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{{short description|Statement issued in 2001 by the Discovery Institute}}
'''''A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism''''' (or '''''Dissent From Darwinism''''') is a petition started and promoted by the ] to advance the idea of ]. It is a list of signatories attesting to a statement expressing skepticism about the ability of ] to account for the complexity of life, and encouraging careful examination of the evidence for "]". This list was first published in 2001, in advertisements under an introduction which stated that its signatories dispute the assertion that ]’s theory of ] fully explains the complexity of living things, and dispute that "all known scientific evidence supports evolution".<ref name=advert/><ref name=Evans/> It is one of the ] to discredit evolution and bolster claims that intelligent design is scientifically valid by creating the impression that evolution lacks broad scientific support.<ref> ]. May, 2007.</ref> The Discovery Institute presents the list in an ] to support its anti-evolution viewpoint.<ref name=Renka>{{cite web |url=http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/Renka/Renka_papers/intell_design.htm |title=The Political Design of Intelligent Design |accessdate=2007-08-25 |author=Russell D. Renka, Professor of Political Science |date=2005-11-16 |publisher=]}}</ref>
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Intelligent Design}}
'''"A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism"''' (or '''"Dissent from Darwinism"''') was a statement issued in 2001 by the ], a Christian, conservative ] based in ], U.S., best known for its promotion of the ] of ]. As part of the Discovery Institute's ] campaign, the statement expresses skepticism about the ability of ] and ] to account for the complexity of life, and encourages careful examination of the evidence for "]", a term intelligent design proponents use to refer to ].<ref name="Forrest07">{{cite web |url=http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/intelligent-design.pdf |title=Understanding the Intelligent Design Creationist Movement: Its True Nature and Goals |first=Barbara |last=Forrest |author-link= Barbara Forrest |publisher=], Inc. |year=2007 |page=5 |access-date=25 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519124655/http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/intelligent-design.pdf| archive-date=19 May 2011 |quote=As I stated earlier, Johnson, Dembski, and their associates have assumed the task of destroying 'Darwinism,' 'evolutionary naturalism,' 'scientific materialism,' 'methodological naturalism,' 'philosophical naturalism,' and other 'isms' they use as synonyms for evolution.}}</ref>


The statement was published in advertisements under an introduction which stated that its signatories dispute the assertion that ]'s theory of evolution fully explains the complexity of living things, and dispute that "all known ] supports evolution".<ref name=advert/><ref name=GrossForrest04>{{cite book |vauthors=Gross PF, Forrest BC |title=Creationism's Trojan horse: the wedge of intelligent design |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |year=2004 |pages= |isbn=0-19-515742-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/creationismstroj00forr/page/172 }}</ref> The Discovery Institute states that the list was first started to refute claims made by promoters of ] that "virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true".<ref name="over1000"/> Further names of signatories have been added at intervals.<ref name="crowther2006"/><ref name="ranks"/> The list continues to be used in ] in an attempt to discredit evolution and bolster claims that intelligent design is scientifically valid by claiming that evolution lacks broad ].{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
The document itself has been the subject of controversy and extensive criticism from a variety of sources. The statement in the document has been branded as artfully phrased to represent a diverse range of opinions, set in a context which gives it a misleading spin to confuse the public.<ref name=Evans/> The listed affiliations and areas of expertise of the signatories have also been criticized.<ref name=Chang/><ref name=Lemonick/><ref name=Forrest/> The Discovery Institute states that signatories are "listed by doctoral degree or current position",<ref></ref> but the accuracy of this claim has been disputed.

The statement has been criticized for being misleading and ambiguous, using terms with multiple meanings such as "Darwinism", which can refer specifically to ] or informally to evolution in general,<ref name=Evans01 /> and presenting a ] fallacy with its claim that random mutations and natural selection are insufficient to account for the complexity of life, when standard evolutionary theory involves other factors such as ], ], ] and ].<ref name="Muehlenbein2015" /><ref name="NCSE eve mech">{{cite web | title=Evolutionary mechanisms | website=NCSE | date=24 September 2008 | url=https://ncse.com/creationism/analysis/evolutionary-mechanisms | access-date=1 June 2019}}</ref> Scientists and educators have noted that its signatories, who include historians and philosophers of science as well as scientists, are a minuscule fraction of the numbers of scientists and engineers qualified to sign it.<ref name="Muehlenbein2015" /> Intelligent design has failed to produce scientific research, and been rejected by the scientific community,<ref name="Muehlenbein2015">{{cite book|first=Andrew J.|last=Petto|editor-first=Michael P.|editor-last=Muehlenbein|title=Basics in Human Evolution|chapter=Chapter 2: Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNHUBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA23|date=24 July 2015|publisher=Elsevier Science|isbn=978-0-12-802693-9|pages=23–25}}</ref> including many leading scientific organizations.<ref> ].</ref><ref>, {{cite book|isbn=978-0-615-20461-1|author=Sager C|title=Voices for Evolution|publisher=National Center for Science Education, Inc.|year=2008|url=https://archive.org/details/voicesforevoluti0000unse}}</ref> The statement in the document has also been criticized as being phrased to represent a diverse range of opinions, set in a context which gives it a misleading spin to confuse the public.<ref name=Evans01 /> The listed affiliations and areas of expertise of the signatories have also been criticized.<ref name=Forrest07 /><ref name=Chang/>


==Statement== ==Statement==
''A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism'' states that: "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism" states that:<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism |url=https://dissentfromdarwin.org/}}</ref>

{{Quotation|We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.}} {{blockquote|We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.}}

The statement, and its title, refer to ] as "]" or "Darwinian theory", can lead to confusion, due to the terms having various meanings, but commonly meaning evolution due to the mechanism of ] rather than the broader definition of evolution, the change in a species' inherited traits from generation to generation.<ref name=Evans01 /> The terms have meant different things to different people at different times.<ref name=howto>{{cite web |url=http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/anti-darwin.html |title=How to be Anti-Darwinian |author=John Wilkins |year=1998 |publisher=] |access-date=31 July 2008}}</ref> In terms of the ], both "Darwinism" and "neo-Darwinism" are predecessors of the current evolutionary theory, the ].<ref>{{Cite journal | author = Pigliucci, M. | year = 2007 | title = Do We Need An Extended Evolutionary Synthesis? | journal = Evolution | volume = 61 | issue = 12 | pages = 2743–2749 | doi = 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00246.x | pmid = 17924956 | s2cid = 2703146 | url = https://philpapers.org/rec/PIGDWN | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Kutschera U, Niklas KJ |title=The modern theory of biological evolution: an expanded synthesis |journal=Naturwissenschaften |volume=91 |issue=6 |pages=255–76 |year=2004 |pmid=15241603 | doi = 10.1007/s00114-004-0515-y|bibcode=2004NW.....91..255K |s2cid=10731711 }}</ref> However, in the context of the ], the term "Darwinism" is commonly used by ] to describe scientists and science teachers who oppose them,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.impactpress.com/articles/spring05/sullivanspring05.html |title=From the Beagle to the School Board – God Goes Back to School|publisher=IMPACT|author=Sullivan M|year=2005|access-date=25 April 2011}}</ref> and to claim that scientific disagreements about the specific mechanism can sometimes be equated to rejection of evolution as a whole. Intelligent design proponents use the term in all these ways, including the idea that it is a ],<ref name=Scott>{{cite web |url=http://sandwalk.blogspot.com/2008/07/good-science-writers-eugenie-scott.html |title=Sandwalk: Good Science Writers: Eugenie Scott |author=Larry Moran |author2=Eugenie Scott |date=12 July 2008 |work=Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction |access-date=31 July 2008|author2-link=Eugenie Scott }}</ref> and the claim that as it proposes natural processes as an explanation for evolution, Darwinism can be equated with ] and presented as being incompatible with Christianity.<ref name=Hodge>{{cite web |url=http://www.theropps.com/papers/Winter1997/CharlesHodge.htm#What%20is%20Darwinism |title=Charles Hodge and His Objection to Darwinism: The Exclusion of Intelligent Design |access-date=31 July 2008}}</ref>

] himself described ] as being "the main but not exclusive means of modification" of species.<ref>{{cite book | last = Darwin | first = Charles | author-link =Charles Darwin | title =On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life | publisher =John Murray | year = 1859 | location = ] | url =http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F373&viewtype=text&pageseq=21 | page =6|access-date=25 April 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110523040631/http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F373&viewtype=text&pageseq=21| archive-date= 23 May 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> The ] includes natural selection and ] as mechanisms, and does not conclude that "the ability of random mutation and natural selection" accounts "for the complexity of life." ] philosophy professor ] and deputy director of the ] Glenn Branch comment on the ambiguity of the statement and its use in the original advertisement:


{{blockquote|Such a statement could easily be agreed to by scientists who have no doubts about evolution itself, but dispute the exclusiveness of "Darwinism," that is, natural selection, when other mechanisms such as genetic drift and gene flow are being actively debated. To the layman, however, the ad gives the distinct impression that the 100 scientists question evolution itself.<ref name=GrossForrest04 />}}
The statement, and its title, refer to ] as "]" or "Darwinian theory", both of which are vague, misleading and are not used by scientists to refer to current theories. In fact, the use of the term "]" in modern usage is usually a pejorative term employed only by ].<ref>, Morris Sullivan, ], Spring 2005.</ref>


