Discovering Discovery Institute's science education policy

Dear Discovery Institute,

Today, I've been investigating your perspectives on science education. I have noticed some interesting trends, and would like to raise some questions as to the motives of your views. It appears that your view on science education is, like most of the articles and books your fellows publish, strongly consonant with Wedge Strategy.

To discuss your science education policy, we will consider the document on your website that explains it. First, let's take the beginning of the document:

"As a matter of public policy, Discovery Institute opposes any effort require the teaching of intelligent design by school districts or state boards of education. Attempts to mandate teaching about intelligent design only politicize the theory and will hinder fair and open discussion of the merits of the theory among scholars and within the scientific community. Furthermore, most teachers at the present time do not know enough about intelligent design to teach about it accurately and objectively.

Instead of mandating intelligent design, Discovery Institute seeks to increase the coverage of evolution in textbooks. It believes that evolution should be fully and completely presented to students, and they should learn more about evolutionary theory, including its unresolved issues. In other words, evolution should be taught as a scientific theory that is open to critical scrutiny, not as a sacred dogma that can't be questioned

Discovery Institute believes that a curriculum that aims to provide students with an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of neo-Darwinian and chemical evolutionary theories (rather than teaching an alternative theory, such as intelligent design) represents a common ground approach that all reasonable citizens can agree on."

At this point, we appear to be between phase 1 and 2 of Wedge strategy. There is the hesitance to teach Intelligent Design in the classrooms yet, but we are currently in a phase where there is a desire to undermine the validity of evolutionary theory in schools. As the opposition, with strong support from Discovery Institute yearns to "teach the controversy", they also deny any desire to teach Intelligent Design in the classroom. This is perhaps because we haven't reached that phase in the Wedge Document yet. Eventually, the Discovery Institute does, of course, wish to have Intelligent Design taught in classrooms; after all, the Wedge Document showcases a yearning to undermine the definition of science and the validity of evolutionary theory (and replace it with Intelligent Design).

"Four states (Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina) have science standards that require learning about some of the scientific controversies relating to evolution.

Although Discovery Institute does not advocate requiring the teaching of intelligent design in public schools, it does believe there is nothing unconstitutional about voluntarily discussing the scientific theory of design in the classroom. In addition, the Institute opposes efforts to persecute individual teachers who may wish to discuss the scientific debate over design in an objective and pedagogically appropriate manner"

This statement should be revised to "Although Discovery Institute does not yet advocate requiring the teaching of intelligent design in public schools". As mentioned above (and also in my Wedge Document blog), the Discovery Institute does support replacing evolutionary theory with Intelligent Design in the scientific realm, and also by default the classroom, eventually. Teach the controversy now, teach Intelligent Design 5 or 10 or 15 years down the road. This way, students will be raised to doubt evolution first, and thus will become more receptive to the teaching of Intelligent Design. With luck, in a few generations, you'll succeed in raising students who will easily accept Intelligent Design. This strategy is perhaps Discovery Institute's best chance to gain some sort of scientific legitimacy. By slowly wedging their way into the scientific curriculum, they would theoretically succeed in raising America's children to accept Intelligent Design. A nation of people open to Intelligent Design would most definitely be an asset to Discovery Institute's attempt to undermine scientific materialism and redefine society. Scary thought.

"The U.S. Supreme Court in Edwards v. Aguillard strongly affirmed the individual teacher’s right to academic freedom. It also recognized that, while the statute requiring the teaching of creationism in that case was unconstitutional, “…teaching a variety of scientific theories about the origins of humankind to schoolchildren might be validly done with the clear secular intent of enhancing the effectiveness of science instruction.”

Here's an attempt to gain legal validity by the Discovery Institute. They can't legally teach Intelligent Design in the classroom because, as shown in a previous blog, Intelligent Design is inseparable from Creationism. However, by slowly wedging into the curriculum by teaching "a variety of scientific theories" (hey, here's a new scientific theory called "Intelligent Design"?), the Discovery Institute appears to see a possible way to infilitrate America's education system. Whether or not they succeed remains to be seen.

Works Cited:

Discovery Institute's Science Education Policy. Discovery Institute. 9/10/2007