Bush Remarks On 'Intelligent Design' Theory Fuel Debate

Bush Remarks On 'Intelligent Design' Theory Fuel Debate

Well, this is the most idiotic thing I've heard from the President in, well, minutes. "Intelligent Design" is no more scientific than me saying that the universe came about from an egg laid by an interstellar turtle, or a hairball hacked up by a giant space hamster. That doesn't mean those two "theories" should be taught in science class!

Science is about data. It's not about guessing at something that can't be proven or disproven and then demanding that it be taught as a fact in our schools. A little lesson in the Scientific Method for those that have forgotten:

- A scientist forms a hypothesis, which is an educated guess on how she believes something works.
- She then goes on to design an experiment to test said hypothesis.
- She performs the experiment and gathers the data.
- If the data supports her hypothesis, she puts her study up for peer review. That means that other scientists try to replicate her results (to make sure it was done correctly, or was not a fluke). If the data does not support her hypothesis, she goes back to step 1, and refines it.
- If her study passes peer review consistently, her hypothesis becomes a Theory. In scientific circles, that means "as far as we can possibly tell, it is correct."

Where is the study that can possibly be done to test the "hypothesis" of Intelligent Design? Where is the data to support it? Bush said, "Both sides ought to be properly taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about." But it's not just a two sided debate, Evolution vs. Intelligent Design. It's a multi-sided debate, Evolution vs. Intelligent Design vs. Interstellar Turtles vs. Giant Space Hamsters vs. Invisible Pink Unicorns...etc. But guess what? Only one of those has any scientific evidence to back it up.