] himself described ] as being "the main but not exclusive means of modification" of species.<ref>{{cite book | last = Darwin | first = Charles | authorlink =Charles Darwin | title =] | publisher =John Murray | date = 1859 | location = ] | pages =p. 6 | url =http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F373&viewtype=text&pageseq=21 }}</ref> The modern theory of evolution additionally includes ] as a source of variation and ] and ] as mechanisms, meaning that the current theory of evolution, the ], does not in fact claim "the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life." This creates a degree of ambiguity as to what it is that the petition is a "dissent from." Skip Evans, of the ], suggests that this confusion has in fact been carefully engineered.<ref name=Evans>{{cite web | last =Evans | first =Skip | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Doubting Darwinism Through Creative License | work = | publisher =] | date =2001-11-29 | url =http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/7306_pr87_11292001__doubting_dar_11_29_2001.asp | format =HTML | doi = | accessdate = }}</ref> Skip Evans, also of the National Center for Science Education, noted that when interviewed, several of the scientists who had signed the statement said they accepted ]. He thus suggests that this confusion has in fact been carefully engineered.<ref name=Evans01>{{cite web | last =Evans | first =Skip | title =Doubting Darwinism Through Creative License | publisher =] | date =29 November 2001 | url =http://ncse.com/creationism/general/doubting-darwinism-creative-license | access-date =25 April 2011 }}</ref>


==Discovery Institute usage== ==Discovery Institute usage==
By promoting a perception that evolution is the subject of wide controversy and debate within the scientific community, whereas in fact evolution is overwhelmingly supported by science,<ref name="dover_accepted"/><ref name="nih_accepted"/> the list is used to lend support to other ] campaigns,<ref> Letter by Bruce Chapman, President of the Discovery Institute to the New York Times, December 10, 2005.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Religion vs. science on D.C. education |last=Ward|first=Jon|date=2005-04-20|work=The Washington Times|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=4KB20050420085217|accessdate=2008-05-07}}</ref> including "]", "]", "]", and "]".<ref name=key> Discovery Institute, August 21, 2007.</ref> For example, in its "Teach the Controversy" campaign, the Institute claims that "evolution is a theory in crisis" and that many scientists criticize evolution and citing the list as evidence or a resource.<ref name=key/> This Discovery Institute also asserts that this information is being withheld from students in public high school science classes along with "alternatives" to evolution such as intelligent design.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1574 | title = How Should Schools Teach Evolution? Don't Forget Weaknesses in Theory | first = Bruce | language = english | last = Chapman | authorlink = Bruce Chapman | publisher = ] | date = 2003-09-21 | accessdate = 2007-10-30}}</ref> The Institute uses ''A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism'' as evidence to support its claim that evolution is disputed widely within the scientific community.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2904 | title = Academic Freedom Under Attack in NCSE Letter Seeking to Limit Teaching of Evolution | publisher = ] | date = 2005-09-29 | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | language = English}}</ref><ref name = ranks>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2732 | title = Ranks of Scientists Doubting Darwin’s Theory on the Rise | author = Staff, ] | publisher = ] | date = 2007-03-08 | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | language = english }}</ref> By promoting a perception that evolution is the subject of wide controversy and debate within the scientific community, whereas in fact evolution is overwhelmingly supported by scientists,<ref name="dover_accepted"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ncse.com/taking-action/list-steves |title=The List of Steves |date=17 November 2014}}</ref> the list is used to lend support to other ] ] promoting ],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/10/opinion/l10design.html |title=Questioning Evolution New York Times |work=]|date=10 December 2005 |access-date=25 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Religion vs. science on D.C. education |last=Ward|first=Jon|date=20 April 2005|work=The Washington Times|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=4KB20050420085217|access-date=7 May 2008}}</ref> including "]", "]", "]", and "]".<ref name=key>{{cite web |url=http://www.discovery.org/a/2112 |title=CSC – Key Resources for Parents and School Board Members |publisher=The Discovery Institute|date=21 August 2007 |access-date=25 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110521113912/http://www.discovery.org/a/2112| archive-date= 21 May 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> For example, in its "Teach the Controversy" campaign, the Institute claims that "evolution is a theory in crisis" and that many scientists criticize evolution and citing the list as evidence or a resource.<ref name=key/> The Discovery Institute also asserts that this information is being withheld from students in public high school science classes along with "alternatives" to evolution such as intelligent design.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1574 | title = How Should Schools Teach Evolution? Don't Forget Weaknesses in Theory | first = Bruce | last = Chapman | author-link = Bruce Chapman | publisher = ] | date = 21 September 2003 | access-date =30 October 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071014043048/http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1574| archive-date= 14 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> The Institute uses "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism" as evidence to support its claim that evolution is disputed widely within the scientific community.<ref name = ranks>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2732 | title = Ranks of Scientists Doubting Darwin's Theory on the Rise | author = Staff, ] | publisher = ] | date = 8 March 2007 | access-date =30 October 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071023190937/http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2732| archive-date= 23 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=CA112>{{cite web |url=http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA112.html |title=CA112: Many scientists find problems with evolution. |editor=Mark Isaak |year=2005 |publisher=] |access-date=28 August 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080914162810/http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA112.html| archive-date= 14 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2904 | title = Academic Freedom Under Attack in NCSE Letter Seeking to Limit Teaching of Evolution | publisher = ] | date = 29 September 2005 | access-date =30 October 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071027072746/http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2904| archive-date= 27 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> In 2002, ], the founder of the Discovery Institute's ], presented the list as evidence to the ] to promote ]. He cited it as demonstrating that there was a genuine controversy over Darwinian evolution.<ref name=EvsC>{{cite book |author=Eldredge, Niles |author-link1=Niles Eldredge |author2=Eugenie C. Scott |author-link2=Eugenie Scott |title=Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |year=2005 |page= |isbn=0-520-24650-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/evolutionvscreat00scot/page/215 }}</ref> In the 2005 ] Meyer cited the list in support of his assertion that there was "significant scientific dissent from Darwinism" that students should be informed about.<ref name=KansasHearings>{{cite web |url=http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/kansas/kangaroo8.html |title=Kansas Evolution Hearings: Stephen Meyer and Angus Menuge |year=2005 |publisher=] |access-date=28 August 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080720130128/http://talkorigins.org/faqs/kansas/kangaroo8.html| archive-date= 20 July 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>


The list was advertised in prominent periodicals such as '']'', '']'', and '']'' in October and November 2001, "to rebut bogus claims by Darwinists that no reputable scientists are skeptical of Darwinism" by "producing a list of 100 scientific dissenters."<ref name=originalpress>{{cite web | url = http://www.reviewevolution.com/press/pressRelease_100Scientists.php | title = 100 Scientists, National Poll Challenge Darwinism | publsher = ] | last = Edwards | first = Mark | date = 2001-09-24 | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | format = php | language= english }}</ref><ref name=advert>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/articleFiles/PDFs/100ScientistsAd.pdf | title = A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism | date = September, 2001 | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | format = pdf | language = English }}; original "100 Scientists" advertisement.</ref> Its initial release was timed to coincide with the airing of the ] ] at the end of 2001. The list was advertised in prominent periodicals such as '']'', '']'', and '']'' in October and November 2001, "to rebut bogus claims by Darwinists that no reputable scientists are skeptical of Darwinism" by "producing a list of 100 scientific dissenters."<ref name=advert>{{cite web|url=http://www.discovery.org/articleFiles/PDFs/100ScientistsAd.pdf |title=A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism |date=September 2001 |access-date=30 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930032420/http://www.discovery.org/articleFiles/PDFs/100ScientistsAd.pdf |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}; original "100 Scientists" advertisement.</ref><ref name=originalpress>{{cite web | url = http://www.reviewevolution.com/press/pressRelease_100Scientists.php | title = 100 Scientists, National Poll Challenge Darwinism | publisher = ] | last = Edwards | first = Mark | date = 24 September 2001 | access-date =30 October 2007 | format = php | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071017101405/http://reviewevolution.com/press/pressRelease_100Scientists.php| archive-date= 17 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> Its initial release was timed to coincide with the airing of the ] '']'' television series at the end of 2001. The Discovery Institute also launched a tie-in website to promote the list.<ref name="Dembski">{{cite book|title=Understanding Intelligent Design: Everything You Need to Know in Plain Language|author1=Dembski, William A.|author2=McDowell, Sean|page=96|publisher=Harvest House Publishers|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7369-2442-9}}</ref>


