I am torn about the issue of whether or not Intelligent Design should be taught in schools. In some instances I believe that Intelligent Design should be taught in the classroom along side evolution, and in other ways I believe that there are too many problems associated with teaching Intelligent Design.
I think students should be educated on the Intelligent Design theory, even though I believe that evolution pertains more to science. Being well-informed on diverse views is important because it makes students well rounded. The argument against Intelligent Design that says it is not scientific, I believe is acceptable, but I don’t believe science can determine truth. For that reason, I don’t think evolution is more valid than Intelligent Design. Since no one knows for sure how the world was created I do not feel that any theory should be placed below another. For example, I believe in creationism but I don’t put my belief above the theory of evolution, and I am also knowledgeable on evolution. I think that you can believe in thing and also learn about other people view points.
I think that problems could arise when deciding how Intelligent Design is going to be taught since it is not very scientific. When one starts talking about a higher being, they are leaning away from science because it is something that cannot be observed and experiments can not be conducted. This could be a problem since it would be hard tying science into the Intelligent Design lesson. Also will students just be taught that the theory says that there is an intelligent designer or will the designer be specific like God or Buddha? If so, this might cause confusion among the students who have a different religious background. Also, problems might happen if religion is apart of the teaching of Intelligent Design since religion can not be taught in public schools.
The debate over Intelligent Design being taught in schools is complex. In some instances I agree that it should be taught with evolution, but before that happens I feel that how it is going to be taught needs to be thoroughly thought out.
I agree with your idea that Intelligent Design should be taught, but there are problems in trying to find a method for it to be taught. You brought up the problem of the "designer"; whether this should be presented as a specific diety or a designer in general. However, I would hope that this wouldn't be as difficult as it may seem. The Evolutionary Theory, I would think, isn't taught until later on in a person's education, possibly in the high school years. By this time, I think a person would have developed enough of their own ideas on religion, and hopefully understand that there may be other views in existence. Also, if Intelligent Design was taught without a single central diety, to me that doesn't seem as much of teaching religion, but more of introducing an alternative idea to Evolution. All in all, I'm pretty sure we're still far from having anything but Evolution taught in a public classroom.
Posted by: Justin at October 16, 2005 9:03 PM