Quality Science Education for All
Encyclopedia
Larry Caldwell, a pro-intelligent design
activist and attorney, has been active in bringing litigation in causes supporting the intelligent design movement
. Caldwell along with his wife, Jeanne Caldwell a Christian school teacher who "takes the Bible literally" previously operated Quality Science Education for All
(but that corporation has had its status suspended), and are currently appealing to the Supreme Court of the United States
an Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
suit against the University of California, Berkeley
.
Though much smaller in scale than the intelligent design movement
's other notable legal supporter, the Thomas More Law Center
, the Caldwells had in 2005 brought three separate lawsuits in support of the intelligent design movement. Timothy Sandefur, a lawyer with a public interest legal organization and ID critic, writing on the Panda's Thumb described Caldwell as known for "his hair-trigger willingness to sue people for just about anything, in the cause of ID creationism." Caldwell's friends, on the other hand, describe him as "measured, methodical and principled".
as currently taught in public schools using what he calls the Quality Science Education method, which would, in his words, teach "some of the scientific weaknesses of evolution," to teach about evolution in a manner he views as covering it "objectively, not dogmatically." The phrase "scientific weaknesses of evolution" was described by National Center for Science Education
(NCSE) director Eugenie Scott
as part of a progression of anti-evolution attempts to eliminate or minimise the teaching of evolution:
This phrase has been used by the Discovery Institute
in their intelligent design campaigns and was used in the late 1980s by Paul Ellwanger, drafter of the unconstitutional creationist "balanced treatment" laws in Arkansas and Louisiana.
(NCSE), and its director, Eugenie Scott
, alleging that Scott and the center made false claims in an article she published in California Wild, the magazine of the California Academy of Sciences.
The suit claimed that Scott misstated that Larry Caldwell had proposed the names of two creationist books to his local school board and that Scott incorrectly stated the date of the Georgia evolution disclaimers and misspelled a party's last name. The suit was abandoned by Caldwell. According to Scott, she was never served with papers for the suit. This event was seized upon by the organization driving the intelligent design movement, the Discovery Institute
, to discredit their opponents, the NCSE and Scott.
based on Jonathan Wells' book by the same name, also from the institute.
, claiming their website 'Understanding Evolution' violated separation of church and state by linking to sites which claim that religious faith is compatible with evolution. In March, 2006 the court granted the school's motion to dismiss the suit on the basis that the plaintiffs failed to establish that they suffered any restriction of their freedom of speech or religion and that Caldwell's exposure to the Web page was too minimal to cause the type of injury that would make her eligible to sue. The Caldwells appealed and the appeal court threw the case out based on her eligibility and did not rule on whether the Web page violates the First Amendment. The Caldwells appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States
which refused to hear the case.
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
activist and attorney, has been active in bringing litigation in causes supporting the intelligent design movement
Intelligent design movement
The intelligent design movement is a neo-creationist religious campaign for broad social, academic and political change to promote and support the idea of "intelligent design," which asserts that "certain features of the universe and of living things are...
. Caldwell along with his wife, Jeanne Caldwell a Christian school teacher who "takes the Bible literally" previously operated Quality Science Education for All
Quality Science Education for All
Larry Caldwell, a pro-intelligent design activist and attorney, has been active in bringing litigation in causes supporting the intelligent design movement...
(but that corporation has had its status suspended), and are currently appealing to the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
an Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
The Establishment Clause is the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating, Together with the Free Exercise Clause The Establishment Clause is the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,...
suit against the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Though much smaller in scale than the intelligent design movement
Intelligent design movement
The intelligent design movement is a neo-creationist religious campaign for broad social, academic and political change to promote and support the idea of "intelligent design," which asserts that "certain features of the universe and of living things are...
's other notable legal supporter, the Thomas More Law Center
Thomas More Law Center
The Thomas More Law Center is a prominent conservative Christian, not-for-profit law center based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is active throughout the United States. Its stated goals are defending the religious freedom of Christians, restoring "time honored values" and protecting the sanctity of...
