• news
  • TUESDAY MAY 3 2005 6:00 PM

Intelligent Design Experts to Debate Evolution With Muppets

Submitted by Christopher

Edited by Christopher

Once again, in the long shadow of the Tennessee Scopes monkey trial, a Kansas school board will begin arguing the merits and validity of intelligent design. Those opposed to evolution have banded together in a “I’m-No-Kin-To-The-Monkey-But-Gee-Ain’t-They-Well-Put-Together” group will take part in a courtroom-style “debate” to argue the validity of intelligent design. Evolutionary scientists are staying away from the event.

More than two dozen witnesses will give testimony and be subject to cross-examination, with the majority expected to argue against teaching evolution.
Many prominent U.S. scientific groups have denounced the debate as founded on fallacy and have promised to boycott the hearings, which opponents say are part of a larger nationwide effort by religious interests to gain control over government.
"I feel like I'm in a time warp here," said Topeka attorney Pedro Irigonegaray who has agreed to defend evolution as valid science. "To debate evolution is similar to debating whether the Earth is round. It is an absurd proposition.

Kansas has been grappling with the issue for years, garnering worldwide attention in 1999 when the state school board voted to downplay evolution in science classes.
Subsequent elections altered the membership of the school board and led to renewed backing for evolution instruction in 2001. But elections last year gave religious conservatives a 6-4 majority and the board is now finalizing new science standards, which will guide teachers about how and what to teach students.
The current proposal pushed by conservatives would not eliminate evolution entirely from instruction, nor would it require creationism be taught, but it would encourage teachers to discuss various viewpoints and eliminate core evolution claims as required curriculum.



I will also be holding a “courtroom-style” debate in my living room with my two cats, Oliver and Lucy, over whether or not we should teach abstinence-only or abstinence-plus in our high schools. Lucy believes that she will sit under the bed, while Oliver counters with an appeal to ethos and logos by meowing all night. This debate will be as legitimate as the intelligent design debates in Topeka.

  • PERMALINK
  • PRINT
  • Digg This
  • Email To A Friend
 

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 ... 12

Next

Comments
GramNegative

GramNegative

I'm lost
October 2004

MAY 03, 2005 06:05 PM

I don't know, sounds like it has all the legitimacy of a town hall meeting, and if it's good enough for dubya...

DopeSpike

dopespike

Columbus, OH
October 2003

MAY 03, 2005 06:05 PM

I think if anything is to be banned in this country... It should be religion. That would make a lot of things much easier and stupid debates over some made up story book would end.

FallFromGrace

FallFromGrace

Seattle, WA
March 2004

MAY 03, 2005 06:29 PM

It is possible to believe in intelligent design AND evolution.

Creationism and Intelligent design-ism belong in two separate categories.

Hati

Hati

Los Angeles, CA
December 2003

MAY 03, 2005 06:54 PM

Where do the muppets come into all this?

Is Kermit the Frog the highly evolved version of the amphibious being?

ChocolateJesus

ChocolateJesus

I'm lost
January 2005

MAY 03, 2005 06:56 PM

Fuck... I don't want to even get started on this whole "Intelligent Design" bullshit. mad

ChocolateJesus

ChocolateJesus

I'm lost
January 2005

MAY 03, 2005 06:57 PM

FallFromGrace said:
It is possible to believe in intelligent design AND evolution.

Creationism and Intelligent design-ism belong in two separate categories.


Intelligent Design is not a science. It's faith.

venomkid

venomkid

I'm lost
January 2003

MAY 03, 2005 06:59 PM

"Intelligent Design" predicts nothing. It does not belong in the category "science."

