The Siege of the House of Thought

by H. Goldman

As the Dover, Pennsylvania trial on "intelligent design" drew to a comforting close and the Democrats retook Congress, science and education advocates alike gave a sigh of relief for, at last, it seemed that the final nail was driven into the casket of unscientific curriculum. But, alas, just as Poe's Lady Madeline rose from her seemingly impenetrable entombment, the abhorrent textbook from the aforementioned Dover trial: Of Pandas and People rose from its proverbial sepulcher.

This textbook, now under a different name and general text, (it does not explicitly use the term "intelligent design" anymore,) made its resurgence via a former Nixon speechwriter and game-show host by the name of Ben Stein who, in less than one year, created an ominous film and movement. Stein's "documentary" and "academic freedom" movement centered around a notion that true academic freedom can only be attained by giving all theories, even those without scientific evidence, a place in the classroom.

By giving the "intelligent design" movement a new name and aesthetic and using Albert Einstein and Francis Bacon as its representation and rationalization, Stein's "academic freedom" became a prominent catalyst of state legislation that would allow and encourage towns to mimic the small hamlet of Dover.

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Before going on, I would like to debunk the assertion that Francis Bacon and Albert Einstein would have supported this movement:

(NOTE: This will be further elaborated upon in Part II of this series)

• Einstein: Many people who support "intelligent design" will be quick to quote Albert Einstein by saying something akin to his famous response to quantum mechanics, "God does not play dice." This is a completely erroneous interpretation of Einstein's words, for the great physicist would, like many pre-21st century scientists, commonly use the term "God" in a manner that is pantheistically interchangeable with "universe," with the intent for this interchangeability to be understood by those who had read or heard what was being said. Therefore, there is no evidence supporting that the great Albert Einstein would have supported this "academic freedom" movement, (and quite a bit of evidence to the contrary.)
• Bacon: Francis Bacon wrote eloquently about how theories should be based on evidence rather than even the most logical of speculation in arguably his greatest work The Advancement of Learning, the very piece that is being used as fuel for the "academic freedom" movement. Moreover, Bacon's idea of academic freedom revolved around the factually based questioning of established theories and ideas. Thus, because the idea of "intelligent design" is speculatively, rather than factually based, whereas evolution via natural selection is grounded in evidence, Bacon would probably not have supported this movement.

Now that the selection of Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee has not only granted recognition to the "academic freedom" movement on a national level, (whereas before it only appeared on a state level,) another Republican Presidency could cause the death of American thought. If elected, John McCain may die during his first term, resulting in the appointment of Governor Palin to the Presidency. Subsequently, as a former mayor who attempted to remove and censor books that did not agree with the Evangelical Christian beliefs from a public library, Palin would be predisposed to introduce legislation mandating the teaching of "intelligent design" and a decrease in education funding.

Such effects of a McCain Presidency would be more catastrophic than staying in Iraq for one hundred years, for our already abysmal public education system lies at the root of most of the issues that this country faces, (refer to my piece from earlier this year, Our Receding Economy, for elaboration upon that topic.) Yet, in spite of that fact,the neglect of education and science has not been discussed as a paramount issue during this campaign and has taken a back seat to its own effects, the most prominent of which being the economic recession.

With the election drawing ever closer, we must recognize the need for educational and scientific expansion, lest America ends as Rome did, with an economic collapse partly caused and wholly exacerbated by poor economic policy, (in Rome's case, this failed policy was the division of the eastern and western portions of the empire,) materialistic economic and national leaders, (In Rome's case: Nero,) and poor military foresight, (the build-up to the Visigoth siege of Rome.)