Evolution of Pandas and People at politburo diktat 2.0

Evolution of Pandas and People

At issue in the Kitzmiller vs. DASD (Dover Area School District) case is whether or not teaching Intelligent Design, as mandated by the Dover school board, amounts to teaching Creationism, which was ruled a violation of the First Amendment in 1987. The plaintiffs argue that ID is merely Creationism dressed up with some new buzzwords. The defendants (as well as ID sympathizers, ID apologists, and bloggers ‘who just have an open mind’) insist that ID is not Creationism.

The book, Pandas and People, spefcifically mentioned in the Dover school board’s guidelines, figures prominently in this argument. The book has gone through several editions since its original publication, as Creation Biology in 1983. Here is one sentence, as it appeared in successive editions:

Creation means that the various forms of life began abruptly through the agency of an intelligent creator with their distinctive features already intact—fish with fins and scales, birds with feathers, beaks, and wings, etc. (Biology and Creation 1986, FTE 3014-3015, pp. 2-13, 2-14)

Creation means that various forms of life began abruptly through the agency of an intelligent Creator with their distinctive features already intact—fish with fins and scales, birds with feathers, beaks, and wings, etc. (Biology and Origins 1987, FTE 3235, 3237, p. 2-13, 2-14)

Creation means that various forms of life began abruptly through the agency of an intelligent Creator with their distinctive features already intact—fish with fins and scales, birds with feathers, beaks, and wings, etc. (Pandas 1987, creationist version, FTE 4996-4997, pp. 2-14, 2-15)

Intelligent design means that various forms of life began abruptly through an intelligent agency, with their distinctive features already intact—fish with fins and scales, birds with feathers, beaks, and wings, etc. (Pandas 1987, intelligent design version, FTE 4666-4667, pp. 2-14, 2-15)

Intelligent design means that various forms of life began abruptly through an intelligent agency, with their distinctive features already intact — fish with fins and scales, birds with feathers, beaks, and wings, etc. (Pandas 1989, 1st edition, published, pp. 99-100)

Intelligent design means that various forms of life began abruptly through an intelligent agency, with their distinctive features already intact — fish with fins and scales, birds with feathers, beaks, and wings, etc. (Pandas 1993, 2nd edition, published, pp. 99-100)

Nor was this an isolated instance. Read the full evolutionary story of this book at The Panda’s Thumb. Don’t miss the word count graph. Note the sudden change in word counts after 1987.