Intelligent design and academic freedom
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<ref>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/president/communications%20files/globalcolloquium.htm</ref>. | <ref>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/president/communications%20files/globalcolloquium.htm</ref>. | ||
| + | ==Case studies== | ||
===[[Guillermo Gonzalez]] tenure denial=== | ===[[Guillermo Gonzalez]] tenure denial=== | ||
In June of 2007 Astronomer and Intelligent Design supporter Guillermo Gonzalez was denied tenure at Iowa State University. The Discovery Institute (of which Gonzalez is a fellow) was the primary group that managed the public relations campaign against the university and claimed that the denial was merely about an inherent prejudice against an ID supporter in academia. | In June of 2007 Astronomer and Intelligent Design supporter Guillermo Gonzalez was denied tenure at Iowa State University. The Discovery Institute (of which Gonzalez is a fellow) was the primary group that managed the public relations campaign against the university and claimed that the denial was merely about an inherent prejudice against an ID supporter in academia. | ||
Revision as of 18:05, 22 June 2007
Intelligent design is the claim that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection"[1].
Academic freedom is the freedom of teachers, students, and academic institutions to pursue knowledge wherever it may lead, without undue or unreasonable interference. The “freedom” in “academic freedom” is qualified or bounded by what can reasonably be counted as “academic.” In practice, this means that universities are best able to gauge the parameters of academic freedom and therefore must be responsible for a considerable degree of self-regulation. This autonomy includes the right of the university to determine for itself, on academic grounds, who may teach, what may be taught, how it shall be taught, and who may be admitted to study. [2].
Contents |
Case studies
Guillermo Gonzalez tenure denial
In June of 2007 Astronomer and Intelligent Design supporter Guillermo Gonzalez was denied tenure at Iowa State University. The Discovery Institute (of which Gonzalez is a fellow) was the primary group that managed the public relations campaign against the university and claimed that the denial was merely about an inherent prejudice against an ID supporter in academia.
The main argument by the DI that Gonzalez should have received tenure was that he had significantly more publications than was needed at Iowa State[3]. However, the number quoted by the DI is the total number of publications in Gonzalez's career (only those publications written while at Iowa State count), and the standards for tenure include much more than a publication record.
One of the major standards is the amount of grant money he brought in. Since coming to Iowa State Gonzalez has brought in about $22,661 in outside grant money, by comparison his colleagues averaged $1.3 million in grant money before becoming tenured. [4] Whether people like it or not, money makes the world go round and anyone who barely breaks $20k in grants in 5 years in a research university is going to be denied tenure.[citation needed]
Richard Sternberg and the Smithsonian
This section needs expansion
Claims Academic suppression by Intelligent Design researchers
- Dr. Michael Behe recommends that biologists first become tenured professors before revealing "scientific skepticism" over aspects of evolutionism.[5]
- Baylor University mathematician William Dembski was put on a unrequested sabbatical for researching intelligent design.[6]
- Nature reports that one anonymous intelligent design researcher declined to be interviewed by Nature because he did not have tenure and feared an inquisition.[7]
- Robert Pennock discourages evolutionists from debating intelligent designers in public.[8]
Statement from academic freedom suppression apologists
- Dr. Eugenie Scott, from the National Center for Science Education, argues that at most the suppression is one of social isolation from colleagues. In reference to the Richard Sternberg case she had this to say:
"He didn't lose his job, he didn't get his pay cut, he still has his research privileges, he still has his office," Scott says. "You know, what's his complaint? People weren't nice to him. Well, life is not fair."[9]
The Infamous Dr. Dini
A professor of biology at Texas Tech University, Dr. Michael Dini was investigated by federal authorities for reportedly requiring students to affirm a belief in the theory of evolution before receiving a recommendation letter. "Students are being denied recommendations not because of their competence in understanding evolution, but solely because of their personal religious beliefs," said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for the Liberty Legal Institute who represent the student that filed the lawsuit. .[10]
Dr. Michael Dini still has a varient of his requirement on his website:
“”If you set up an appointment to discuss the writing of a letter of recommendation, I will ask you: "How do you account for the scientific origin of the human species?" If you will not give a scientific answer to this question, then you should not seek my recommendation.[11]...The designated criteria for a letter of recommendation should not be misconstrued as discriminatory against anyone's personal beliefs. Rather, the goals of these requirements are to help insure that a student who wishes my recommendation uses scientific thinking to answer scientific questions.[12]
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Commentary on Dr. Dini
There are fickle, or vindictive, or irresponsible people working in positions of power in most fields. Obviously, Dr. Dini has chosen poor wording at best, and a poor choice of litmus test at worst, for the promotion of his students. Luckily, there are probably other professors these students can turn to for recommendations if necessary.
One RW contributor wonders if Dr. Dini also requires an oath affirming support for embryonic stem cell research.
Biology Students want to study Intelligent Design and/or Creationism
A majority of biology students in one poll of 331 students taken at James Madison University, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, a school of 17,393 students[13], wanted to take General Education (not science) courses on Intelligent Design and/or Creationism[14], while only 25% were interested in studying neither.
Commentary on this single poll
This may show how successful the strategy in the Wedge Document to sneak creationism into the classroom has been.
Wedge Document
The "Wedge Document" produced by the Discovery Institute outlines their plan to introduce religion into science classes via the teaching of intelligent design.
Evolutionist View: Suppression or sanity?
Possibly because ID is regarded as about as scientifically believable as the idea of the earth being flat, some of its proponents claim to have had problems in having their credibility recognized in the scientific community.
See also
- Intelligent Design and Academic Freedom NPR Radio Documentary by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
- Wedge Document
- Professor's refusal to recommend creationist students draws complaint, investigation by Lisa Falkenberg, Associated Press, 01/30/03
- Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
References
- ↑ http://www.discovery.org/csc/topQuestions.php#questionsAboutIntelligentDesign
- ↑ http://www.columbia.edu/cu/president/communications%20files/globalcolloquium.htm
- ↑ http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/06/university_president_denies_ap.html
- ↑ http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070602/NEWS02/706020334/-1/SPORTS01/
- ↑ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5007508
- ↑ http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v434/n7037/box/4341062a_bx1.html
- ↑ http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v434/n7037/box/4341062a_bx1.html
- ↑ http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v434/n7037/box/4341062a_BX2.html
- ↑ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5007508
- ↑ http://www.boston.com/news/daily/30/prof.htm
- ↑ http://courses.ttu.edu/biol1403-mdini/Personal/letters.htm
- ↑ http://courses.ttu.edu/biol1403-mdini/Personal/letters.htm
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison_University
- ↑ http://www.ideacenter.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1343