, the Caldwells had in 2005 brought three separate lawsuits in support of the intelligent design movement. Timothy Sandefur, a lawyer with a public interest legal organization and ID critic, writing on the Panda's Thumb described Caldwell as known for "his hair-trigger willingness to sue people for just about anything, in the cause of ID creationism." Caldwell's friends, on the other hand, describe him as "measured, methodical and principled".
Goals
Caldwell describes his goals as challenging evolutionEvolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
as currently taught in public schools using what he calls the Quality Science Education method, which would, in his words, teach "some of the scientific weaknesses of evolution," to teach about evolution in a manner he views as covering it "objectively, not dogmatically." The phrase "scientific weaknesses of evolution" was described by National Center for Science Education
National Center for Science Education
The National Center for Science Education is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is the United States' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes...
(NCSE) director Eugenie Scott
Eugenie Scott
Eugenie Carol Scott is an American physical anthropologist who has been the executive director of the National Center for Science Education since 1987...
as part of a progression of anti-evolution attempts to eliminate or minimise the teaching of evolution:
This phrase has been used by the Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute
The Discovery Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design...
in their intelligent design campaigns and was used in the late 1980s by Paul Ellwanger, drafter of the unconstitutional creationist "balanced treatment" laws in Arkansas and Louisiana.
National Center for Science Education/Eugenie Scott suit
In the spring of 2005 he sued the National Center for Science EducationNational Center for Science Education
The National Center for Science Education is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is the United States' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes...
(NCSE), and its director, Eugenie Scott
Eugenie Scott
Eugenie Carol Scott is an American physical anthropologist who has been the executive director of the National Center for Science Education since 1987...
, alleging that Scott and the center made false claims in an article she published in California Wild, the magazine of the California Academy of Sciences.
The suit claimed that Scott misstated that Larry Caldwell had proposed the names of two creationist books to his local school board and that Scott incorrectly stated the date of the Georgia evolution disclaimers and misspelled a party's last name. The suit was abandoned by Caldwell. According to Scott, she was never served with papers for the suit. This event was seized upon by the organization driving the intelligent design movement, the Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute
The Discovery Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design...
, to discredit their opponents, the NCSE and Scott.
Roseville Joint Union High School District suit
In October 2005 Caldwell filed suit in California federal court claiming that he was unconstitutionally denied access to various forums to promote his "Quality Science Education" proposals. In Caldwell v. Roseville Joint Union High School District Caldwell alleged free speech, establishment clause, due process and equal protection violations because his proposals were not placed on the School Board's agenda, his complaints about the school district's biology textbook were rejected, and his proposals were not placed on the agenda of the Curriculum Instruction Team in his children's high school. In September 2007 the California federal district court dismissed Caldwell's suit. In granting summary judgment to the school district, the court emphasized that "this case is not about whether a theory of intelligent design can or should be included in the science curriculum.... Rather, this case is about whether Larry Caldwell was denied access to speak in various fora or participate in certain processes because of his actual or perceived religious beliefs." Caldwell used in his proposed syllabus written material from the Discovery Institute's Cornelius Hunter and a video entitled Icons of EvolutionIcons of Evolution
Icons of Evolution is a book by the intelligent design advocate and fellow of the Discovery Institute, Jonathan Wells, which also includes a 2002 video companion. In the book, Wells criticized the paradigm of evolution by attacking how it is taught...
based on Jonathan Wells' book by the same name, also from the institute.
University of California Berkeley suit
In October 2005 Larry Caldwell filed suit on behalf of his wife in federal court against the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, claiming their website 'Understanding Evolution' violated separation of church and state by linking to sites which claim that religious faith is compatible with evolution. In March, 2006 the court granted the school's motion to dismiss the suit on the basis that the plaintiffs failed to establish that they suffered any restriction of their freedom of speech or religion and that Caldwell's exposure to the Web page was too minimal to cause the type of injury that would make her eligible to sue. The Caldwells appealed and the appeal court threw the case out based on her eligibility and did not rule on whether the Web page violates the First Amendment. The Caldwells appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
which refused to hear the case.
External links
- Article profiling Larry Caldwell in The Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento BeeThe Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 25th largest paper in the U.S...
- Essay by Caldwell explaining his motives in Salvo Magazine