Democracy, Intelligent Design, and Evolution

Should alternatives to evolution be taught in American public schools or rejected as an establishment of religion? Democracy, Intelligent Design, and Evolution argues that accurate science education helps shape a democratic temperament. Rather than defending against Intelligent Design as religion, citizens should defend science education as crucial to three aspects of the democratic person: political citizenship, economic fitness, and moral choice. Through an examination of Tammy Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District, contemporary political theory, and foundational American texts, this volume provides an alternative jurisprudence and political vocabulary urging American liberalism to embrace science for citizenship.

Susan P. Liebell is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University. She worked in New York state government before receiving her PhD from the University of Chicago. Her scholarship employs foundational texts to explore modern political problems.

Introduction: Monkey Trials and Monkey Bills: The Politics of Political Identity; 1. The Evolving Jurisprudence of the Supreme Court: Unpacking Dover and Intelligent Design; 2. Battling Creationism with Deliberation, Autonomy, and Liberal Values; 3. Science and the Constitution: Creating an Education for Citizenship; 4. Science Education for Citizenship Skills: Dewey, Darwin, and the Democratic Temperament; 5. Earthquakes and Plows: The 18th Century Democratic Temperament; 6. Religion and Science: Refuting the Conflict Narrative; Conclusion: Making the Case for Science in Liberal Democracy