Gonzaga Biologists Repudiate Intelligent Design on "Science Friday"
This essay is a follow-up to my recent entry, “Debating with Evolution Deniers,” which may be found at http://www.pandasthumb.org/pt-archives/000632.html#more. In that essay, I quoted a representative of the Discovery Institute, who had defended teaching so-called intelligent design in the public schools on the NPR program “Science Friday.” That representative was David DeWolf, a law professor at Gonzaga University. Yesterday (December 10, 2004) on “Science Friday,” the Biology Department at Gonzaga University released the following statement:
Biology Department rejects intelligent design
On National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation Science Friday program of November 19, GU Law Professor David DeWolf participated in a discussion on teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution. Although Professor DeWolf is on the faculty of Gonzaga University Law School, his views on intelligent design do not represent those of the University as a whole. In particular, the faculty of the Biology Department at Gonzaga are unanimous in their acceptance of evolutionary theory as a fundamental underlying tenet of the science of biology. The principles of evolution are as well-established as any other body of scientific knowledge, and a full and correct appreciation for those principles is necessary for understanding the nature of life. Intelligent design is not a scientific alternative to evolution. The flaws in the idea of intelligent design have been amply and publicly exposed, and the Biology Department feels that the teaching of intelligent design has no place in a science curriculum at any level.
For additional information on the issue of intelligent design vs. evolutionary theory, visit the National Center for Science Education.
In short, the people at Gonzaga who really understand biology have repudiated the views of Prof. DeWolf. I was particularly gratified to see their link to the National Center for Science Education, which you may find at http://www.ncseweb.org.
Notes. The statement above differs slightly from what was read on the air. It may be found at http://gonzology.gonzaga.edu/view_news.php?e=1185. It is reproduced here with permission.