Darwism, Public Policy, and Logical Fallacies

Governor Bobby Jindal has signed into law the Louisiana Science Education Bill, which allows the scientific questioning of Darwinism in public school classes. Hurray for him and Louisiana! Why?

Most Darwinists seek a lock on publicly-funded discussion of Darwinism--a statist monopoly, in other words. They use the straw man fallacy against their detractors: They are trying to sneak in religion and destroy the accomplishments of science (and Western Civilization). No, they are exposing the evidential weakness of Darwinism. The Darwinists employ the false dichotomy: it's Darwinism or the end of science. No, the arguments are given by scientists and philosophers of science who make no appeal to religious documents. The Darwinists poison the well: there can be no empirical question over Darwinism; the only criticism comes from people with "a religious agenda" that drives it and disqualifies it. No, for the reason given above. Lastly (although one could go on), the Darwinists beg the question in favor of any naturalistic explanation of biological systems over every explanation that infers the existence of intelligent causes to explain biological systems.

This bill will allow for free discussion. It does not forbid the teaching of Darwinism; it does not require the teaching of intelligent design--whatever propaganda you may hear otherwise. As intelligent design people like to say: "Teach the controversy."

So much for my short lesson on public policy and logical fallacies.