Posted on Tue, May. 03, 2005
A look at public hearings on evolution
Associated Press
A State Board of Education subcommittee is holding hearings on evolution as the entire board prepares to consider changes in state science standards in June.
_ WHEN: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and May 12.
_ WHERE: Second-floor auditorium, Memorial Hall, 120 S.W. 10th Ave., in Topeka, near the Statehouse.
_ THE SCHEDULE: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with 10 minute breaks about 10:15 a.m. and 3 p.m., and an hour-long lunch break at noon.
_ WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Critics of evolution, many of whom advocate intelligent design, expect to call 24 witnesses. Evolution supporters could have called witnesses but do not plan to do so.
_ THE ATTORNEYS: John Calvert, of Lake Quivira, who helped found the Intelligent Design Network, for the evolution critics, and Pedro Irigonegaray, of Topeka, for the evolution supporters.
_ WHO'S PRESIDING: State Board of Education Chairman Steve Abrams, R-Arkansas City, and board members Kathy Martin, R-Clay Center, and Connie Morris, R-St. Francis.
_ THE FORMAT: Calvert's witnesses will give Power Point presentations and answer friendly questions, from 10 minutes to 50 minutes. Irigonegaray's cross-examination will be half as long; board members' questions, one-quarter as long.
_ THE BOYCOTT: State and national science groups are boycotting, which is why there are no witnesses for evolution defenders. They argue debating the science will give intelligent design credibility it doesn't deserve - though ID supporters say they'll talk only about evolution.
_ EVOLUTION: It says species change over time in response to their environments and that's also how new species arise. Attributed to British scientist Charles Darwin, who published his first edition of "On the Origin of Species" in 1859. Some critics contend it promotes a "naturalistic" philosophy that leads to atheism.
_ INTELLIGENT DESIGN: It says some features of the natural world, because of their well-ordered complexities, are best explained by an intelligent cause. It has become prominent in the 1990s, though its roots date back to ancient scholars such as Aristotle and Plato. Critics say it's creationism repackaged, falsely, as science.
The fire has started
Let the heavens declare the glory of God.