Intelligent Design sparks campus controversy

With Wednesday night’s Great Debate sparking questions about including Intelligent Design in public school curriculums, Boston University theology professors say intelligent design should only be taught as a philosophical premise, not as plausible scientific theory.

Intelligent Design is a controversial alternative to Creationism and Darwinism claiming the universe’s living things were produced by an intelligent agent, not through a process like natural selection.

“Intelligent Design claims that it is possible to infer that something is designed on the basis of its specified complexity,” theology professor Wesley Wildman said. “Just think of the coordinated features of an eye or a bacterial flagellum.”

Wildman, who teaches in BU’s Science, Philosophy and Religion graduate program, said Intelligent Design cannot be taken seriously because it relies on the concepts of other evolutionary theories.

“ID bets that evolutionary biology will never explain what it cannot yet fully explain,” he said. “ID theorists use probability calculations to show that it is virtually impossible for evolutionary theory to produce such complexity in the time available. Ironically, the only way to refine those probability calculations is to advance research in evolutionary theory and complexity theory.”

Wildman said he often mentions Intelligent Design in his classes and he has taught it to middle school students in the past.

“I present the debate impartially, but also make my own view and arguments clear to the class so that they can see an example of philosophical reasoning that will inspire them to make their own analyses,” he said. “Because ID is not science, it should not be taught in science classes, but I think schools should teach it in social studies classes, or wherever it is that they discuss conflicting worldviews and culture wars.”

Although most ID proponents publicly deny that God is the intelligent agent that the theory is based on, it is widely assumed that Intelligent Design has Christian connotations.

Christian ethics professor John Hart called Intelligent Design “Creationism without using the word God.”

“Creationism can’t be taught in public schools because of the separation between church and state,” he said. “They thought that by coming up with this theory they could avoid that issue.”

But, Hart said intelligent design contradicts the doctrine most Christians believe.

“God does not design a species and place it on Earth,” he said. “God gives life freedom to try different forms, some of which will become extinct, others of which will continue in some way. Creation and evolution are complementary ideas, not contradictory ideas.”

Hart said his department does not promote Intelligent Design and that he has no plans on including it in his curriculum. He said he does not oppose public schools teaching ID as long as they do not include it in science courses.

“If schools want to teach it as part of an elective course in religious thought,” he said, “that would be fine.”

College of Arts and Sciences junior Christine Kecher said even though she learned about Intelligent Design in a middle school U.S. history class, she has always been under the impression that Intelligent Design was strictly a Christian theory.

“I always thought it was the opposite of evolution – a ‘God created the world in seven days’ type theory,” she said.

Wildman said he thinks the intelligent design theory was created for a variety of reasons.

“They are frustrated with the arrogance of scientists pretending to know what they don’t yet know,” he said. “Most believe that science promotes an atheistic worldview which destroys the moral fabric of human life. Most also believe that God is a big person-like being who makes plans and acts in the world and they fully expect and want to see evidence of God’s action in the evolutionary process.”

CAS senior Leora Rockowitz said although she does not know details to the Intelligent Design theory, it should be taught in schools as an option to students.

“That is what school is all about,” she said, “to give students a way to make their own decisions about things.”