A Canadian federal agency has denied funding to a science-education researcher partly because of its doubts about the theory of evolution.
Brian Alters, director of the Evolution Education Research Centre at McGill University in Montreal, had proposed a study of the effects of the popularization of intelligent design — the idea that an intelligent creator shaped life — on Canadian students, teachers, parents, administrators and policy-makers.
More precisely, the project, titled Detrimental effects of popularizing anti-evolution's "intelligent design theory" on Canadian students, teachers, parents, administrators and policymakers, aims to study how the rising popularity in the United States of Intelligent Design (or as I prefer to think of it: Mysterious Interference) is eroding acceptance of evolutionary science in Canada. UPDATE: From the proposal:
The purpose of this study is to measure the extent to which the recent large-scale popularization of Intelligent Design is detrimentally affecting Canadians’ teaching and learning of biological evolution at high school, university, and educational administration. If, as suspected, this proposed study results in measurements data that indicate a significant disadvantageous interaction, we would then develop a proposal to other funding programs with the aim of researching, designing, and implementing pedagogical techniques to counteract the detrimental effects of Intelligent Design.
Alters's project was rejected by a committee (largely composed of "expert" non-scientists), who pronounced as follows on the proposal:
The committee found that the candidates were qualified. However, it judged the proposal did not adequately substantiate the premise that the popularization of Intelligent Design Theory had detrimental effects on Canadian students,teachers, parents and policy makers. Nor did the committee consider that there was adequate justification for the assumption in the proposal that the theory of Evolution, and not Intelligent Design theory, was correct. It was not convinced, therefore, that research based on these assumptions would yield objective results. In addition, the committee found that the research plans were insufficiently elaborated to allow for an informed evaluation of their merit. In view of its reservations the committee recommended that no award be made.
Wow. One rarely sees, even in early undergraduate papers, such suicidal argumentation. Besides the "insufficiently elaborated" research plans, there are two stated reasons for rejection. The first appears to be that the proposal doesn't establish the conclusion of the not-yet-conducted study... presumably not reasonable grounds for rejection.
But supposing some evidence of such detrimental impact is needed, then wonderfully, the review provides it, via the second reason for rejection, concerning Alters's not having sufficiently justified the assumption that evolution rather than Intelligent Design is correct.
Thus the stated reasons for the project's rejection stand as good reasons for its acceptance! Clearly Alters should resubmit, including the committee's review as part of his proposal.
SSHRC officials are being strangely cagey about this issue:
Janet Halliwell, the SSHRC's executive vice-president and a chemist by training, acknowledged that the "framing" of the committee's comments to Alters left the letter "open to misinterpretation."
Halliwell said confidentiality obligations made it difficult for her to discuss Alters's case in detail, but she argued that the professor had taken one line in the letter "out of context" and the rejection of his application should not indicate that SSHRC was expressing "doubts about the theory of evolution."
These remarks do not serve to comfort. To say that SSHRC is not expressing "doubts" is not the same as saying that it endorses evolution as scientific fact. Maybe SSHRC isn't expressing "doubts" about intelligent design either. And indeed, Halliwell goes on:
However, Halliwell added there are phenomena that "may not be easily explained by current theories of evolution" and that the scientific world's understanding of life "is not static. There's an evolution in the theory of evolution."
What does the fact that there are phenomena that "may not be easily explained by current theories of evolution" have to do with whether---as the committee's review clearly states---applicants need to justify that evolution, as opposed to Mysterious Interference, is correct? That's a big 'ol non-sequitur, Halliwell.
Moreover, as David Guttman (who among other honors is a Canada Research Chair in Comparative Genomics and Director of the U of T Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution & Function) notes in a letter to Stan Shapson, the president of SSHRC (email Shapson here), there is no substance to Halliwell's claim that the remark about evolution is being "taken out of context":
Dear Dr. Shapson,
I was extremely distressed to learn of the alarming statement coming out of SSHRC concerning the relative scientific merit of evolutionary biology vs. intelligent design. Although I will not be so presumptuous as to claim to be qualified to evaluate Dr. Alters’ grant proposal, I am certainly qualified to evaluate the statements made by the grant review committee. The statement, “Nor did the committee consider that there was adequate justification for the assumption in the proposal that the theory of Evolution, and not Intelligent Design theory, was correct” is simply egregious and outrageous. Obviously, the committee itself harbors a narrow-minded fundamentalist with a political agenda, or it has been swayed by a reviewer with such an agenda. Either way it is entirely unacceptable.
There is clearly a problem when a major federal granting agency demands that scientists prove the validity of evolution as part of their proposals. Evolution is the single most important unifying principle in biology. It is a well established fact, supported by thousands of peer reviewed studies. Any respectable scientist knows this. Either this SSHRC committee knows something that the rest of us don’t, or perhaps the quality of their work needs to be reevaluated.
Let’s make it clear that this is not about the funding of Dr. Alters’ proposal. This is about the position taken by your review panel in the evolution v. intelligent design debate. The justifications coming out of SSHRC for these statements are simply laughable. Janet Halliwell’s claim that the "framing" of the committee's comments left the letter "open to misinterpretation." is ridiculous. Nothing that I or other scientists are objecting to has been taken out of context. [Guttman then quotes the comments from the review panel in their entirety, as per above.]
Guttman goes on to note:
Clearly SSHRC has a serious problem to deal with. This story will reverberate in the international press for a long time to come and permanently tarnish the reputation of SSHRC. Unfortunately, it may also bring disrepute to all of Canadian Science.
No kidding. Thankfully, McGill has protested the decision:
Jennifer Robinson, associate vice-principal for communications at McGill, says the university will ask the council to review its decision. "In our view it is a factual error," she says. "The theory of evolution is a well-established science, and intelligent design is a religious belief.
For the moment reason largely reigns in Canada. But for how long? The dogs of capitalism are already peeing on every corner up here. Now here come the fundamentalists. What I would give for some really intelligent design.
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