Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything and a School Board in Dover P Gordy Slack interview. Gordy Slack was on the radio in the Bay Area yesterday and the show is now online. I haven’t listened to the whole thing yet but I’m sure it was good, since Gordy is quite a thoughtful guy. Gordy is also doing a reading at Books Inc. Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave. SF, CA, on Monday, 7/16. 7:00 pm – I might go myself if I get the chance… Fri, Jul 13, 2007 – 10:00 AM Author Gordy Slack Listen (RealMedia stream) Download (MP3) (Windows: right-click and choose “Save Target As.” Mac: hold Ctrl, click link, and choose “Save As.”) The show welcomes author Gordy Slack for a conversation focusing on his book, “The Battle over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design and a School Board in Dover, PA.” Host: Dave Iverson Guests: Gordy Slack , author of “The Battle over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design and a School Board in Dover, PA.” To see earlier posts, select the Archives at the top of this page. Recent Comments. To see the comment in context of the discussion click on the text that indicates how long ago the comment was posted, such as "2 hours ago". Then wait for the post and then the comments to load. Copyright © The Panda’s Thumb and original authors — Content provided under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License 4.0. The Dover Books Cometh. Although only Humes’s book Monkey Girl is out, I was lucky enough to be interviewed for each of them, and have gotten to know the authors, and so I have an idea about which direction each one takes. Although they all center on the trial, each comes at it from a different angle, so you are just going to have to support the economy and buy all three. Ed Humes’s Monkey Girl is the crime drama version of the Kitzmiller case. Humes, who won a Pulitzer in 1989 for investigative reporting about the U.S. Military, reviews the evolution fights that have occurred around the country since 2000, when the ID movement started to get national attention during Kansas’s “Evolution War I” (“Evolution War I” was the fight over the deletion of evolution from Kansas’s science standards in 1999-2000; “Evolution War II” was 2004-2006 fight over ID-friendly science standards), and continuing through the No Child Left Behind Act , the Ohio Board of Education, etc., up to Dover. Humes gives a detailed anatomy of the case from the beginning – events which were crucial although this was not always clear at the time, and this trains readers up to understand how the dramatic moments at the trial came to pass. For example, a preliminary scuffle in the case was the issue of whether or not the plaintiffs would file for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in January 2005. The plaintiffs took depositions of the key Dover Area School Board members to gather evidence, but Buckingham and Bonsell denied under oath that they had originally talked about “” before they talked about “intelligent design” (despite the fact that this was explicitly reported in the newspapers), and they said they didn’t know who had donated the book Of Pandas and People . As a result, the plaintiffs declined to file for a TRO and moved forward with plans for a full trial with a full discovery period. Of course, it turned out that the board members were lying and this is what led to some of the fireworks at trial. The book is also excellent for the culture and historical context of the case – and a tour with a Pennsylvania geology guide gives the really deep background. Reviews and articles are already coming out about Monkey Girl , see edwardhumes.com, the York Dispatch , the York Daily Record (includes the “ruling” – the blurb – from the Hon. Judge John Jones III himself), Pharyngula, and a long and detailed review from Red State Rabble. Nick “Trial Geek” Matzke Watch: guess who one of the geeks is in the chapter entitled “Send Lawyers, Geeks and Money”? Matthew Chapman’s title was announced first (as far as I know), and he got the best one: 40 Days and 40 Nights . This is, of course, based on the banter at the very end of the fortieth day of the trial, which seemed to me to be clear proof that we were actually on a movie set and the director was about to jump out and yell “cut!” Chapman brings a unique perspective to the case as the great-great-great-great grandson of pottery magnate Josiah Wedgwood (not Wedgewood), perhaps better known as the great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin himself. The book is an expansion of Chapman’s article in Harper’s Magazine . As Chapman admits early on, he did not inherit the science proclivities that are common throughout the rest of the Darwin family. You do not read 40 days for ponderous analysis, you read it for the humor. Chapman’s specialty is character, and he manages to peg just about every participant with a few incisive remarks. The effect is hilarious, especially