Goals of the Intelligent Design Creationism Movement

[RBH]

Barbara Forrest has a new paper (http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/Forrest_Paper.pdf) (PDF) released by the Center for Inquiry (http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/Forrest_Paper.pdf) on those goals. Money quote:As this paper demonstrates, the ID movement is the most recent version of American creationism. In promoting “intelligent design theory”—a term that is essentially code for the religious belief in a supernatural creator—as a purported scientific alternative to evolutionary theory, the ID movement continues the decades-long attempt by creationists either to minimize the teaching of evolution or to gain equal time for yet another form of creationism in American public schools. Accordingly, the ID creationist movement threatens both the education of the nation’s children and the constitutional separation of church and state, which protects the religious freedom of every American (Forrest and Gross, 2005).RBH

(Cross-posted in CSS.)

[David B]

So is the Center for Inquiry an influential body?

I've never heard of them, but then I'm a Brit, so perhaps it is more influential in America than I know.

The bit you quoted from the paper seems to me to be blindingly obvious.

David B

[RBH]

So is the Center for Inquiry an influential body?

I've never heard of them, but then I'm a Brit, so perhaps it is more influential in America than I know.

The bit you quoted from the paper seems to me to be blindingly obvious.

David BThe Center for Inquiry is relatively new, and (I think) is an outgrowth of Paul Kurtz's work at the University of Buffalo with CSICOP. I'm not sure of the exact line of descent.

RBH

[Toto]

The Center for Inquiry (http://www.centerforinquiry.net/) is a combination of two of Paul Kurtz's non profit ventures, the skeptical group CSICOP (which has just renamed itself to something that sounds just a little less like the science police - CSI, the Committe for Scientific Inquiry) and the Council for Secular Humanism (http://www.secularhumanism.org/), which publishes the magazine Free Inquiry.

[David B]

The Center for Inquiry (http://www.centerforinquiry.net/) is a combination of two of Paul Kurtz's non profit ventures, the skeptical group CSICOP (which has just renamed itself to something that sounds just a little less like the science police - CSI, the Committe for Scientific Inquiry) and the Council for Secular Humanism (http://www.secularhumanism.org/), which publishes the magazine Free Inquiry.

Ah. CSICOP has been on my favourites for years.

Sadly, then, not very influential.

David B

[espritch]

They are a skeptic organization, and this being America, that pretty much means they are not an influential body, as they have almost nothing to say on the subject of Paris Hilton.

Hmmm. Me thinks I'm in a slightly cynical mood this evening.

[beausoleil]

They are a skeptic organization, and this being America, that pretty much means they are not an influential body, as they have almost nothing to say on the subject of Paris Hilton.

Hmmm. Me thinks I'm in a slightly cynical mood this evening.

How odd. Paris Hilton strikes me as a fine subject for scepticism.

[Jet Black]

They are a skeptic organization, and this being America, that pretty much means they are not an influential body, as they have almost nothing to say on the subject of Paris Hilton.

Hmmm. Me thinks I'm in a slightly cynical mood this evening.

How odd. Paris Hilton strikes me as a fine subject for scepticism.

there's a difference between unnatural and supernatural.

[Dr.GH]

Thanks for the link.