Tuesday, December 23, 2008

IDEA and academic freedom?

Back sometime last year engaged in a bunch of posts on the Cornell Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness (IDEA) club. The gist of the discussion was they were trying to offer a class on the scientific aspects of Design and for some reason met with some resistance. I had heard of a number of the IDEA clubs forming, with some level of assistance from the Discovery Institute. As far ads I know, one never formed at any of the colleges around here. While the name might sound innocuous, they groups were certainly pro-ID, as the posts revealed.

After a while the posts stopped on the Cornell IDEA club and I lost track of their little group. It turns out that I am not the only one who lost track. Allen McNeill, Biology Professor at Cornell recently posted this:

"not one of the IDEA Clubs affiliated with an academic institution is still functioning. Indeed, only one of the clubs listed has even updated its website during the past year (the Tri-State IDEA Club)."
Looks like the IDEA clubs didn't pan out the way the DI was hoping. I do find it amusing that the DI, just two weeks ago, posted that
"We are teaming up with the IDEA Center (Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness) to help students in starting IDEA chapters on their campuses. Such campus clubs are a fun and educational way for students to examine all sides of the debate over evolution."
The decline of IDEA clubs seems to also coincide with the Dover decision, something the DI also just posted about recently. DO you like hoe they seem to keep marginalizing the Dover decision. I remember when Behe finished testifying and how he claimed victory because of how devastating his testimony was against the plaintiffs. It was certainly devestating, but not in the direction he was hoping.
"Today marks the third anniversary of Judge John Jones' attempt to ban science classroom discussions of intelligent design in the Kitzmiller v. Dover case. In the three years since Jones' decision was announced, it has not worn well. . . . In the meantime, public interest in intelligent design has continued to grow, as has support for academic freedom to question Darwinism (no doubt encouraged by this year’s theatrical documentary Expelled). Darwinists, alas, have yet to learn the futility of trying to win scientific debates by court orders and intimidation. No matter—although Darwinists may not believe in free speech and debate, the vast majority of Americans do."
Please note that not only have they erroneously claimed that the Dover Decision wasn't devastating to their cause, but they get a plug in got the Stein abortion and their current tactic "Academic Freedom", a subject they clearly know little about. At least they have consistency on their side, consistent denial.

Does anyone see any problem with how "Academic Freedom" is seen as a successful for Intelligent Design? Funny how they keep trying to distance the two . . .just more proof that the academic freedom tactic is just that, a tactic and not honest academic freedom!!!

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