Scientists Boycott Kansas Antievolution Hearings

While the US science community has been concerned about antievolution pressure on some science museums around the country, there was even greater concern recently about a potential reprise in Kansas of the Scopes “monkey trial” of 80 years ago (see April 2001, page 32 ). In January religious conservatives took control of the Kansas State Board of Education and organized several days of hearings intended to pit the theory of evolution against intelligent design. The science community, led by Kansas Citizens for Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, organized a boycott of the hearings on the grounds that evolution isn’t debatable. In a letter to George Griffith, the board of education’s scientific consultant, AAAS CEO Alan Leshner wrote, “The fundamental structure of the hearing suggests that the theory of evolution may be debated. It implies that scientific conclusions are based on expert opinion rather than on data. The concept of evolution is well-supported by extensive evidence and accepted by virtually every scientist.” As Physics Today went to press, the hearings, described as “political theater” by Leshner, were under way with more than a score of antievolution experts expressing their views. Connie Morris, one of the education board members who organized the hearings, said she was “profoundly disappointed” that the scientists declined to participate.