Intelligent Design

Guide Note

Intelligent Design, the belief that the world was fashioned by a Creator or God, has been proposed as an educational alternative to Evolution. The idea of intelligent design is comprable to Creationism. Some advocates of intelligent design claim that the universe is too complex to be a result of a natural process, and that a supernatural force had to play a hand in the creation of life and the cosmos.

Fast Facts

1. There have been opponents to Charles Darwin's theories on evolution and natural selection ever since he proposed them in the 19th century
2. Darwin's theories are the basis for modern biology
3. The 1925 Scopes Trial highlighted the controversy of teaching Creationism vs. Darwinism in public schools
4. Recently, some school boards have opted to teach intelligent design along with Darwinism
5. The first significant intelligent design textbook was published in 1989, called Of Pandas and People

Most of the controversy over intelligent design comes from the dispute over whether public schools should teach it along with Charles Darwin's theories of evolution and natural selection. The supreme court has not recently ruled whether this practice is allowed. Opponents say that teaching intelligent design is a violation of the separation of church and state, because nearly all credible scientists accept Darwin's theories as the basis for modern biology.