... while the Theory of Evolution is

Re: Intelligent Design Vs. Evolution, letter to the editor, Oct. 8 Charlie Cahill praises me for not claiming that the theory of evolution is a scientific fact. I am sorry to disappoint him, but I consider evolution to be a scientific fact. Proponents of Intelligent Design ( ID) put a lot of emphasis on the distinction between “scientific hypothesis” and “scientific fact.” They fail to recognize that a scientific fact is nothing more that a well-established scientific hypothesis. It is precisely because the theory of evolution is infinitely better supported by evidence than ID that it is scientific fact.

Mujeeb Rahman suggests that we teach “all sides of the controversy.” This is the rallying cry of IDers, who use it in an attempt to capture both the intellectual and moral high ground. No one wants to be accused of silencing the opinions of others (a moral fault) and of not considering all available hypotheses (an intellectual fault). But this is really a red herring. Scientifically and philosophically there is simply no controversy: Evolution’s credentials simply cannot be compared to those of ID. As such, it is entirely justifiable from a scientific perspective to ignore ID just like today we ignore theories invoking demons to explain mental illness. While we want to uphold freedom of speech and opinion, we have the right as a society to draw the line as to what views children will be exposed to in schools.

Lastly, the appeal to some “unmoved mover” or “first cause” is inherently unsatisfactory since it raises the question of the origin of such an entity. Here we leave the realm of science and philosophy to enter the domain of faith. Steve McKay, Department of Philosophy, Champlain College, Lennoxville, Que.