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Intelligent Design in the school system A lot of processes in modern life have become more complicated during the century. Economic, political, cultural and technological processes have influenced greatly humans perception of environment and our interaction with it. For last decades public schools have been faced a dilemma regarding the teaching of biological origins. The problem was within the scope of scientists, educators, and the courts. In 1987, Edwards v. Aguillard case was the beginning of debates between the proponents and opponents of Darwinian Theory.
The main question was about the way students should be taught about how living organisms arose on earth? In 1859, the Origin of Species was published. The work examined the origin of new species and explained the vast diversity of the biological world. It proved that contemporary species appeared as products of evolution.
Since that time there have been a lot of controversy points of view among scientists, educators, politicians and etc. Those different points of view were based on different perception of life centered on the philosophical, cosmological, social, religious and science implications of evolution. Darwin and his followers recognized that development of life was the result of undirected natural processes. But for many people those arguments remained unconvinced. They developed other alternative approaches. One of those approaches was known as scientific creationism (or creation science).
It came into existence in the 1970 s and early 1980 s. The approach was based on biblical origin of creation in Genesis. First attempt to teach scientific creationism was made in the State of Louisiana. But the United States Supreme Court declared that the approach was based on a religious view and violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution which provides separation between church and state. Taking into account main propositions of the theory, it was proved that scientific creationism is a religious approach.
It states a sudden creation of the universe, energy, and life from nothing; states that there were different ancestors for humans and apes etc. Controversy to scientific creationism was Darwinian Theory. It proves that biological organisms were not designed but evolved. Evolution (in biology) was determined as the process by which novel traits have been constantly changing from generation to generation. Richard Dawkins, the Darwinian theorist, pointed that, "Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose. " In the 1930 s and 1940 s, neo-Darwinian synthesis or neo-Darwinism appeared. The theory gave a new look at Darwinism theory.
It proved that genetic variations in populations are the result of mutation and recombination. Evolution between one generation and another is a result of genetic drift, gene flow and natural selection. When populations are isolated by geographic barriers the process occurs gradually. The discovery of DNA caused those statements. It proved that the evolution of species happens not only because of natural selection (according to Charles Darwin's theory) but also due to the evolutionary synthesis. In 1998, there was a special issue on "Macromolecular Machines" in a biology journal.
It was stated that all cells are able to process information, build proteins, and move materials back and forth across their membranes. The process was called a molecular machine. It was interesting that the machine worked as those ones designed by human engineers. Richard Dawkins said, "The machine code of the genes is uncannily computer-like. " The discovery in molecular biology provoke a question if complex bimolecular such as proteins and DNA are self-organized on the influence of strictly chemical forces or may be they are information-rich molecules themselves.
If the last statement is right it means that complex bimolecular carry intelligently encoded information. The result can lead to the conclusion that high information content of DNA indicates intelligent design. During last decades a lot of evolutionary biologists have pointed that the Darwinian explanation has many gaps. The other approach has appeared that stated that organisms appear to be designed.
They say that there are many evidences in biological systems to the theory. Contrary to neo-Darwinian theory design theorists are sure that nature shows a great number of evidences of real and apparent design by an intelligent creature. The approach is known as intelligent design or the theory of intelligent design. The theory has been developed in high school textbook Of Pandas and People.
The theorists are sure that intelligent explanation of living systems is better than undirected natural one. The development of the information technologies gave a great opportunity to determine criteria by which intelligently designed systems can be identified. One of the leading theorists William Dembski provides arguments in his works to the activity of rational or intelligent agents. He said that those agents determine the activity of other designing minds.
As archaeologists think, rational agents made the inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone. Cryptographers, in their turn, said that there is a difference between random signals and those on the Stone. The last carry encoded messages. Thats why they cannot be regarded as "cheating patterns." Most of all, Dembski says that the system that has "high complexity" and "specification" can be created by intelligent agents rather than from chance or physical-chemical laws.
Though there is no doubt that common explanation to hieroglyphic inscriptions cannot be ignored. May be they were appeared as the result of natural forces such as wind or erosion. In 1970, Dr. Martha Rogers introduced a new evolutionary model.
It was published in An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing. The theory proved the facts of intelligently designed systems. It was based on the constant interaction between processes and took into account several criteria's. Dr. Rogers says that human and environmental systems are open and interact. Thats why humans are integral parts of the environment.
They do not adapt to it. People change as well as the environment and thats why people differ form those who existed before as well as the environment will never be the same. The degree of the interaction determines energy between individual and environment. Energy is indivisible; it means that human energy mutually dependent from environmental energy by its pattern. These patterns are invisible but we can see their manifestations. Most of all, human patterns are unpredictable.
Though there is some order of interaction with the environment but each human behaves his own way that determines the degree of energy. Martha Rogers defines pattern as: "an abstraction. It gives identity to the field. The nature of the pattern changes continuously. Each human field pattern is unique and is integral with its own unique environmental field pattern. " (Rogers, 1986) Dr. Rogers is sure that humans can knowingly participate in changes.
We live in a three-dimensional world thats why, for sure; other dimensions can affect our lives. A reality without any spatial or time boundaries is called pan dimensionality as to Rogers. Patterns identify individuals and Human behavior is the manifestation of changing pattern. Patterns often change and it is an indicator of pain, illness or disease.
Martha Rogers states that there is only one person who can be characterized by a particular wave pattern manifestation. All the others are parts of manifestations of pattern in the environment. It is similar to the point of view expressed in intelligently designed theory that states that everything was created by the intelligent agent. According to Rogers, every person is "an irreducible, indivisible, pan dimensional energy field identified by pattern and manifesting characteristics that are specific to the whole and cannot be predicted from the parts." (Rogers, 1992) The scientist proves that a human being is not limited with a physical body because there is energy that exists out of physical boundary. "This human field is synergistic; that is, it has characteristics that are derived from the whole and cannot be predicted from the parts" (Server, 1988 a). The pattern can be applied to the history of human technological design, as a manifestation of intelligent design as the best explanation for the data. A lot of scientists agree that there many evidence of design.
First of all they point the information processing systems of the cell. Then the complexity of the human brain can testify it. Most of all a lot of subdiscipline's within biology were examined and they supported the theory. But in spite of it, there are a lot of to be discussed.
Even if design theorists are right from scientific point of view there is another que 4 stion whether intelligent design should be taught in public school science classrooms. Nowadays, some biology texts oppose Darwinian arguments against intelligent design. But it should be pointed that may be the both theories cannot be regarded separately. Some authors say that they have quite different approaches: the one scientific and the other religious.
But it is evident that the main question in them is how living forms arose and diversified on earth. In October 2004, the Dover Area School Board tried to introduce intelligent design into the science curriculum. The Board wanted student to know another alternative point of view. According to intelligent design living organisms are complex; thats why it is evident that they were created by some kind of higher force. But the Court made a decision that intelligent design is a religious view, a mere re-labeling of creationism and not a scientific theory It violates the Constitution. Most of all, in 1987, the U.
S. Supreme Court stated that public schools could not teach creationism (and intelligent design was regarded to it). But the theories have a lot of differences. Intelligent design theory has high information content. Most of all, it gives the best explanation for the origin of information and irreducible complexity in biological systems. By the way the both theories were driven from different sources.
It goes without saying that intelligent design theory is not a religious approach but scientific. For a long time people have been taken into account Darwin's theory speaking about evolution. But times changed. And at present it is evident that Darwin's approach is not perfect. A lot of scientists consider that the theory is not a fact and there are many gaps. They say that the theory was based more on observations not on evidences.
At the same time intelligent design can be the best explanation with a lot of evidences that gives an explanation of the origin of life. In November 2005, the Dover School Board was re-elected. A new school board rejected to implement previous policy (intelligent design policy). Frankly speaking, nowadays, a major part of educators and administrators have decided to ignore the controversy points of view. They continue to teach a single theoretical viewpoint.
May be, it is a better way because the debates over biological origins should be happening among scientists. Most of all, intelligent design theory is relatively new. Teachers need some time to adjust their teaching, especially taking into account that only few textbooks address the subject. From the other hand, there are several benefits from a more open discussion of biological origins in the science classroom. First of all, the lessons become livelier and it develops scientific thinking. Secondly, students can appreciate how science is actually developed.
It is necessary for science to confirm facts with data; but there are different ways to interpret these data. Students will have an opportunity to learn how to evaluate different interpretations. It will help them in future in their career. Then students can presented different opinions and prove them.
It is a necessary skill in a pluralistic society. It is for sure, that with any theory students should keep an open mind. Bibliography: M. Rogers and the Science of Unitary Human Beings.
A Brief Note. The Science of Unitary Human Beings. Washburn University. Kansas, 2004 - 2005. web Francis, C. Bill.
What's Wrong With Outcome-Based Education? Martha Rogers's cience of Unitary Human Beings. Unitary Health Care, 2002. web Interview with Douglas Strain.
The ILF Digest. Western Behavioral Sciences Institute, September, 2003. web Douglas, Brent. Rogerian Rhetoric: An Alternative to Traditional Rhetoric. University of Calgary, 1996. web David, K.
De Wolf; Stephen, C. Meyer; Mark, E. De Forrest. A Legal Guidebook: Intelligent Design in Public School Science Curricula. Texas, 1999. web Wikipedia.
The free encyclopedia. 23 April, 2006. web
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Research essay sample on Intelligent Design In The School System
