I was part of a televised debate recently on KRMA’s “Colorado State of Mind.” The discussion was about whether “intelligent design” should be taught in public schools with the same emphasis as the theory of evolution. It’s an important question, because our education system can ill afford any more ballast or drag.
The Kansas Board of Education, now dominated by conservatives, recently reinstituted a battle for creationism that was defeated in 1987 when the Supreme Court ruled it “religious” and therefore rejected its introduction into public school curriculum. To many, intelligent design – which claims that some things can only be explained by the existence of a creator – is creationism dressed in a new coat. Despite the passion-drenched rhetoric, both are about religion, without a scintilla of scientific fact, data or argument in them.
Evolution that never asserts there’s no god (only that species evolve and change) is based on observable, measurable, verifiable facts and findings. Because evolution and creationism explain different aspects of human existence and intellectual endeavor, they shouldn’t be compared or confused.
Our televised debate left a great deal unsaid and, as is the nature of arguments, one finds oneself re-arguing one’s case long afterward. It’s clear to me now that the theory of intelligent design is to evolution what Einstein’s theory of relativity is to the belief in UFOs. The creationism/intelligent design argument is meant to bring the Bible into public schools. With Genesis as their map, intelligent design’s believers claim the Earth is 6,000 years old. (Archaeology, carbon and radiometric dating, DNA analysis, etc., tack on a few more billion years.)
Evolution is a mosaic of observable facts and physical findings, all of them replicable: It’s based on scientific principles. The picture is continually upgraded as new data is discovered. Born of Darwin’s discoveries and observations, it’s new compared to creationism. Much has been learned; much more is added daily to the accumulating body of knowledge.
But we’re not educating our children for America alone, but for the world. Instead of wasting time and energy on teaching creationism in Kansas and elsewhere, we should be comparing and contrasting our education to that of Chinese, Indian, Japanese and European kids who, luckily, have been spared the demoralizing arguments so rife in our school systems.
Until Sept. 11, foreigners held the majority of doctorate of science slots in our universities. We have marginalized science in our schools, and done a terrible job selling scientific studies and research to our youth.
We’re seeing the politicization of education by myopics who take the wind out of education’s sails. That especially doesn’t augur well for teaching science in U.S. schools.
Many nations mandate uniform academic standards, resulting in their youths regularly besting American kids in math and science. Canada’s national academic standard calls for uniform study material, including certain textbooks. Compare that to our patchwork of competing values, local mandates, preferences and abdication of responsibility.
If the Bible is to be part of school curriculum, there also must be inclusion of theories from other creeds and peoples. The concepts of creation held by American Indians, Hindus, Buddhists and other religions must also be included.
Ideally, the world’s religions should be taught in appropriate philosophy and social science classes. School boards should be populated by men and women with sound academic and scientific grounding. Our education system is gradually falling behind, because we forgot the purpose of a good education: to create informed, rational individuals capable of participating in the governance of our country.
Americans have difficulty talking about kids’ hunger, poor health, funding and equal opportunities – all important issues in education. In the end, a debate continues to swirl inside my head, and I know that juxtaposing intelligent design/creationism to evolution in school is a waste of energy, resources and time.
Pius Kamau of Aurora is a thoracic and general surgeon. He was born and raised in Kenya and immigrated to the U.S. in 1971. His column appears on alternate Wednesdays.
