Constitutionality of Teaching Intelligent Design

From the abstract of a paper entitled Is it Science Yet?: Intelligent Design Creationism and the Constitution, an argument why teaching ID in science classes is on thin constitutional ice (bullets added for clarity):

[Is It Science Yet?]: The article discusses several factors that pose problems for intelligent design theory, including

• the absence of objective scientific support for intelligent design,
• evidence of strong links between intelligent design and religious doctrine,
• the use of intelligent design to limit the dissemination of scientific theories that are perceived as contradicting religious teachings, and
• the fact that the irreducible core of intelligent design theory is what the Court has called the manifestly religious concept of a God or Supreme Being.

Based on these details, the authors conclude that intelligent design theory cannot survive scrutiny under the constitutional framework used by the Court to invalidate earlier creationism mandates.

(Hat tip: Richard Hoppe at The Panda's Thumb.)

10:49:48 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

The Year I Got Old

Now don't get me wrong. I was ok with it, but it was a big change. Kind of like I'd rolled over the hump. Kind of like I was not so much preparing for the future anymore as reflecting on the past a lot.

It seemed to be happening gradually. I was getting old slowly. It all seemed quite incremental. It all seemed comfortable. Until last year.

• Last year, my declining eyesight compelled me to buy many pairs of reading glasses and stash them strategically around the house.
• Last year, my running came to a halt. I got slow. I ran out of energy. And the comfy chair started beckoning.
• And last year, I started reading Pickles. It's not like I'm that old, but at least I can READ THE PRINT at the breakfast table without any reading glasses.

Suffice it to say, I am glad last year is done.

8:04:25 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []