Of Pandas and People
Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins is a controversial 1989 (2nd edition 1993) school textbook by Percival Davis and Dean H. Kenyon that espouses the idea of intelligent design; namely that life shows evidence of being designed by an intelligent agent (i.e. God; see creationism). It presents various creationist arguments against the scientific theory of evolution.
The book however makes no reference to the identity of the intelligent designer, usually taken to be God. This appears to be a reaction to fit the Supreme Court of the United States' 1987 decision in Edwards vs Aguillard that teaching creationism in public schools violated the Establishment Clause of the United States constitution, but that alternative scientific theories could be taught.
Critics, including some theists, argue that "intelligent design creationism" is religiously-motivated pseudoscience and does not present a valid scientific theory and therefore has no place in a school curriculum. They argue that Of Pandas and People presents a strawman of the evolutionary theory, which it then knocks down, and is deliberately intended to misinform students.
External links
Pro-intelligent design
Anti-intelligent design
- National Center for Science Education
- Of Pandas and People: A Brief Critique by Kenneth R. Miller
- http://www.asa3.org/ASA/docs/asa_doc8.txt
Categories: 1989 books | Controversial books | Intelligent design