‘Intelligent design’ an option

By David Wroe

Canberra

August 11, 2005

The controversial theory of “intelligent design” has won the qualified backing of Education Minister Brendan Nelson, who says it should be taught in schools alongside evolution if that is the wish of parents.

Intelligent design, which is damned by critics as a front for biblical Creationism, argues that life on Earth is too complex to have evolved purely through Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Dr Nelson said yesterday he had met Campus Crusade for Christ, the Australian advocates of intelligent design, or ID, and watched their DVD presentation, called Unlocking the Mystery of Life.

He told the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday that he would oppose replacing evolution with ID in Australia’s science classes but said parents should be able to choose that their children learn about it.

“Do I think it should be a replacement for teaching the origins of mankind in a scientific sense? I most certainly don’t think that it should be at all. In fact, I’d be quite concerned if it were to replace it,” said Dr Nelson, who is a medical doctor and a Christian.

Do I think that parents and schools should have the opportunity — if they wish to — for students also to be exposed to this and to be taught about it? Yes I think that’s fine,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, students can be taught and should be taught the basic science in terms of the evolution of man, but if schools also want to present students with intelligent design, I don’t have any difficulty with that. It’s about choice, reasonable choice.”

US President George Bush made global headlines last week when he endorsed ID. He said both ID and evolution should be taught “so people can understand what the debate is about”. The ID debate has raged in the US for more than a decade. One critic has derided ID as “creationism in a cheap tuxedo”.

Bill Hodgson, head of Campus Crusade for Christ Australia, welcomed Dr Nelson’s remarks as “fantastic”, adding: “I think any reasonable and balanced approach to education has to take that view.

“This is not advocating the teaching of religion.”

He said his group had never advocated the removal of the theory of evolution from school curriculums and said intelligent design was hard science, not creationism. “There is evidence of intelligent design. All we’re saying is that the cutting edge of science is adhering increasingly to intelligent design.”

The Age reported on Saturday that Mr Hodgson’s group was seeking support from educationists, churches, politicians and scientists to distribute its DVD to every Australian high school for inclusion in the curriculum.

‘Intelligent design’ an option: Nelson – National – theage.com.au