Science Leader Says President Bush Confuses Science and Belief

posted: 02 August 2005 03:16 pm ET

"The President has unfortunately confused the difference between science and belief."
- Fred Spilhaus, Executive Director of the American Geophysical Union

UPDATED 11:50 P.M. ET: To the chagrin of scientists, President Bush said Monday he believes schools should discuss "intelligent design'' alongside evolution when teaching students about the creation of life.

During a round-table interview with reporters from five Texas newspapers, Bush declined to go into detail on his personal views of the origin of life. But he said students should learn about both ideas, Knight Ridder Newspapers reported.

"I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought,'' Bush said. "You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes.''

Intelligent design says life on Earth is too complex to have developed through evolution, implying that a higher power must have had a hand in creation.

Confusion in the White House

Fred Spilhaus, Executive Director of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), said the president is confusing belief with science.

"If [Bush] meant that intelligent design should be given equal standing with the theory of evolution in the nation's science classrooms, then he is undermining efforts to increase the understanding of science," Spilhaus said in a statement. "Intelligent design' is not a scientific theory."

Evolution states that plant, animals and lower life forms are all subject to change over time, and that changes can bring about new species with differing characteristics. Humans are said to have evolved from other primates.

Christian conservatives -- a substantial part of Bush's voting base -- have been pushing for the teaching of intelligent design in public schools.

Untestable

Scientists have rejected intelligent design as an attempt to force religion into science education. They say the notion has no support from any observable evidence. Evolution, on the other hand, is a well-documented theory that explains existing evidence, which draws from fossils, DNA analyses and investigations of living things.

Intelligent design proponents claim evolution theory has holes, so alternatives should be taught. Scientists counter that evolution is among the most solid theories of science.

The idea of intelligent design is entirely untestable, scientists further argue, and if an idea can't be tested, then it can't be proved one way or the other and so is not a theory.

"Scientific theories, like evolution, relativity and plate tectonics, are based on hypotheses that have survived extensive testing and repeated verification," Spilhaus says. "The President has unfortunately confused the difference between science and belief. It is essential that students understand that a scientific theory is not a belief, hunch, or untested hypothesis."

The AGU is comprised of 43,000 Earth and space scientists.

Bush spoke with reporters from the San Antonio Express-News, the Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Austin American-Statesman.

Information for this article was provided by both the Associated Press and the staff of LiveScience.