Monday, June 13, 2005
I'm Fine With That
More Kansas Science Hearings Transcipt Follies:
Below you'll find an excerpt from the official transcript of the cross-examination of Roger DeHart, a high school biology teacher, by Pedro Irigonegaray, the attorney representing the majority draft of the Kansas science standards, from May 6.
The Seattle Weekly published a report in its May 16, 2002 edition by Roger Downey that gives some insight into DeHart's background and suitability as an intelligent design "expert" witness:
MR. IRIGONEGARAY: Mr. DeHart, I have, excuse me, a few questions for the record that I would like to ask you first.
MR. DEHART: Yes, sir.
PI: And I'm going to ask you first how old, in your opinion, is the world?
RD: I'm going to answer like Dr. Sanford earlier, I would say between probably a lot younger than most people think.
PI: That doesn't say anything to me. What is your opinion in years the age of the earth?
RD: I'm fine with 5,000 to 100,000.
PI: You're fine with 5,000 to 100,000?
RD: Correct.
PI: Do you accept the principle-- the general principle of common descent that all of life was biologically related back to the beginning of life?
RD: Not if you interpret common descent, and realize that I'm taking liberty here, not if you interpret common descent as being that that is natural selection acting on random mutations, I do not.
PI: Do you accept that human beings are related by common descent to prehominid ancestors? Yes or no?
RD: No.
PI: What is the alternative explanation for how the human species came into existence if you do not accept common descent?
RD: Design.
PI: When did that design occur?
RD: I don't know.
PI: Who was the designer?
RD: Science cannot answer that. When I'm teaching my class I do not answer that.
Below you'll find an excerpt from the official transcript of the cross-examination of Roger DeHart, a high school biology teacher, by Pedro Irigonegaray, the attorney representing the majority draft of the Kansas science standards, from May 6.
The Seattle Weekly published a report in its May 16, 2002 edition by Roger Downey that gives some insight into DeHart's background and suitability as an intelligent design "expert" witness:
"DeHart's troubles began in 1998, when evolution-minded parents became aware that for 12 years, DeHart had been omitting certain chapters in the assigned biology text and substituting materials of his own for student consideration. After a series of increasingly fractious public meetings and extensive editorializing in the local media, DeHart resigned his post…"
MR. IRIGONEGARAY: Mr. DeHart, I have, excuse me, a few questions for the record that I would like to ask you first.
MR. DEHART: Yes, sir.
PI: And I'm going to ask you first how old, in your opinion, is the world?
RD: I'm going to answer like Dr. Sanford earlier, I would say between probably a lot younger than most people think.
PI: That doesn't say anything to me. What is your opinion in years the age of the earth?
RD: I'm fine with 5,000 to 100,000.
PI: You're fine with 5,000 to 100,000?
RD: Correct.
PI: Do you accept the principle-- the general principle of common descent that all of life was biologically related back to the beginning of life?
RD: Not if you interpret common descent, and realize that I'm taking liberty here, not if you interpret common descent as being that that is natural selection acting on random mutations, I do not.
PI: Do you accept that human beings are related by common descent to prehominid ancestors? Yes or no?
RD: No.
PI: What is the alternative explanation for how the human species came into existence if you do not accept common descent?
RD: Design.
PI: When did that design occur?
RD: I don't know.
PI: Who was the designer?
RD: Science cannot answer that. When I'm teaching my class I do not answer that.