if you know the people involved. Plaintiffs’ attorney Steve Harvey? “[T]he best suits in the trial.” Eric Rothschild? “One might imagine that as a geeky child he had encountered some bullying and was not about to let it continue into adulthood.” During the trial, Chapman sat in the jury box with the other reporters and glowered at the ID witnesses. At least, that’s what I had thought he was doing. During the cross-examination of Scott Minnich, Harvey brought up the fact that Richard Bliss, an education specialist with the Institute for Creation Research, had been invoking the “intelligent design icon,” the bacterial flagellum, a generation ago. Most observers were thinking, “Wow, so that flagellum argument really isn’t new at all, is it?” But not Chapman. No, at that moment Chapman was focused on the question of what would possibly lead someone to name their child “Dick Bliss.” Nick “Trial Geek” Matzke Watch: guess who is described thusly: “usually looked as if he had just rolled out of bed.” True enough, I’m afraid. Finally, we have well-known science journalist Gordy Slack’s The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA . This book is not due out until May, but I’m sure it will be worth waiting for. For a preview, see his article for Salon.com on the Kitzmiller trial (this article, which got some amazing quotes from Richard Thompson, was cited in the trial transcript just a few days later, to the embarassment of the Defense). Gordy has a personal interest in the story: Some years back, his dad experienced a midlife crisis, was born again, and became a rabid ID fan in the early years of the ID movement. Slack, a science student and then a professional science journalist, was not very sympathetic to this, and the two of them have debated this issue for years. At one point, Slack senior even set up an appointment for father and son to have lunch with Phillip Johnson on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Of the three authors, I suspect Gordy may be closest to the PT posters and readers in terms of perspective, as someone who has tracked the ID movement and its forays into education, and who has personally wrestled with creationism and how to interact with creationist family members. Nick “Trial Geek” Matzke Watch: Too early to say, but in discussing my role in the case with Gordy, I said something about how the obscure obsession of a creationism-debating internet nerd suddenly became a special superpower that was amazingly relevant in a nationally-followed court case. The Devil in Dover - Darwin vs. Dogma in Small-Town America. All of these books are amazing, yes – but wait, there’s more! Intrepid local journalist Lauri Lebo (a.k.a. “Lois Lane”) has reportedly got a book deal of her own. (Added in edit - the working title is: The Devil in Dover - Darwin vs. Dogma in Small-Town America .) Since Lauri was on the ground from the beginning in the Dover area, and is likely all-knowing, we are certain to get something interesting from her. Lebo gave a speech at the Evolution 2006 meeting. Following several of the Kitzmiller participants who all gave academic-type talks with Powerpoint presentations, Lebo stood up and read a remarkable essay about what journalism is and what objectivity means in a journalistic context, and how these issues came up in the Kitzmiller v. Dover reporter’s maelstrom of editors, newspapers, the courts, scientists and PR guys, and the local community. That’s an incredibly dry description of what was actually a quite moving piece, but it gives you an idea. Lebo also has the “fundamentalist relative” issue in her background, which seems to provoke thoughtfulness. I’m also hoping for a segue on the famous Lebo Beer Can Museum. And still more. For those with more academic interests in the case, here are some items to watch out for: * God on Trial: Dispatches From America’s Religious Battlefields by Peter Irons, a polysci professor at UCSD. According to his description at amazon.com, Irons reviews a number of constitutional battles over church/state separation, and spends a chapter on the Dover case. Coming out May 17. * The Panda’s Black Box: Opening up the Intelligent Design Controversy – this is an anthology featuring big names including Scott Gilbert, Edward J. Larson, Michael Ruse, and Daniel J. Kevles. I am particularly interested in what Ed Larson has to say about the Dover case, seeing as he literally wrote the book on the legal history of creationism, in his 1985 book Trial and Error . He should understand more thoroughly than most just what an important role this history played in the Kitzmiller case. But we’ll see. Coming out April 27. * Several other anthologies and books are in the works – Robert Pennock is working on something, as are Wes Elsberry and Ed Brayton. And Nova is working on a documentary featuring reenactments of key scenes from the trial, and Ron Nyswaner of Philadelphia fame is working on a screenplay for Paramount. Heck, if I get into grad school