THE opening shots were fired on 26 September in the first court case to scrutinise intelligent design (ID), the creationist alternative to Darwinian evolution.
The case, brought by 11 parents of children at Dover High School in Pennsylvania, challenges the local school board鈥檚 decision to expose kid to ID in science classes.
The plaintiffs鈥� attorneys will employ a double-pronged strategy, simultaneously attacking ID鈥檚 scientific credentials to lay bare its religious motivation and highlighting its similarities to creation science.
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After opening statements, the plaintiffs called their first expert witness, biologist Kenneth Miller of Brown University in Rhode Island. He drew parallels between ID and creationism and argued that ID is not science.
He also attacked the ID book Of Pandas and People, which the Dover School Board recommends for students, arguing that it inaccurately interpreted Darwin鈥檚 theory and selectively cited research. 鈥淎nybody can write a book about science and make mistakes but the errors are systematic,鈥� Miller says. He also argued that the latest version of the book is a reworking of an original with the words 鈥渃reation science鈥� replaced by ID.
In cross-examination, the defence tried to make Miller say that evolution is 鈥渏ust a theory鈥�, that there are 鈥済aps鈥� in it and that evolution does not fully explain the origins of life. The trial is expected to run until December.