The Discovery Institute has continued to collect signatures, reporting 300 in 2004<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2114 | title = Doubts Over Evolution Mount With Over 300 Scientists Expressing Skepticism With Central Tenet of Darwin's Theory | publisher = ] | date = 2004-05-01 | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | language = english}}</ref>, over 400 in 2005,<ref>{{cite web | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | format = html | language = english| url = http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jul/05072204.html | title = Over 400 Eminent Scientists Sign “A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism | publisher = lifesite.net | date = 2005-07-22 }}</ref> over 600 in 2006 (in 2006 the Discovery Institute began to include scientists from outside of the United States),<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/06/dissent_from_darwinism_goes_gl.html | last = Crowther | first = Robert | title = Dissent From Darwinism “Goes Global” as Over 600 Scientists Around the World Express Their Doubts About Darwinian Evolution | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | format = html | language = english | date = 2006-06-21 }}</ref> and over 700 in 2007.<ref name = ranks/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54176 | date = 2007-03-11 | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | title = 'Who's Who' list challenging Darwin grows: 100 more of the world's top scientists express skepticism of theory | language = english | publisher = WorldNetDaily.com }}</ref> The Discovery Institute includes a description of the list in a response to one of its "Top Questions".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/csc/topQuestions.php | title = Discovery Institute Top Questions | format = php | language = english | publisher = ]}}</ref> The Discovery Institute has continued to collect signatures, reporting 300 in 2004,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2114 | title = Doubts Over Evolution Mount With Over 300 Scientists Expressing Skepticism With Central Tenet of Darwin's Theory | publisher = ] | date = 1 May 2004 | access-date =30 October 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071023190923/http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2114| archive-date= 23 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> over 600 in 2006 (from that year on the Discovery Institute began to include non-US scientists on the list),<ref name="crowther2006">{{cite web | url = http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/06/dissent_from_darwinism_goes_gl.html | last = Crowther | first = Robert | title = Dissent From Darwinism "Goes Global" as Over 600 Scientists Around the World Express Their Doubts About Darwinian Evolution | access-date =30 October 2007 | date = 21 June 2006 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071117211203/http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/06/dissent_from_darwinism_goes_gl.html| archive-date= 17 November 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> over 700 in 2007,<ref name ="ranks"/> and over 1000 in 2019.<ref name="over1000">{{Cite web|url=https://evolutionnews.org/2019/02/skepticism-about-darwinian-evolution-grows-as-1000-scientists-share-their-doubts/|title=Skepticism About Darwinian Evolution Grows as 1,000+ Scientists Share Their Doubts|date=4 February 2019|website=Evolution News|language=en-US}}</ref> The Discovery Institute includes a description of the list in a response to one of its "Top Questions".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discovery.org/csc/topQuestions.php |title=CSC Top Questions |publisher=] |access-date=25 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110419220415/http://www.discovery.org/csc/topQuestions.php| archive-date= 19 April 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>


The Discovery Institute-related organization ] manages "'']''", a similar list for medical professionals. The Discovery Institute compiled and distributed other similarly confusing and misleading lists of local scientists during controversies over evolution education in ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.texscience.org/files/discovery-signers.htm | title = Texas Citizens for Science Responds to Latest Discovery Institute Challenge | first = Steven | last = Schafersman | date = 2003-09-02 | accessdate = 2007-10-30 | format = html | language = english}}</ref><ref name=Forrest/> The Discovery Institute-related organization ] manages "'']''", a similar list for medical professionals. The Discovery Institute compiled and distributed other similarly confusing and misleading lists of local scientists during controversies over evolution education in ], ], ], and ].<ref name=Forrest07 /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texscience.org/files/discovery-signers.htm |title=Texas Citizens for Science Responds to Latest Discovery Institute Challenge |first=Steven |last=Schafersman |date=2 September 2003 |access-date=30 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024155814/http://www.texscience.org/files/discovery-signers.htm |archive-date=24 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Responses== ==Responses==
The ''Scientific Dissent From Darwinism'' document has been widely criticized on several different grounds. First, similar to previous lists produced by other creationists, the professional expertise of those listed is not always apparent and is alleged to be deficient.<ref>See the criticism of other lists, especially of ''21 Scientists Who Believe in Creation'' and ''In Six Days : Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation'', described at ], for example.</ref> Also, the professional affiliations and credentials that are claimed for some of the signatories has been questioned. Finally, there appear to be a few who appear on the list who are not firmly committed to the agenda advanced by the ], and who have been misled into signing or who have changed their minds. Russell D. Renka, a ], said that the Discovery Institute presented the list in an ] to support its anti-evolution viewpoint.<ref name=Renka>{{cite web |url=http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/Renka/Renka_papers/intell_design.htm |title=The Political Design of Intelligent Design |accessdate=2007-08-25 |author=Russell D. Renka, Professor of Political Science |date=2005-11-16 |publisher=]}}</ref> The "Scientific Dissent From Darwinism" document has been widely criticized on several different grounds. First, similar to previous lists produced by other creationists, the professional expertise of those listed is not always apparent and is alleged to be deficient.<ref>See the criticism of other lists, especially of ''21 Scientists Who Believe in Creation'' and ''In Six Days: Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation'', described at ], for example.</ref> Also, the professional affiliations and credentials that are claimed for some of the signatories has been questioned. Finally, there appear to be a few who appear on the list who are not firmly committed to the agenda advanced by the ], and who have been misled into signing or who have changed their minds. Russell D. Renka, a ], said that the Discovery Institute presented the list in an ] to support its anti-evolution viewpoint.<ref name=Renka>{{cite web |url=http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/Renka/Renka_papers/intell_design.htm |title=The Political Design of Intelligent Design |access-date=25 August 2007 |author1=Russell D. Renka |author2=Professor of Political Science |date=16 November 2005 |publisher=]| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004805/http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/Renka/Renka_papers/intell_design.htm| archive-date= 27 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>


A paper from a ], the ] said that ''Dissent From Darwinism'' is one of the ] to discredit evolution and bolster claims that intelligent design is scientifically valid by creating the impression that evolution lacks broad scientific support.<ref> ]. May, 2007.</ref> A paper from the ] said that ''Dissent From Darwinism'' is one of the ] to discredit evolution and bolster claims that intelligent design is scientifically valid by creating the impression that evolution lacks broad scientific support.<ref name="Forrest07 "/>


In November of 2001, the National Center for Science Education stated that the then current version of the document appeared "to be very artfully phrased" to represent a diverse range of opinions, set in a context which gives it a misleading spin to confuse the public.<ref name=Evans/> In November 2001, the National Center for Science Education stated that the then current version of the document appeared "to be very artfully phrased" to represent a diverse range of opinions, set in a context which gives it a misleading spin to confuse the public.<ref name=Evans01/>

Writing in ]'s ''Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics'', Matthew J. Brauer and Daniel R. Brumbaugh say that intelligent design proponents are "manufacturing dissent" in order to explain the absence of scientific debate of their claims:<ref>{{cite book |author=Pennock, Robert T. |author-link=Robert T. Pennock|title=Intelligent design creationism and its critics: philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives |publisher=MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Mass |year=2001 |pages= |isbn=0-262-66124-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/intelligentdesig00robe|url-access=registration }}</ref><blockquote>The "scientific" claims of such ] as ], ], and ] rely, in part, on the notion that these issues are the subject of suppressed debate among biologists. ... according to neo-creationists, the apparent absence of this discussion and the nearly universal rejection of neo-creationist claims must be due to the conspiracy among professional biologists instead of a lack of scientific merit.</blockquote>In their 2010 book ''Biology and Ideology from Descartes to Dawkins'', ] scholar ] and ] ] tied the fate of the Dissent to that of the wider ]:
{{blockquote|After more than a decade of effort the Discovery Institute proudly announced in 2007 that it had got some 700 doctoral-level scientists and engineers to sign "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism." Though the number may strike some observers as rather large, it represented less than 0.023 percent of the world's scientists. On the scientific front of the much ballyhooed "Evolution Wars", the Darwinists were winning handily. The ideological struggle between (methodological) naturalism and supernaturalism continued largely in the fantasies of the faithful and the hyperbole of the press.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Alexander | first1 = Denis | author-link1=Denis Alexander|last2=Numbers|first2=Ronald L.|author-link2=Ronald L. Numbers| title = Biology and Ideology from Descartes to Dawkins | publisher = University of Chicago Press | location = Chicago | year = 2010 | isbn = 978-0-226-60841-9 }}</ref>}}


===Expertise relevance=== ===Expertise relevance===
{{See|Argument from authority|Argument from consensus}}
The listed affiliations and areas of expertise of the signatories have also been criticized.<ref name=Chang/><ref name=Lemonick/><ref name=Forrest/>