this fall I might have to spend the summer finishing my own writing on the case just so that I can get Kitzmiller out of my system. Note: There is apparently no actual photo of Gordy Slack anywhere on the internet. This is a photo by Gordy Slack. Imagine a tall guy with black hair taking this photo. That’s Gordy. The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution Intelligent Design and a School Board in Dover PA by Gordy Slack. Gordy Slack ISBN 9780787987862 (0787987867) Jossey-Bass, 2007 £15.99. Review, including page number references, based on an advance proof copy and subject to checking against the finished work. When this book landed on my desk, I confess, I groaned. Does the world really need another book on the Creation/Evolution debate? Can we not get over the arguments and get on with life, however it got here? Any creative process is messy, whether it's Leonardo Da Vinci creating a masterpiece or someone like me writing a book review: canvas and keystrokes are inevitably wasted along the way. Evolution may not have the same panache as God saying, "Let there be—" or Tommy Cooper going "Just like that!" but if I'd been in charge of the universe, I doubt that I could have come up with a better way to give us the variety and abundance of life we see in the world today. As for the idea of evolution just rolling along by itself like a riderless bicycle: that to me seems too far fetched by far; even meaninglessness becomes meaningless under that worldview. So I guess that makes me what's known as a "theistic evolutionist" — the raving fundie Creationists think I've capitulated and the raving fundie Atheists think I'm clueless, whilst the rest of the world looks on and wonders what all the fuss is about. It's a good question, and it's the question this book addresses, very effectively: after groaning, I started reading — and I was hooked. It's a shame that the opening chapter is presented as a prologue, because it's always tempting to skip prologues and prefaces. Please don't skip this one: in it you'll meet the author (and his father) and discover where he's coming from. It sets the scene for the rest of the book: don't start out without it. Me, I was so hooked reading it that I nearly — only nearly, please note — forgot to start out to meet my wife coming home late. You have been warned. Gordy Slack is a journalist/science-writer who specializes in evolutionary , frequently exploring the relationship between science and religion. His own worldview, however, leaves no room for God: evolutionary theory offers enough explanation for everything. Reflecting briefly on the bleakness of life in an uncaring universe, he observes: His father, on the other hand, is a fundamentalist Christian, a Creationist. So Gordy welcomes the opportunity to cover the Dover High School case as a chance to understand what his father's worldview is all about (p.xiii). So what's the deal with Dover High School? In short, 'The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment promises that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."' (p.27). By USA law, church and state must be kept apart, but Dover's school board wanted to introduce teaching 'Intelligent Design' (ID) alongside evolution in the school's curriculum. Alarmed by the implications, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU) leaped into the fray all guns blazing with a team of crack lawyers intent on putting the school board in its place by proving 'that those who promote intelligent design are trying to supernaturalize the foundations of modern science' (p.27). Intelligent Design, according to ACLU, was nothing more than thinly veiled Creationism and completely lacking in scientific credibility. Rather then run for cover, Slack explains, Dover's school board returned fire with the support of the Thomas More Law Center, the and their own team of experts including biology professor and notable ID proponent Michael Behe. The story that emerges as the two opposing sides drag one another through America's legal system makes tragic reading as we see a complete failure of either side to understand the other's point of view: it's clear that in this Battle over the Meaning of Everything there can be no meeting of minds, no compromise. Saddest of all, however, for this particular reader is the attitude of the religious right, the conservative evangelicals who, in their zeal for what they regard as God's truth, lose sight of his love, driving their opponents even further away. Where, in all this, I find myself asking, is God's grace? Slack's reporting is interspersed with his own wry, sometimes humourous, observations and snippets from conversations with fellow journalist Giulio Meotti. At one point as they discuss absolutes and relativism, Slack comments, Is he being deliberately disingenuous here or has he failed — ironically — to grasp the fact that Christianity evolved from ancient Judaism: that "an eye for an eye" and the stoning of adulterers