to be properly taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about." Many may feel – well, fair enough. Give this intelligent design idea equal time, or at least a fair hearing. What’s the problem with that? The problem is that there simply is no debate in the scientific world about the validity of evolution. After a century and a half of research, there is near-universal agreement among biologists that Darwin’s principle of natural selection, coupled with modern knowledge of genetics, explains the development and workings of life on earth. This consensus is fundamental to modern medicine, to genetics, to embryology, to the classification of plants and animals, and to every other branch of biological science. Everywhere we look, the living world shows evidence of both past and continuing evolution, from the development of feathers on dinosaurs and birds to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. In contrast, "intelligent design" makes no testable predictions, and it is not supported by any data at all – certainly nothing as tangible as my fossil camel tooth.