FallFromGrace

FallFromGrace

Seattle, WA
March 2004

MAY 03, 2005 07:01 PM

I think it's the poster's jab at the fact that you can't have a debate without two parties, and the evolutionists are mostly refraining from taking part (on grounds that since evolution is a "proven fact" it's akin to debating the geometric shape of the earth), muppets will take their place in defending the theory since the whole concept is "absurd" to begin with.

mamet

mamet

Charleston, SC
March 2005

MAY 03, 2005 07:07 PM

We should so spread this to other disciplines as well. I just got through teaching Romeo and Juliet, but never shall I again! Forget Shakespeare's literary merit, suicide is a sin! Come on guys! Think of how great it will be when when we no longer have to tax our minds considering subjects and ideas that are contrary to our own, despite their social relevance or scientific weight. It will be Utopia!!! whatever

TrendSeven

TrendSeven

I'm lost
April 2005

MAY 03, 2005 07:07 PM

venomkid said:
"Intelligent Design" predicts nothing. It does not belong in the category "science."



Neither does evolution.

DopeSpike

dopespike

Columbus, OH
October 2003

MAY 03, 2005 07:12 PM

TrendSeven said:

venomkid said:
"Intelligent Design" predicts nothing. It does not belong in the category "science."



Neither does evolution.



Actually, yes it does since you can compare diffient species in a family. Open a biology book sometime.

TrendSeven

TrendSeven

I'm lost
April 2005

MAY 03, 2005 07:17 PM

DopeSpike said:

TrendSeven said:

venomkid said:
"Intelligent Design" predicts nothing. It does not belong in the category "science."


Neither does evolution.


Actually, yes it does since you can compare diffient species in a family. Open a biology book sometime.


Evolution isn't comparing species. Evolution is stating that higher lifeforms evolved from lesser ones.

It is a theory with holes to state how humans came about and is just as out there as believing in a God or gods or that we poofed out of nowhere or that life is just a big videogame for some other universe. You just like it because it's easy and according to the rest of your world views: it makes sense.

[Edited on May 03, 2005 7:20PM]

[Edited on May 03, 2005 7:20PM]

Manchester_Black

Manchester_Black

Edmonton, AB
March 2004

MAY 03, 2005 07:20 PM

TrendSeven said:
Evolution isn't comparing species. Evolution is stating that higher lifeforms evolved from lesser ones.

It is a theory with holes to state how humans came about and is just as out there as believing in a God or gods or that we poofed out of nowhere or that life is just a big videogame for some other universe. You just like it because it's easy.



Wow, is that what your pastor told you?

mamet

mamet

Charleston, SC
March 2005

MAY 03, 2005 07:23 PM

TrendSeven said:

DopeSpike said:

TrendSeven said:

venomkid said:
"Intelligent Design" predicts nothing. It does not belong in the category "science."


Neither does evolution.


Actually, yes it does since you can compare diffient species in a family. Open a biology book sometime.


Evolution isn't comparing species. Evolution is stating that higher lifeforms evolved from lesser ones.

It is a theory with holes to state how humans came about and is just as out there as believing in a God or gods or that we poofed out of nowhere or that life is just a big videogame for some other universe. You just like it because it's easy and according to the rest of your world views: it makes sense.

[Edited on May 03, 2005 7:20PM]

[Edited on May 03, 2005 7:20PM]



No, what is easy is saying that some being clapped his hands together or whatever and *poof* there was the universe. And how do you know he likes it because it's easy? Do you know him? Do you know what he's studied and how he arrives at conclusions about things?


[Edited on May 03, 2005 by mamet]

TrendSeven

TrendSeven

I'm lost
April 2005

MAY 03, 2005 07:25 PM

Manchester_Black said:

TrendSeven said:
Evolution isn't comparing species. Evolution is stating that higher lifeforms evolved from lesser ones.

It is a theory with holes to state how humans came about and is just as out there as believing in a God or gods or that we poofed out of nowhere or that life is just a big videogame for some other universe. You just like it because it's easy.



Wow, is that what your pastor told you?


Well, the first part is from public high school. If you don't know what evolution is: like this moron clearly does not, jump off a bridge and save us the trouble. The second part is pure reason. People will believe anything you tell them.

Evolution is a THEORY. You have faith in the theory of evolution. That's no different than someone that has faith in a God. If you can't accept that there might be some things out there that aren't proven: there's a bridge down the street.

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 ... 12

Next

featured interviews