You and your classmates are ordinary citizens interested in science education.

Intelligent Design

You and your classmates are ordinary citizens interested in science education. You have been assembled into an advisory group. The Virginia State Education Commission is drafting policy that will affect all school boards in the state. You are being protected in a secluded hotel from ACLU lawyers and right-wing demonstration groups. Here is your question: Is Intelligent Design theory scientific? The Commission is paying you thousands of dollars for a simple yes or no answer to this question. Such an answer may be unrealistic but court battles will follow. You need to get as close to a yes or no answer as possible!

As a group you have reference sources:

• Detwiler's two chapters from Life By Designon origins and the scientific method
• Two expensive expert witnesses: Michael Behe, a Lehigh University biochemist and Eugenia Scott of the National Center for Science Education.

As panelists, first do your homework, then make a decision: based on how the scientific method works, is Intelligent Design theory scientific? Can you use it to do science?

The title should begin with the word "yes" or "no." Using three, concise, numbered sentences, argue your answer in the paper

Note: In your replies you may digress into the related question: based on how the scientific method works, is Macro-evolutionary theory scientific? Can you use it to do science?