The listed affiliations and areas of expertise of the signatories have also been criticized,<ref name=Forrest07 /><ref name=Chang>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/science/sciencespecial2/21peti.html?_r=1&oref=slogin | title = Few Biologists But Many Evangelicals Sign Anti-Evolution Petition | first = Kenneth | last = Chang | work = The New York Times | date = 21 February 2006 | access-date =4 January 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150509021951/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/science/sciencespecial2/21peti.html?_r=1&oref=slogin| archive-date= 9 May 2015 | url-status= live}}; available </ref> with many signatories coming from wholly unrelated fields of academia, such as aviation and engineering, computer science and meteorology.<ref name="Discovery Institute">{{cite web |url=http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/filesDB-download.php?command=download&id=660 |title=A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism |publisher=Discovery Institute |access-date=25 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110419210317/http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/filesDB-download.php?command=download&id=660| archive-date= 19 April 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>
In addition, the list was signed by only about 0.01% of scientists in the relevant fields. According to the ], there were approximately 955,300 biological scientists in the United States in 1999.<ref>). Only about 1/4 of the approximately 700 Darwin Dissenters in 2007 are biologists, according to Kenneth Chang of the ] (Chang, 2006). Approximately 40% of the Darwin Dissenters are not identified as residing in the United States, so in 2007, there were about 105 US biologists among the Darwin Dissenters, representing about 0.01% of the total number of US biologists that existed in 1999 (which is probably an underestimate of the figure in 2007).</ref> The theory of ] is ] throughout the ].<ref name="dover_accepted">]</ref> Professor ] of ], an expert in the ], is quoted in an article published by the ] as stating that "99.9 percent of scientists accept evolution".<ref name="nih_accepted">, Cynthia Delgado, NIH Record, ], Vol. LVIII, No. 15, July 28, 2006</ref>


In addition, the list was signed by only about 0.01% of scientists in the relevant fields. According to the ], there were approximately 955,300 biological scientists in the United States in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/us-workforce/1999/tables/TableC1.pdf |title=Employed U.S. scientists and engineers, by field and level of highest degree attained: 1999|year=1999 |access-date=25 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110606210027/https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/us-workforce/1999/tables/TableC1.pdf| archive-date= 6 June 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> Only about 1/4 of the approximately 700 Darwin Dissenters in 2007 are biologists, according to Kenneth Chang of '']''.<ref name=Chang/> Approximately 40% of the Darwin Dissenters are not identified as residing in the United States, so in 2007, there were about 105 US biologists among the Darwin Dissenters, representing about 0.01% of the total number of US biologists that existed in 1999. The theory of ] is ] throughout the ].<ref name="dover_accepted">]</ref> Professor ] of ], an expert in the ], is quoted in an article published by the ] as stating that "99.9 percent of scientists accept evolution".<ref name="nih_accepted">{{cite web|author=Delgaldo C |date=28 July 2006 |pages=8 |url=http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/pdfs/2006/07282006Record.pdf |title=Finding the Evolution in Medicine |access-date=25 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718043648/http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/pdfs/2006/07282006Record.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2011 }}</ref>
The list has been criticized by many organizations and publications for lacking any true experts in the relevant fields of research, primarily ]. Critics have noted that of the 105 "scientists" listed on the original 2001 petition, fewer than 20% were biologists, with few of the remainder having the necessary expertise to contribute meaningfully to a discussion of the role of natural selection in evolution (a pattern that has persisted),<ref name=Chang>{{cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/science/sciencespecial2/21peti.html?_r=1&oref=slogin | title = Few Biologists But Many Evangelicals Sign Anti-Evolution Petition | first = Kenneth | last = Chang | publisher = ] | date = 2006-02-21 | accessdate = 2008-01-04 }}; available </ref><ref name=Evans>{{cite web | url = http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/7306_pr87_11292001__doubting_dar_11_29_2001.asp | title = Doubting Darwinism through Creative License | first = Skip | last = Evans | publisher = ] | date = 2001-11-29 | accessdate = 2008-01-04 }}</ref> that the wording and advertising of the initial statement statement was, and is, misleading,<ref name = Evans/> and that a review of the signatories suggested many doubt evolution due to religious, rather than scientific beliefs.<ref name = Chang/> The list has also been called intellectually dishonest due to its lack of relevant experts while trying to divert the attention from the real issues of creationism and evolution,<ref name=Lemonick>{{cite web | url = http://time-blog.com/eye_on_science/2007/02/more_spin_from_the_antievoluti.html | title = "More Spin from the Anti-Evolutionists" | authorlink = Michael Lemonick | first = Michael | last = Lemonick | publisher = '']'' | date = 2007-02-09 | accessdate = 2008-05-20 }}</ref> a minuscule representation of relevant experts.<ref name = Myers>{{cite web | url = http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/dr_michael_egnor_challenges_ev.php?utm_source=mostactive&utm_medium=link | title = Dr Michael Egnor challenges evolution! | last = Myers | first = PZ | authorlink =PZ Myers | publisher = ] | date = 2007-02-18 | accessdate = 2008-01-04 }}</ref>.


The list has been criticized by many organizations and publications for lacking any true experts in the relevant fields of research, primarily ]. Critics have noted that of the 105 "scientists" listed on the original 2001 petition, fewer than 20% were biologists, with few of the remainder having the necessary expertise to contribute meaningfully to a discussion of the role of natural selection in evolution.<ref name=Evans01 /><ref name=Chang/>
The Discovery Institute has responded to some of these criticisms.<ref>{{cite web | title = Time's Darwinist Thought-Cop Accuses Pro-ID Brain Surgeon of Committing “Intellectual Fraud | url = http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/02/times_magazines_darwinist_thou.html | last = Crowther | first = Robert | publisher = ] | date = 2006-02-16 | accessdate = 2008-01-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Predictable as Clockwork, the New York Times Misses The News In Reporting On Scientists Dissenting From Darwinism | url = http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/02/the_new_york_times_misses_the.html | last = Crowther | first = Robert | publisher = ] | date = 2006-02-21 | accessdate = 2008-01-04 }}</ref>


===Affiliations and credentials=== ===Other criticisms===
Critics have also noted that the wording and advertising of the original statement was, and remains, misleading,<ref name = Evans01/> and that a review of the signatories suggested many doubt evolution due to religious, rather than scientific beliefs.<ref name = Chang/> Philosopher ] notes that rather than being a "broad dissent", the statement's wording is "very narrow, omitting any mention of the evolutionary thesis of common descent, human evolution or any of the elements of evolutionary theory except for the Darwinian mechanism, and even that was mentioned in a very limited and rather vague manner." He concludes that it is not in fact a "radical statement".<ref name="Pennock">{{cite book|title=Teaching about scientific origins: taking account of creationism|editor=Jones, Leslie Sandra|editor2=Reiss, Michael Jonathan|author=Pennock, Robert T.|pages=66–67|publisher=Peter Lang|year=2007|isbn=978-0-8204-7080-1}}</ref>


The claims made for the importance of the list have also been called intellectually dishonest because it represents only a small fraction of the ], and includes an even smaller number of relevant experts.<ref name="Myers">{{cite web|url=http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/dr_michael_egnor_challenges_ev.php|title=Dr Michael Egnor challenges evolution!|last=Myers|first=PZ|author-link=PZ Myers|date=18 February 2007|publisher=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531055952/http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/dr_michael_egnor_challenges_ev.php|archive-date=31 May 2009|access-date=4 January 2008}} <!-- Remove this comment when fixing the dead link: {{cite web|url=http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/dr_michael_egnor_challenges_ev.php |title=Dr Michael Egnor challenges evolution!|date=18 February 2007|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531055952/http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/dr_michael_egnor_challenges_ev.php |archivedate=31 May 2009 }} --></ref> The Discovery Institute has responded to some of these criticisms.<ref>{{cite web | title = Time's Darwinist Thought-Cop Accuses Pro-ID Brain Surgeon of Committing "Intellectual Fraud | url = http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/02/times_magazines_darwinist_thou.html | last = Crowther | first = Robert | publisher = ] | date = 16 February 2006 | access-date =4 January 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Predictable as Clockwork, ''The New York Times'' Misses The News in Reporting on Scientists Dissenting From Darwinism | url = http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/02/the_new_york_times_misses_the.html | last = Crowther | first = Robert | publisher = ] | date = 21 February 2006 | access-date =4 January 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080126153201/http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/02/the_new_york_times_misses_the.html| archive-date= 26 January 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
] philosophy professor ] and deputy director of the ] Glenn Branch say the Discovery Institute deliberately misrepresents the institutional affiliations of signatories of the statement "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism". The institutions appearing in the list are the result of a conscious choice by the ] to only present the most prestigious affiliations available for an individual. For example, if someone was trained at a more prestigious institution than the one they are presently affiliated with, the school they graduated from will more often be listed, without the distinction being made clear in the list. This is contrary to standard academic and professional practice and, according to Forrest and Branch, is deliberately misleading.<ref name=Forrest>{{cite web | url = http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2005/JF/Feat/forr.htm | title = Wedging Creationism into the Academy | authorlink = Barbara Forrest | last = Forrest | first = B | publisher = ] | date = 2005-05-01| accessdate = 2008-07-12}}</ref>


===Affiliations and credentials===
For example, the institutions listed for ], Fazale Rana, and ], were the ], ], and the ] respectively, the schools from which they obtained their Ph.D. degrees. However, their present affiliations are quite different: ] for Bohlin, the ] for Rana, and the ]'s ] for Wells.<ref name=Forrest />


Barbara Forrest and Glenn Branch say the Discovery Institute deliberately misrepresents the institutional affiliations of signatories of the statement "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism". The institutions appearing in the list are the result of a conscious choice by the ] to only present the most prestigious affiliations available for an individual. For example, if someone was trained at a more prestigious institution than the one they are presently affiliated with, the school they graduated from will more often be listed, without the distinction being made clear in the list. This is contrary to standard academic and professional practice.<ref name=Forrest05>{{cite web|url=http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2005/JF/Feat/forr.htm |title=Wedging Creationism into the Academy |author-link=Barbara Forrest |last=Forrest |first=B |publisher=] |date=1 May 2005 |access-date=12 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070729032153/http://aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2005/JF/Feat/forr.htm |archive-date=29 July 2007 }}</ref>
Many of those who have signed the list are not currently active scientists, and some have never worked as scientists.