belong to Christianity and contemporary Judaism's common ancestry whilst "turn the other cheek" and forgiveness for adulterers belong to Christianity today? Or is that the point he's making as he observes attitudes and behaviour amongst so-called followers of Jesus that are more fitting for the pre-Christian era? When will Christians learn to live in the way of Jesus? Earlier, p.56, he has reported Kitzmiller, one of the plaintiffs on whose behalf ACLU acted, receiving hate mail: "One letter," she says, "said that I should watch out for a bullet." Thankfully, the Dover school board lost the case. Whilst I myself can sympathise with the ID concept — although I'd expect the maker's mark, if there is one, to appear much further down, somewhere beneath the subatomic level — the shameful way in which those concerned evidently brought and promoted their case is such that the humiliation of losing was well deserved. If this is Christianity then I for one want nothing more to do with it. Religions and religious beliefs are, I think, as much a part of the evolutionary process as every other part of life. One can only hope that the same forces of natural selection that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs will also lead to the extinction of raging fundamentalisms like this that seem to be wracking the human race today. Much more could be said, and it will be, but not here, not now. In short, this is a book that gets to the heart of the evolution/creation debate as it revolves around a school in Dover, PA, raising all sorts of questions about the USA, its constitution, civil liberties, religion and priorities in education. Superbly written by an author who knows where he's coming from, if not quite where he's going. One thing is clear, however: wherever the arguments go from here, the battle isn't over yet. Buy the book — and watch this space. Phil Groom is this site's Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He's a freelance blogger, writer and web developer who spent ten years managing the bookshop at London School of Theology alongside eight years writing web reviews for Christian Marketplace magazine before he came to his senses and went independent. You can find him on facebook or follow him on twitter @notbovvered. Reviews Index | EU Bookshops | UK Bookshops. Site Design & Maintenance by Phil Groom © 2001 - 2007 Phil Groom. Links & Books. HHMI Biointeractive www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/evolution/lectures.html In a series of video lectures on the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Web site, biologists David Kingsley and Sean Carroll introduce Darwin's work and provide an overview of natural selection, selective breeding, genetics, and evolutionary development. Don't miss the discussion of key developmental genes shared by very different animals, suggesting that those animals evolved from a common ancestor. More on HHMI and its partnership with NOVA. Understanding Evolution evolution.berkeley.edu Learn about the basics of evolution on this Web site from the University of California. Rich subject areas to explore include "How does evolution impact my life?" and "What is the evidence for evolution?" National Center for Science Education www.ncseweb.org The NCSE is a nonprofit organization that defends the teaching of evolution in public schools. On its Web site, find information on the evolution/creationism controversy, learn about pro-evolution events occurring nationwide, browse a long list of related links, and more. Panda's Thumb www.pandasthumb.org This Web site features links and articles on the study of evolution as well as a prominent discussion board for the debate between proponents of evolutionary science and intelligent design. Evolution Resources From the National Academies www.nationalacademies.org/evolution The National Academies Web site offers dowloadable reports on the science and teaching of evolution. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online darwin-online.org.uk Learn about the origins of evolutionary theory with this searchable, complete archive of Charles Darwin's writings. Exploring the Creation/Evolution Controversy www.talkorigins.org The TalkOrigins archives house a variety of articles and essays that explain evolutionary theory and criticize intelligent design. Evolution: A Journey Into Where We're From and Where We're Going www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution This companion site to the PBS television series "Evolution" discusses a wide range of evolutionary topics, from the science of selection to the issues of "social Darwinism" and religious controversy. About Intelligent Design. Discovery Institute www.discovery.org The Discovery Institute is a nonprofit public policy group that promotes the teaching of intelligent design in schools. On its Web site, find information on the concept of intelligent design as well as news articles and commentary. Intelligent Design Network www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org The Intelligent Design Network seeks to incorporate intelligent design into teaching materials, science standards, etc. On its Web site, find relevant news articles, links, and publications. Foundation for Thought and Ethics www.fteonline.com The Foundation for Thought and Ethics is the publisher of Of Pandas and People, the intelligent-design textbook at the heart of the Dover, Pennyslvania controversy. Access Research Network www.arn.org This site features an archive of intelligent-design commentary, news stories, and links, as well as a discussion forum and original articles. About Dover Trial. Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover School District, et al. www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/docket.htm The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania offers downloadable PDF files of Judge John Jones' docket on the Kitzmiller v. Dover case, including findings of fact, courtroom exhibits, and the full text of Judge Jones's final opinion. York Daily Record : Dover Biology Series www.ydr.com/doverbiology This site archives the York Daily Record 's extensive coverage of the Dover intelligent-design controversy, trial, and aftermath. National Center for Science Education: Evolution, Education, and the Law www2.ncseweb.org/kvd The NCSE offers this archive of legal documents, transcripts, and images from the Dover trial, as well as podcasts with commentary on the trial's proceedings. Books. About Evolution. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Random House, 1998. Biology by Kenneth Miller and Joseph Levine. Prentice Hall, 2008. Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea by Carl Zimmer. HarperCollins, 2001. Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution by Kenneth Miller. Harper Perennial, 2007. Evolutionism vs. Creationism: An Introduction by Eugenie Scott. University of California Press, 2005. Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design by Barbara Forrest and Paul Gross. Oxford University Press, 2004. Evolution by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu. Photographs by Patrick Gries. Seven Stories Press, 2007. Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5 Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin. Pantheon, 2008. About Intelligent Design. Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins by Percival Davis and Dean Kenyon. Foundation for Thought and Ethics, 1993. Intelligent Design: The Bridge Between Science & Theology by William Dembski. InterVarsity Press, 2002. Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael Behe. Free Press, 1996. Darwin on Trial by Phillip Johnson. IVP Books, 1991. Science vs. Religion? Intelligent Design and the Problem of Evolution by Steve Fuller. Polity Press, 2007. About Dover Trial. The Devil in Dover: A Journalist's Story of Dogma vs. Darwin in Small-Town America by Laurie Lebo. The New Press, 2008. 40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania by Matthew Chapman. Collins Books, 2007. Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul by Edward Humes. HarperCollins, 2007. The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA by Gordy Slack. Jossey-Bass, 2007. Traipsing Into Evolution: Intelligent Design and the Kitzmiller v. Dover Decision by David DeWolf, John West, Casey Luskin, and Jonathan Witt. Discovery Institute Press, 2006. Texas on evolution: Needs further study. Although the state ruled that schools must support Darwin's theory, creationists are singing the praises of Friday's decision. By Gordy Slack. Published March 28, 2009 10:43AM (EDT) Shares. Language matters. And we are lucky that some people will go to the mat over a few words. In Austin, Texas, this week, scientists and creationists battled over whether to include the words "strengths and weaknesses" in the state's official statement about evolution. The words would influence how evolution is taught in Texas classrooms and would be immortalized in Lone Star textbooks. As the largest textbook market in the country, the decision could pressure other high school textbook publishers to conform to Texas standards. Dan McLeroy, the Texas State Board of Education chairman, a dentist and self-described creationist, led the charge to mandate teaching the "strengths and weaknesses" of the theory of evolution. After three days of high-pitched argument on both sides, the 15-member board, by a vote of 8-7, rejected the language, relieving textbook authors and publishers of the pressure to insert what opponents called "junk science" into their pages. But in a compromise that alarms and dismays many science education advocates, the board did adopt language that attempts to cast a shadow of doubt over the validity of the central evolutionary concepts of natural selection and common ancestry. Proponents of the theory of intelligent design, and other brands of neo-creationism, argue that evolution is inadequate to the job of explaining the diversity and history of life on earth. If they can cast doubts about evolution's validity, they have a chance to fill the authority vacuum with the tenets of creationism. But since late 2005, when a federal judge in Dover, Pa., ruled that intelligent design was a form of creationism, and that its introduction into public high school curricula was unconstitutional, advocates of teaching neo-creationism have been forced to seek other ways into public science classrooms. Enter the "strengths and weaknesses" strategy, crafted by the Seattle-based, pro-intelligent-design think thank, Discovery Institute. Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, an Oakland, Calif.-based organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of science education in the public schools, says that once McLeroy and his allies failed to pass the "strengths and weakness" language, "they had a fallback position, which was to continue amending the standards to achieve through the back door what they couldn't achieve upfront." And they succeeded. Casey Luskin, a Discovery Institute lawyer, and its guy on the Austin scene, was psyched by the outcome. "These are the strongest standards in the country now," he says. "The language adapted requires students to have critical thinking about all of science, including evolution, and it urges them to look at all sides of the issue." One amendment calls for students to "analyze and evaluate scientific explanations concerning any data on sudden appearance and stasis and the sequential groups in the fossil record." The key words are "sudden appearance" and "stasis." McLeroy argues that "the sudden appearance" of forms in the Cambrian period, when there was a rapid multiplication and diversification of species, and the persistence of forms over long periods of time (stasis) are evidence against evolution. And thus for creationism. In 2012, when the board next selects textbooks, anti-evolution members will be able to argue against books that don't sufficiently "evaluate scientific explanations" concerning stasis or so-called sudden appearance. Another amendment requires that teachers and textbooks include language to "analyze and evaluate scientific explanation concerning the complexity of the cell." Arguing for the "irreducible complexity" of cells is another key creationist theme. Each of the amendments singles out an old creationist argument, strips it of its overtly ideological language, and requires teachers and textbook publishers to adopt it. In other words, says Joshua Rosenau of NCSE, if the books don't at least pay lip service to criticizing natural selection, they risk not being adopted. However, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that neither periods of rapid evolution, nor the persistence of forms that have adapted successful ways of surviving for long periods of time, poses any threat to the theory of evolution. Yes, cells are complex, but so are the explanatory tools of modern evolutionary theory. Over the history of the debate, critics of evolution have invariably said something or other was too complex for Darwin's theory to explain. Yet scientists have consistently pointed out that two of the critics' favorite examples, the human eye and the bacterial flagellum, have been illuminated by and explained in terms of natural selection. "The theory of evolution has no weaknesses," says Kenneth Miller, a biology professor at Brown University. There are many unanswered questions about how organisms evolve and diversify, and what drives them to do so, but Charles Darwin's 150-year-old insights that all life on earth descended from one or a few simple common ancestors, and that natural selection explains how they did, remain solid foundations of modern biology. As the late, great biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky is famous for saying, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." Not that science makes sense to a creationist like McLeroy. "Scientific consensus means nothing," he tells Salon. "All it takes is one fact to overthrow consensus. Evolution has a status that it simply doesn't deserve. People say it's vital to understanding biology. But it's genetics that's the foundation for biology. A biologist once said that nothing in biology makes sense without evolution. Well, that's not true. You go into the top biology labs, and it makes no difference if evolution is true or false to what they're doing and studying. It makes no difference." It makes all the difference in the world, says Miller, who notes the irony of McLeroy quoting Dobzhansky, one of the fathers of the modern evolutionary synthesis. Adds Miller: McLeroy's "fundamental misunderstanding of the way genetics and evolution have produced a unified science of biology is nothing short of breathtaking." Gordy Slack. Gordy Slack is the author of "The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA." He is currently writing a book about epilepsy.