Ten days after Professor of Biology Ken Miller appeared in a Georgia courtroom to explain why he included evolution in a textbook he wrote, residents of Cobb County, Ga., are awaiting the verdict in a trial over a sticker.
Miller, who teaches BI 20: "The Foundation of Living Systems," was called to testify for the plaintiffs in a case brought against the Cobb County School Board, which ordered teachers to attach a disclaimer about evolution to the textbook.
The book is a ninth-grade text that provides a broad survey of biology, ranging from topics such as genetics and ecology to evolution. The Cobb County School Board ruled last year that a sticker that questions the theory of evolution must be put in the textbook.
The ruling came in response to a petition signed by 2,400 people in the county protesting the book's presentation of evolution as truth and the absence of alternate ideas about the origin of life, such as creationism.
The sticker reads, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."
In response, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit early this year on behalf of six parents who oppose the sticker. The parents claim that the sticker is unconstitutional, saying it violates separation of church and state.
Miller, as one of the textbook's authors, appeared as a witness for the plaintiffs. He was asked to explain how evolution was presented in the book and his rationale for including it.
Miller said that if he "had to put (his) $20 down," he would bet that the plaintiffs win the case; U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper is expected to deliver the verdict Friday.
Miller said the plaintiffs' lawyers presented a very strong case, beginning by calling Marjorie Rogers, the parent who circulated the petition, to the witness stand. "She was a good Christian, and by that, I mean she told the truth," Miller said. "She wants religion taught in the science classroom." Miller said this proves that the original intent of the sticker was not in line with the Constitution. In fact, he said, Rogers testified that she thought the disclaimer on the textbook did not go far enough and that it was only a first step.
As for his testimony, Miller said he explained his rationale for putting a section on evolution in the textbook by saying, "Most biologists see (evolution) as the core of biology." He said he also explained that the word "theory" has a different meaning in science than it does in everyday use.
In science, theory isn't "a hunch or a guess" like a baseball fan's theory about why his team will win, Miller said. Instead, theories explain facts. It is a "higher level of understanding than fact," and calling evolution a theory does not mean that its conclusions are uncertain.
Despite the "tense" mood in the courtroom, Miller said he had some fun. During his testimony and cross-examination by the defense, he said he had spectators "in stitches" three times.
Miller said the defense tried to show the sticker was "reasonable accommodation" of the religious beliefs of some community members. He said the typical example of reasonable accommodation is allowing students to wear headscarves or yarmulkes in schools, even when there is a no-hat rule.
But Miller told the defense lawyer that this was not a reasonable accommodation, because each of the statements on the sticker weakened science education by calling attention to evolution as something special or different from the rest of biology.
The Cobb County case has received media attention as part of the wider controversy over teaching evolution in the classroom. The issue is particularly controversial throughout the "Bible Belt," where petitions and protests against teaching evolution in the classroom have been brought before state and county school boards.
Miller said parents from Texas put pressure on textbook publishers to "water down" their sections on evolution. He said his editors supported his decision not to do so and many teachers in Texas chose to use his book because he did not change anything.
Creationism and intelligent design are nonscientific ideas about the origin of life. Miller said, "I think they're both wrong ideas. ... Young Earth creationism is pretty much a negation of all of modern science."
Young Earth creationism asserts that Earth is only 6,000 to 7,000 years old. As a result, proponents of this idea do not believe in cosmology, geology and other disciplines, because these fields stipulate that the universe is billions of years old.
Miller also said intelligent design is a negation of modern science. The idea purports that evolutionary changes were created by an intelligent being. "This means every time there is any lack of evidence in evolution or paleontology, we should just give up and say intelligent design did it," he said. "It makes no testable predictions and has zero adherence in the scientific community."
But as a teacher, Miller said he believes "education isn't to compel belief but to promote understanding." He said each year three or four students in BI 20 come to him concerned about learning about evolution in the course. He tells them that they don't need to believe in evolution but that they should be able to understand the evidence for it and why the scientific community believes in it.