For example, the institutions listed for Raymond G. Bohlin, Fazale Rana, and ], were the ], ], and the ] respectively, the schools from which they obtained their PhD degrees. However, their present affiliations are quite different: Probe Ministries for Bohlin, the ] Ministry for Rana, and the ]'s ] for Wells. Many of those who have signed the list are not currently active scientists, and some have never worked as scientists. Also, if a signatory was previously the head of a department or the president of an institute, their past and most prestigious position will be listed, not their current position.<ref name=Forrest05 />
Also, if a signatory was previously the head of a department or the president of an institute, their past and most prestigious position will be listed, not their current position. For example, Ferenc Jeszenszky is a physicist in ] who handles the "Hungarian Creation Research" videos, but appears instead on the list as "Former Head of the Center of Research Groups, ]".


Visitors at prestigious institutions will have that affiliation listed, not their more humble home institutions. For example, ], a writer and publisher of books on butterflies, appears on the list as "Visiting Scholar, Department of Entomology British Museum (Natural History)", in spite of the fact that this museum had become independent of the ] three decades previously and had formally changed its name to the ] almost a decade before the petition. d'Abrera's primary affiliation is with his publishing company, Hill House Publishers. d'Abrera does not have a PhD either, nor any formal scientific qualification (his undergraduate degree was a double major in History & Philosophy of Science, and History), although creationists often call him "Dr. d'Abrera".<ref>, ], website (maintained by Adrian Hoskins), 2007.</ref><ref name=Wieland>, ], Creation 25(3):16–19 Visitors at prestigious institutions will have that affiliation listed, not their more humble home institutions. For example, ], a writer and publisher of books on butterflies, appears on the list as "Visiting Scholar, Department of Entomology British Museum (Natural History)", in spite of the fact that this museum had become independent of the ] three decades previously and had formally changed its name to the ] almost a decade before the petition. d'Abrera's primary affiliation is with his publishing company, Hill House Publishers. d'Abrera does not have a PhD either, nor any formal scientific qualification (his undergraduate degree was a double major in History & Philosophy of Science, and History), although creationists have called him "Dr. d'Abrera".{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} The Discovery Institute currently recruits people with PhDs to sign the ''Dissent'' petition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/sign_the_list.php |title=Sign Dissent from Darwin |publisher=Discovery Institute |access-date=25 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411085856/http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/sign_the_list.php |archive-date=11 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
June 2003.</ref> It is not clear how many other signatories of the list do not have a PhD either, although the Discovery Institute currently recruits people with PhDs to sign the ''Dissent'' petition.<ref>, official webpage, ], ]</ref>


Also, in early editions of the list, ] was described as "Richard Sternberg, Invertebrate Zoology, ], ]" though Sternberg was never a Smithsonian staff member, but an unpaid research associate.<ref name=advert/> At the time of signing the list Sternberg was the outgoing editor of the ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'', a minor biology journal, where he played a central role in ]. Later versions of the list mention Sternberg's affiliation with Sternberg's ''alma maters'', ] and ].<ref name="Discovery Institute"/> At present Sternberg is a Staff Scientist with ], the genetic database at the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rsternberg.net/CV.htm |title=Curriculum vitae of Dr. R. Sternberg |access-date=25 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110605082528/http://www.rsternberg.net/CV.htm| archive-date= 5 June 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>
At least one other signatory, ], has neither a PhD nor any formal academic training in science. Additionally, at least seven signatories have their advanced degrees from outside the areas of "engineering, mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, or one of the other natural sciences" that are currently being recruited: Ronald R. Crawford has his Ed.D. in Science Education, ] has his PhD in Philosophy, Tom McMullen has his PhD in the History & Philosophy of Science, Angus Menuge has his PhD in the Philosophy of Psychology, ] has his PhD in the Philosophy of Science, Tony Prato has his PhD in Agricultural Economics,<ref>, Center for Agricultural, Resource and Environmental Systems, ] website </ref> and Tianyou Wang has his PhD in Education<ref>, College of Education, ] website.</ref> and at least six, ], Ricardo León Borquez<ref>, Ricardo León Borquez, ] School of Medicine website</ref> (incorrectly listed as "Ricardo Leon"), Gage Blackstone, Daniel Galassini, Mary A. Brown and Thomas C. Majerus, have ] (such as an ], ] or ]), rather than holding a ] (such as a ]).


Critics also say the Discovery Institute inflates the academic credentials and affiliations of signatories such as ]. The institute prominently and frequently asserts that Schaefer has been nominated for the ].<ref name=advert/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3076&program=CSC%20-%20Views%20and%20News|title=CSC – Intelligent Design A Scientific, Academic and Philosophical Controversy|publisher=Discovery Institute|author=Weyrich PM|date=5 December 2005|access-date=25 April 2011|archive-date=31 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531152227/http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3076&program=CSC%20-%20Views%20and%20News|url-status=dead}}</ref> Barbara Forrest and others allege that the Discovery Institute is inflating his reputation by constantly referring to him as a "five-time nominee for the Nobel Prize" despite that Nobel Prize nominations remain confidential for fifty years<ref name=Forrest05 /> and there being about 250–300 nominations per prize per year.<ref name="urlNomination Facts">{{cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nomination/nomination_facts.html |title=Nomination Facts |publisher=Nobelprize.org |access-date=25 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604112819/http://nobelprize.org/nomination/nomination_facts.html |archive-date=4 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Also, in early editions of the list, ] was described as "Richard Sternberg, Invertebrate Zoology, ], ]" though Sternberg was never a Smithsonian staff member, but an unpaid research associate.<ref name=advert/> At the time of signing the list Sternberg was the outgoing editor of the ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'', a minor biology journal, where he played a central role in the ]. Later versions of the list dropped mention of Sternberg's affiliation with the Smithsonian<ref></ref> in favor of Sternberg's ''alma maters'', ] and ]. At present Sternberg is a Staff Scientist with ], the genetic database at the
].<ref></ref>


By analysing the data for 34 British, or British-trained signatories of the ''Dissent'' list, the anti-creationist ] raised doubts about the claimed affiliations and relevant expertise of those on the list.<ref name="urlBCSE">{{cite web |url=http://bcseweb.org.uk/index.php/Main/IntelligentDesignAdvocates |title=BCSE : Intelligent Design Advocates |publisher=British Centre for Science Education |access-date=25 April 2011 |archive-date=22 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722221547/http://bcseweb.org.uk/index.php/Main/IntelligentDesignAdvocates |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Critics also say the Discovery Institute inflates the academic credentials and affiliations of signatories such as ]. The institute prominently and frequently asserts that Schaefer has been nominated for the ].<ref name=advert/><ref> ]. American Daily, December 6 2005.</ref> ] and others allege that the Discovery Institute is inflating his reputation by constantly referring to him as a "five-time nominee for the Nobel Prize" despite that Nobel Prize nominations remain confidential for fifty years<ref name=Forrest/> and there being about 250-300 nominations per prize per year.<ref></ref>


===Defections and disagreements=== ===Defections and disagreements===


The ] interviewed a sample of the signatories, and found that some were less critical of "Darwinism" than the advertisement claimed.<ref name=Evans/><ref>, radio show transcript, The Science Show, ], March 8, 2003.</ref> For example, Stanley N. Salthe, a visiting scientist at ], ], who signed but describes himself as an ], said that when he endorsed a ] he had no idea what the ] was. Salthe stated, “I signed it in irritation.”<ref>, Kenneth Chang, ], February 21, 2006</ref> However, Salthe prominently appears on the list as "Emeritus Professor, Biological Sciences, ] of the ]." The ] interviewed a sample of the signatories, and found that some were less critical of "Darwinism" than the advertisement claimed.<ref name=Evans01 /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s798387.htm|title=Science Show: The Steve Project|date=3 August 2003|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=25 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305091535/http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s798387.htm|archive-date=5 March 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> It wrote to all of them asking whether they thought living things shared common ancestors and whether humans and apes shared common ancestors. According to ] of the NCSE, a few of the signatories replied saying that they did accept these principles but did not think that natural selection could explain the origins of life. However, the replies ceased when, according to Scott, the Discovery Institute found out and advised signatories not to respond. She concluded from this that "at least some of the more knowledgeable scientists did not interpret this statement the way that it was intended to be interpreted by the general public."<ref name="Pennock" />
At least one signatory of A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism has abandoned the list, saying he felt misled. Robert C. Davidson, a Christian, scientist, doctor, and retired ] professor at the ] medical school said after having signed he was shocked when he discovered that the Discovery Institute was calling evolution a "theory in crisis." "It's laughable: There have been millions of experiments over more than a century that support evolution," said Davidson. "There's always questions being asked about parts of the theory, as there are with any theory, but there's no real scientific controversy about it." "When I joined I didn't think they were about bashing evolution. It's pseudo-science, at best ... What they're doing is instigating a ]."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002450329_danny24.html|title=Evolving opinion of one man|author=Danny Westneat|publisher=]|date=2005-08-24}}</ref>


