Friday, July 14, 2006
ID's Big Strategic Blunder
According to a report by Paul E. Kostyu of The Canton Repository, one section of a draft proposal circulating among intelligent design supporters on the Ohio state school board "suggests students discuss 'the value of rival theories' as they apply to global warming, evolutionary theory, cloning and stem-cell research. There’s no mention of controversial issues in other subjects."
Red State Rabble believes that the growing tendency to link support for creationism and intelligent design with opposition to global warming and stem cell research -- a trend that's become increasingly noticeable at venues such as Discovery Institute's Evolution News and Views and William Dembski's Uncommon Descent blogs -- constitutes a major strategic blunder by the opponents of evolution.
The linkage of creationism in all its various forms to doubts about global warming and resistance to stem cell research mirrors the movement's increasingly explicit connection to right-wing politics -- most apparent just now in all the hype for Ann Coulter's book Godless: The Church of Liberalism -- which we believe will have the effect of making the always implausible argument that there's a scientific controversy over evolution even harder to swallow.
Creationists like to say public opinion surveys demonstrate they are in the majority on evolution, but an ABCNEWS/Beliefnet poll conducted June 20-24 found that Americans support stem cell research by a 2-1 margin. Moreover, they say it should be funded by the federal government, despite controversy over its use of human embryos.
This means that the ID movement's decision to link these issues may have the effect of splitting off potential supporters for "critical analysis" and "teach the controversy" who also want a cure for their parents Parkinson's.
The new linkage may also encourage those who understand the danger of global warming -- some 58 percent of Americans now say global warming is already happening -- to become more skeptical about the so-called "controversy" over evolution.
In this sense, creationists and intelligent design activists have handed us a tremendous opportunity.
State Citizens for Science organizations and other supporters of strong science education should waste no time reaching out to environmental and stem cell research support groups to initiate common action.
Red State Rabble believes that the growing tendency to link support for creationism and intelligent design with opposition to global warming and stem cell research -- a trend that's become increasingly noticeable at venues such as Discovery Institute's Evolution News and Views and William Dembski's Uncommon Descent blogs -- constitutes a major strategic blunder by the opponents of evolution.
The linkage of creationism in all its various forms to doubts about global warming and resistance to stem cell research mirrors the movement's increasingly explicit connection to right-wing politics -- most apparent just now in all the hype for Ann Coulter's book Godless: The Church of Liberalism -- which we believe will have the effect of making the always implausible argument that there's a scientific controversy over evolution even harder to swallow.
Creationists like to say public opinion surveys demonstrate they are in the majority on evolution, but an ABCNEWS/Beliefnet poll conducted June 20-24 found that Americans support stem cell research by a 2-1 margin. Moreover, they say it should be funded by the federal government, despite controversy over its use of human embryos.
This means that the ID movement's decision to link these issues may have the effect of splitting off potential supporters for "critical analysis" and "teach the controversy" who also want a cure for their parents Parkinson's.
The new linkage may also encourage those who understand the danger of global warming -- some 58 percent of Americans now say global warming is already happening -- to become more skeptical about the so-called "controversy" over evolution.
In this sense, creationists and intelligent design activists have handed us a tremendous opportunity.
State Citizens for Science organizations and other supporters of strong science education should waste no time reaching out to environmental and stem cell research support groups to initiate common action.