For example, signatory Stanley N. Salthe, a visiting scientist at ], ], who describes himself as an ], said that when he endorsed a ] he had no idea what the ] was. Salthe stated, "I signed it in irritation", and said that evolutionary biologists were being unfair in suppressing competing ideas. He said that "They deserve to be prodded, as it were. It was my way of thumbing my nose at them", but was unconvinced by intelligent design and concluded "From my point of view, it's a plague on both your houses".<ref name="Chang"/>
A detailed analysis of the 34 nominally British, or British-trained signatories of the ''Dissent'' list by the pro-evolution group ] found similar problems with the list. The BCSE raised doubts about the claimed affiliations, commitment to intelligent design and relevant expertise of those on the list.<ref>, Roger Stanyard, ] official website.</ref>

At least one signatory of "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism" has abandoned the list, saying he felt misled. Robert C. Davidson, a Christian, scientist, doctor, and retired professor at the ] medical school said after having signed he was shocked when he discovered that the Discovery Institute was calling evolution a "theory in crisis". "It's laughable: There have been millions of experiments over more than a century that support evolution," said Davidson. "There's always questions being asked about parts of the theory, as there are with any theory, but there's no real scientific controversy about it. ... When I joined I didn't think they were about bashing evolution. It's pseudo-science, at best. ... What they're doing is instigating a ]."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002450329_danny24.html |title=Evolving opinion of one man |author=Westneat D |work=] |date=24 August 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813204436/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002450329_danny24.html |archive-date=13 August 2006 }}</ref>


== Counter-petitions == == Counter-petitions ==


Responding in the form of a humorous parody, the ] produced ] listing scientists named "Steve", or its equivalent (such as "Stephanie" or "Esteban"), who had signed a pro-evolution statement.<ref name=FAQs>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/5945_the_faqs_2_16_2003.asp|title=Project Steve: FAQs}}, ] website, February 16, 2003, last updated December 28, 2005</ref> A Discovery Institute spokesperson responded that "if Project Steve was meant to show that a considerable majority of the scientific community accepts a naturalistic conception of evolution, then the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) could have saved its energies -- that fact was never in question. The more interesting question was whether any serious scientists reject a naturalistic conception of evolution".<ref>, ], ], March 19, 2003.</ref> Responding in the form of a parody, the ] launched ], a list of scientists named "Steve", or its equivalent (such as "Stephanie" or "Esteban"), who had signed a pro-evolution statement.<ref name=FAQs>{{cite web |url=http://ncse.com/taking-action/project-steve-faq |title=Project Steve FAQ|publisher=NCSE |access-date=17 March 2017}}</ref> {{As of|2017|03|17}}, the Steve-o-meter registered 1,412 Steves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ncse.com/taking-action/list-steves |title=The List of Steves|publisher=NCSE |access-date=17 March 2017}}</ref> A Discovery Institute spokesperson responded that "if Project Steve was meant to show that a considerable majority of the scientific community accepts a naturalistic conception of evolution, then the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) could have saved its energies that fact was never in question. The more interesting question was whether any serious scientists reject a naturalistic conception of evolution".<ref>{{cite web |author=Dembski WA|date=19 March 2003|url=http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1393 |title=CSC – Project Steve Establishing the Obvious |publisher=Discovery Institute |access-date=25 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090601024057/http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1393| archive-date=1 June 2009| url-status= live}}</ref>


After the Discovery Institute presented the petition as part of an '']'' brief in the ] ] court case in October 2005, a counter-petition, '']'', was organized and gathered 7733 signatures from scientists in four days. After the Discovery Institute presented the petition as part of an '']'' brief in the ] ] court case in October 2005, a counter-petition, '']'', was organized and gathered 7,733 signatures from scientists in four days.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Decker, Mark Lowry |author2=Moore, Randy |title=More than Darwin: an encyclopedia of the people and places of the evolution-creationism controversy |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-313-34155-7 }}</ref>


The ] has collected signatures of over 10,000 American ] who "believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist."<ref>, hosted by ] (Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, {{as of|2015|07|06}}, the ]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.theclergyletterproject.org/ | title=The Clergy Letter Project | access-date=9 July 2015}}</ref> has collected signatures of 13,008 American Christian clergy who "believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist." Over 500 Jewish clergy have signed a similar "Rabbi Letter".<ref>Randy Moore, Mark Decker, Sehoya Cotner. ''Chronology of the evolution-creationism controversy'', p. 342. ABC-CLIO, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-313-36287-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.theclergyletterproject.org/Jewish_Clergy/JewishClergyLtr.htm | title=The Clergy Letter – from American Rabbis | access-date=9 July 2015}}</ref> The Clergy Letter Project has also circulated an "Imam Letter" affirming that "the timeless truths of the ] may comfortably coexist with the discoveries of modern science."<ref>{{cite web|last=Zimmerman|first=Michael|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-zimmerman/imams-for-evolution_b_870058.html|title=Imams For Evolution|date=2 June 2011|work=The Huffington Post}}</ref>
])</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
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== References == == References ==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/ |title=Dissent from Darwin |access-date=25 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110514094125/http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/| archive-date= 14 May 2011 | url-status= live}}
*
* {{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thousands-of-scientists-sign-petition-opposing-the-teaching-of-intelligent-design-as-science-55486442.html |title=Thousands of Scientists Sign Petition Opposing the Teaching of Intelligent Design as Science |access-date=25 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110605155113/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thousands-of-scientists-sign-petition-opposing-the-teaching-of-intelligent-design-as-science-55486442.html| archive-date= 5 June 2011 | url-status= live}}
* (pdf)
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Latest revision as of 15:28, 12 September 2024

Statement issued in 2001 by the Discovery Institute

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"A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism" (or "Dissent from Darwinism") was a statement issued in 2001 by the Discovery Institute, a Christian, conservative think tank based in Seattle, Washington, U.S., best known for its promotion of the pseudoscientific principle of intelligent design. As part of the Discovery Institute's Teach the Controversy campaign, the statement expresses skepticism about the ability of random mutations and natural selection to account for the complexity of life, and encourages careful examination of the evidence for "Darwinism", a term intelligent design proponents use to refer to evolution.

The statement was published in advertisements under an introduction which stated that its signatories dispute the assertion that Darwin's theory of evolution fully explains the complexity of living things, and dispute that "all known scientific evidence supports evolution". The Discovery Institute states that the list was first started to refute claims made by promoters of the PBS television series "Evolution" that "virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true". Further names of signatories have been added at intervals. The list continues to be used in Discovery Institute intelligent design campaigns in an attempt to discredit evolution and bolster claims that intelligent design is scientifically valid by claiming that evolution lacks broad scientific support.

The statement has been criticized for being misleading and ambiguous, using terms with multiple meanings such as "Darwinism", which can refer specifically to natural selection or informally to evolution in general, and presenting a straw man fallacy with its claim that random mutations and natural selection are insufficient to account for the complexity of life, when standard evolutionary theory involves other factors such as gene flow, genetic recombination, genetic drift and endosymbiosis. Scientists and educators have noted that its signatories, who include historians and philosophers of science as well as scientists, are a minuscule fraction of the numbers of scientists and engineers qualified to sign it. Intelligent design has failed to produce scientific research, and been rejected by the scientific community, including many leading scientific organizations. The statement in the document has also been criticized as being phrased to represent a diverse range of opinions, set in a context which gives it a misleading spin to confuse the public. The listed affiliations and areas of expertise of the signatories have also been criticized.

Statement

"A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism" states that:

We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.

The statement, and its title, refer to evolution as "Darwinism" or "Darwinian theory", can lead to confusion, due to the terms having various meanings, but commonly meaning evolution due to the mechanism of natural selection rather than the broader definition of evolution, the change in a species' inherited traits from generation to generation. The terms have meant different things to different people at different times. In terms of the history of evolutionary thought, both "Darwinism" and "neo-Darwinism" are predecessors of the current evolutionary theory, the modern evolutionary synthesis. However, in the context of the creation–evolution controversy, the term "Darwinism" is commonly used by creationists to describe scientists and science teachers who oppose them, and to claim that scientific disagreements about the specific mechanism can sometimes be equated to rejection of evolution as a whole. Intelligent design proponents use the term in all these ways, including the idea that it is a materialist ideology, and the claim that as it proposes natural processes as an explanation for evolution, Darwinism can be equated with atheism and presented as being incompatible with Christianity.

Charles Darwin himself described natural selection as being "the main but not exclusive means of modification" of species. The modern theory of evolution includes natural selection and genetic drift as mechanisms, and does not conclude that "the ability of random mutation and natural selection" accounts "for the complexity of life." Southeastern Louisiana University philosophy professor Barbara Forrest and deputy director of the National Center for Science Education Glenn Branch comment on the ambiguity of the statement and its use in the original advertisement:

Such a statement could easily be agreed to by scientists who have no doubts about evolution itself, but dispute the exclusiveness of "Darwinism," that is, natural selection, when other mechanisms such as genetic drift and gene flow are being actively debated. To the layman, however, the ad gives the distinct impression that the 100 scientists question evolution itself.

Skip Evans, also of the National Center for Science Education, noted that when interviewed, several of the scientists who had signed the statement said they accepted common descent. He thus suggests that this confusion has in fact been carefully engineered.

Discovery Institute usage

By promoting a perception that evolution is the subject of wide controversy and debate within the scientific community, whereas in fact evolution is overwhelmingly supported by scientists, the list is used to lend support to other Discovery Institute campaigns promoting intelligent design, including "Teach the Controversy", "Critical Analysis of Evolution", "Free Speech on Evolution", and "Stand Up For Science". For example, in its "Teach the Controversy" campaign, the Institute claims that "evolution is a theory in crisis" and that many scientists criticize evolution and citing the list as evidence or a resource. The Discovery Institute also asserts that this information is being withheld from students in public high school science classes along with "alternatives" to evolution such as intelligent design. The Institute uses "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism" as evidence to support its claim that evolution is disputed widely within the scientific community. In 2002, Stephen C. Meyer, the founder of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, presented the list as evidence to the Ohio Board of Education to promote Teach the Controversy. He cited it as demonstrating that there was a genuine controversy over Darwinian evolution. In the 2005 Kansas evolution hearings Meyer cited the list in support of his assertion that there was "significant scientific dissent from Darwinism" that students should be informed about.

The list was advertised in prominent periodicals such as The New York Review of Books, The New Republic, and The Weekly Standard in October and November 2001, "to rebut bogus claims by Darwinists that no reputable scientists are skeptical of Darwinism" by "producing a list of 100 scientific dissenters." Its initial release was timed to coincide with the airing of the PBS Evolution television series at the end of 2001. The Discovery Institute also launched a tie-in website to promote the list.

The Discovery Institute has continued to collect signatures, reporting 300 in 2004, over 600 in 2006 (from that year on the Discovery Institute began to include non-US scientists on the list), over 700 in 2007, and over 1000 in 2019. The Discovery Institute includes a description of the list in a response to one of its "Top Questions".

The Discovery Institute-related organization Physicians and Surgeons for Scientific Integrity manages "Physicians and Surgeons who Dissent from Darwinism", a similar list for medical professionals. The Discovery Institute compiled and distributed other similarly confusing and misleading lists of local scientists during controversies over evolution education in Georgia, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas.

Responses

The "Scientific Dissent From Darwinism" document has been widely criticized on several different grounds. First, similar to previous lists produced by other creationists, the professional expertise of those listed is not always apparent and is alleged to be deficient. Also, the professional affiliations and credentials that are claimed for some of the signatories has been questioned. Finally, there appear to be a few who appear on the list who are not firmly committed to the agenda advanced by the Discovery Institute, and who have been misled into signing or who have changed their minds. Russell D. Renka, a political scientist, said that the Discovery Institute presented the list in an appeal to authority to support its anti-evolution viewpoint.

A paper from the Center for Inquiry said that Dissent From Darwinism is one of the Discovery Institute intelligent design campaigns to discredit evolution and bolster claims that intelligent design is scientifically valid by creating the impression that evolution lacks broad scientific support.

In November 2001, the National Center for Science Education stated that the then current version of the document appeared "to be very artfully phrased" to represent a diverse range of opinions, set in a context which gives it a misleading spin to confuse the public.

Writing in Robert T. Pennock's Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics, Matthew J. Brauer and Daniel R. Brumbaugh say that intelligent design proponents are "manufacturing dissent" in order to explain the absence of scientific debate of their claims:

The "scientific" claims of such neo-creationists as Johnson, Denton, and Behe rely, in part, on the notion that these issues are the subject of suppressed debate among biologists. ... according to neo-creationists, the apparent absence of this discussion and the nearly universal rejection of neo-creationist claims must be due to the conspiracy among professional biologists instead of a lack of scientific merit.

In their 2010 book Biology and Ideology from Descartes to Dawkins, science and religion scholar Denis Alexander and historian of science Ronald L. Numbers tied the fate of the Dissent to that of the wider intelligent design movement:

After more than a decade of effort the Discovery Institute proudly announced in 2007 that it had got some 700 doctoral-level scientists and engineers to sign "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism." Though the number may strike some observers as rather large, it represented less than 0.023 percent of the world's scientists. On the scientific front of the much ballyhooed "Evolution Wars", the Darwinists were winning handily. The ideological struggle between (methodological) naturalism and supernaturalism continued largely in the fantasies of the faithful and the hyperbole of the press.

Expertise relevance

Further information: Argument from authority and Argument from consensus

The listed affiliations and areas of expertise of the signatories have also been criticized, with many signatories coming from wholly unrelated fields of academia, such as aviation and engineering, computer science and meteorology.

In addition, the list was signed by only about 0.01% of scientists in the relevant fields. According to the National Science Foundation, there were approximately 955,300 biological scientists in the United States in 1999. Only about 1/4 of the approximately 700 Darwin Dissenters in 2007 are biologists, according to Kenneth Chang of The New York Times. Approximately 40% of the Darwin Dissenters are not identified as residing in the United States, so in 2007, there were about 105 US biologists among the Darwin Dissenters, representing about 0.01% of the total number of US biologists that existed in 1999. The theory of evolution is overwhelmingly accepted throughout the scientific community. Professor Brian Alters of McGill University, an expert in the creation–evolution controversy, is quoted in an article published by the NIH as stating that "99.9 percent of scientists accept evolution".

The list has been criticized by many organizations and publications for lacking any true experts in the relevant fields of research, primarily biology. Critics have noted that of the 105 "scientists" listed on the original 2001 petition, fewer than 20% were biologists, with few of the remainder having the necessary expertise to contribute meaningfully to a discussion of the role of natural selection in evolution.

Other criticisms

Critics have also noted that the wording and advertising of the original statement was, and remains, misleading, and that a review of the signatories suggested many doubt evolution due to religious, rather than scientific beliefs. Philosopher Robert Pennock notes that rather than being a "broad dissent", the statement's wording is "very narrow, omitting any mention of the evolutionary thesis of common descent, human evolution or any of the elements of evolutionary theory except for the Darwinian mechanism, and even that was mentioned in a very limited and rather vague manner." He concludes that it is not in fact a "radical statement".

The claims made for the importance of the list have also been called intellectually dishonest because it represents only a small fraction of the scientific community, and includes an even smaller number of relevant experts. The Discovery Institute has responded to some of these criticisms.

Affiliations and credentials

Barbara Forrest and Glenn Branch say the Discovery Institute deliberately misrepresents the institutional affiliations of signatories of the statement "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism". The institutions appearing in the list are the result of a conscious choice by the Discovery Institute to only present the most prestigious affiliations available for an individual. For example, if someone was trained at a more prestigious institution than the one they are presently affiliated with, the school they graduated from will more often be listed, without the distinction being made clear in the list. This is contrary to standard academic and professional practice.

For example, the institutions listed for Raymond G. Bohlin, Fazale Rana, and Jonathan Wells, were the University of Texas at Dallas, Ohio University, and the University of California, Berkeley respectively, the schools from which they obtained their PhD degrees. However, their present affiliations are quite different: Probe Ministries for Bohlin, the Reasons to Believe Ministry for Rana, and the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture for Wells. Many of those who have signed the list are not currently active scientists, and some have never worked as scientists. Also, if a signatory was previously the head of a department or the president of an institute, their past and most prestigious position will be listed, not their current position.

Visitors at prestigious institutions will have that affiliation listed, not their more humble home institutions. For example, Bernard d'Abrera, a writer and publisher of books on butterflies, appears on the list as "Visiting Scholar, Department of Entomology British Museum (Natural History)", in spite of the fact that this museum had become independent of the British Museum three decades previously and had formally changed its name to the Natural History Museum almost a decade before the petition. d'Abrera's primary affiliation is with his publishing company, Hill House Publishers. d'Abrera does not have a PhD either, nor any formal scientific qualification (his undergraduate degree was a double major in History & Philosophy of Science, and History), although creationists have called him "Dr. d'Abrera". The Discovery Institute currently recruits people with PhDs to sign the Dissent petition.

Also, in early editions of the list, Richard Sternberg was described as "Richard Sternberg, Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution" though Sternberg was never a Smithsonian staff member, but an unpaid research associate. At the time of signing the list Sternberg was the outgoing editor of the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, a minor biology journal, where he played a central role in a peer-review controversy. Later versions of the list mention Sternberg's affiliation with Sternberg's alma maters, Florida International University and Binghamton University. At present Sternberg is a Staff Scientist with GenBank, the genetic database at the National Institutes of Health.

Critics also say the Discovery Institute inflates the academic credentials and affiliations of signatories such as Henry F. Schaefer. The institute prominently and frequently asserts that Schaefer has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Barbara Forrest and others allege that the Discovery Institute is inflating his reputation by constantly referring to him as a "five-time nominee for the Nobel Prize" despite that Nobel Prize nominations remain confidential for fifty years and there being about 250–300 nominations per prize per year.

By analysing the data for 34 British, or British-trained signatories of the Dissent list, the anti-creationist British Centre for Science Education raised doubts about the claimed affiliations and relevant expertise of those on the list.

Defections and disagreements

The National Center for Science Education interviewed a sample of the signatories, and found that some were less critical of "Darwinism" than the advertisement claimed. It wrote to all of them asking whether they thought living things shared common ancestors and whether humans and apes shared common ancestors. According to Eugenie Scott of the NCSE, a few of the signatories replied saying that they did accept these principles but did not think that natural selection could explain the origins of life. However, the replies ceased when, according to Scott, the Discovery Institute found out and advised signatories not to respond. She concluded from this that "at least some of the more knowledgeable scientists did not interpret this statement the way that it was intended to be interpreted by the general public."

For example, signatory Stanley N. Salthe, a visiting scientist at Binghamton University, State University of New York, who describes himself as an atheist, said that when he endorsed a petition he had no idea what the Discovery Institute was. Salthe stated, "I signed it in irritation", and said that evolutionary biologists were being unfair in suppressing competing ideas. He said that "They deserve to be prodded, as it were. It was my way of thumbing my nose at them", but was unconvinced by intelligent design and concluded "From my point of view, it's a plague on both your houses".

At least one signatory of "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism" has abandoned the list, saying he felt misled. Robert C. Davidson, a Christian, scientist, doctor, and retired professor at the University of Washington medical school said after having signed he was shocked when he discovered that the Discovery Institute was calling evolution a "theory in crisis". "It's laughable: There have been millions of experiments over more than a century that support evolution," said Davidson. "There's always questions being asked about parts of the theory, as there are with any theory, but there's no real scientific controversy about it. ... When I joined I didn't think they were about bashing evolution. It's pseudo-science, at best. ... What they're doing is instigating a conflict between science and religion."

Counter-petitions

Responding in the form of a parody, the National Center for Science Education launched Project Steve, a list of scientists named "Steve", or its equivalent (such as "Stephanie" or "Esteban"), who had signed a pro-evolution statement. As of 17 March 2017, the Steve-o-meter registered 1,412 Steves. A Discovery Institute spokesperson responded that "if Project Steve was meant to show that a considerable majority of the scientific community accepts a naturalistic conception of evolution, then the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) could have saved its energies – that fact was never in question. The more interesting question was whether any serious scientists reject a naturalistic conception of evolution".

After the Discovery Institute presented the petition as part of an amicus curiae brief in the Kitzmiller v. Dover intelligent design court case in October 2005, a counter-petition, A Scientific Support For Darwinism, was organized and gathered 7,733 signatures from scientists in four days.

As of 6 July 2015, the Clergy Letter Project has collected signatures of 13,008 American Christian clergy who "believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist." Over 500 Jewish clergy have signed a similar "Rabbi Letter". The Clergy Letter Project has also circulated an "Imam Letter" affirming that "the timeless truths of the Qur'an may comfortably coexist with the discoveries of modern science."

See also

References

  1. ^ Forrest, Barbara (2007). "Understanding the Intelligent Design Creationist Movement: Its True Nature and Goals" (PDF). Center for Inquiry, Inc. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011. As I stated earlier, Johnson, Dembski, and their associates have assumed the task of destroying 'Darwinism,' 'evolutionary naturalism,' 'scientific materialism,' 'methodological naturalism,' 'philosophical naturalism,' and other 'isms' they use as synonyms for evolution.
  2. ^ "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism" (PDF). September 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.; original "100 Scientists" advertisement.
  3. ^ Gross PF, Forrest BC (2004). Creationism's Trojan horse: the wedge of intelligent design. Oxford : Oxford University Press. pp. 172. ISBN 0-19-515742-7.
  4. ^ "Skepticism About Darwinian Evolution Grows as 1,000+ Scientists Share Their Doubts". Evolution News. 4 February 2019.
  5. ^ Crowther, Robert (21 June 2006). "Dissent From Darwinism "Goes Global" as Over 600 Scientists Around the World Express Their Doubts About Darwinian Evolution". Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  6. ^ Staff, Discovery Institute (8 March 2007). "Ranks of Scientists Doubting Darwin's Theory on the Rise". Discovery Institute. Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  7. ^ Evans, Skip (29 November 2001). "Doubting Darwinism Through Creative License". NCSE. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  8. ^ Petto, Andrew J. (24 July 2015). "Chapter 2: Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design". In Muehlenbein, Michael P. (ed.). Basics in Human Evolution. Elsevier Science. pp. 23–25. ISBN 978-0-12-802693-9.
  9. "Evolutionary mechanisms". NCSE. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  10. Statements from Scientific Organizations National Center for Science Education.
  11. NCSE Voices for Evolution project, Sager C (2008). Voices for Evolution. National Center for Science Education, Inc. ISBN 978-0-615-20461-1.
  12. ^ Chang, Kenneth (21 February 2006). "Few Biologists But Many Evangelicals Sign Anti-Evolution Petition". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2008.; available without login
  13. "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism".
  14. John Wilkins (1998). "How to be Anti-Darwinian". TalkOrigins Archive. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
  15. Pigliucci, M. (2007). "Do We Need An Extended Evolutionary Synthesis?". Evolution. 61 (12): 2743–2749. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00246.x. PMID 17924956. S2CID 2703146.
  16. Kutschera U, Niklas KJ (2004). "The modern theory of biological evolution: an expanded synthesis". Naturwissenschaften. 91 (6): 255–76. Bibcode:2004NW.....91..255K. doi:10.1007/s00114-004-0515-y. PMID 15241603. S2CID 10731711.
  17. Sullivan M (2005). "From the Beagle to the School Board – God Goes Back to School". IMPACT. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  18. Larry Moran; Eugenie Scott (12 July 2008). "Sandwalk: Good Science Writers: Eugenie Scott". Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
  19. "Charles Hodge and His Objection to Darwinism: The Exclusion of Intelligent Design". Retrieved 31 July 2008.
  20. Darwin, Charles (1859). On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. London: John Murray. p. 6. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  21. ^ Ruling, Kitzmiller v. Dover page 83
  22. "The List of Steves". 17 November 2014.
  23. "Questioning Evolution – New York Times". The New York Times. 10 December 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  24. Ward, Jon (20 April 2005). "Religion vs. science on D.C. education". The Washington Times. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  25. ^ "CSC – Key Resources for Parents and School Board Members". The Discovery Institute. 21 August 2007. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  26. Chapman, Bruce (21 September 2003). "How Should Schools Teach Evolution? Don't Forget Weaknesses in Theory". Discovery Institute. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  27. Mark Isaak, ed. (2005). "CA112: Many scientists find problems with evolution". TalkOrigins Archive. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  28. "Academic Freedom Under Attack in NCSE Letter Seeking to Limit Teaching of Evolution". Discovery Institute. 29 September 2005. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  29. Eldredge, Niles; Eugenie C. Scott (2005). Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 215. ISBN 0-520-24650-0.
  30. "Kansas Evolution Hearings: Stephen Meyer and Angus Menuge". TalkOrigins Archive. 2005. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  31. Edwards, Mark (24 September 2001). "100 Scientists, National Poll Challenge Darwinism" (php). Discovery Institute. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  32. Dembski, William A.; McDowell, Sean (2008). Understanding Intelligent Design: Everything You Need to Know in Plain Language. Harvest House Publishers. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-7369-2442-9.
  33. "Doubts Over Evolution Mount With Over 300 Scientists Expressing Skepticism With Central Tenet of Darwin's Theory". Discovery Institute. 1 May 2004. Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  34. "CSC – Top Questions". Discovery Institute. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  35. Schafersman, Steven (2 September 2003). "Texas Citizens for Science Responds to Latest Discovery Institute Challenge". Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  36. See the criticism of other lists, especially of 21 Scientists Who Believe in Creation and In Six Days: Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation, described at level of support for evolution, for example.
  37. Russell D. Renka; Professor of Political Science (16 November 2005). "The Political Design of Intelligent Design". Southeast Missouri State University. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
  38. Pennock, Robert T. (2001). Intelligent design creationism and its critics: philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. pp. 322. ISBN 0-262-66124-1.
  39. Alexander, Denis; Numbers, Ronald L. (2010). Biology and Ideology from Descartes to Dawkins. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-60841-9.
  40. ^ "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism". Discovery Institute. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  41. "Employed U.S. scientists and engineers, by field and level of highest degree attained: 1999" (PDF). 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  42. Delgaldo C (28 July 2006). "Finding the Evolution in Medicine" (PDF). p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  43. ^ Pennock, Robert T. (2007). Jones, Leslie Sandra; Reiss, Michael Jonathan (eds.). Teaching about scientific origins: taking account of creationism. Peter Lang. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-0-8204-7080-1.
  44. Myers, PZ (18 February 2007). "Dr Michael Egnor challenges evolution!". Pharyngula. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
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