Replies

"Perhaps not, but in a republic that lets people vote on school boards and laws, what gets taught in public schools is a matter of compromise."

A school board is not above the law. Teaching some mythology as science harm the rights of others. ID has no scientific merits. You and others can call back if you got some.

"As such, what's taught to most children, be it evolution and general relativity or global warming and enviro-pseduo-science, does get absorbed as unquestionable dogma, particularly if dissenting viewpoints are never presented."

You have problems to differ some foundations. There are observed facts like time dilatation or evolution. There are theories like the theory of general relativity or the theory of evolution. Global warming is not a theory. It's just a possible outcome then you fit several theories together to one computer model.

"Is demanding that competing theories prove a negative (that the development of life didn't happen naturally through evolution) really testing a theory or is it assuming the theory is already proven and putting the burden of proof and testing on others?"

You probably know something about Ockham's razor. Then you claim life didn't happened through natural process you have to show an unnatural process. IC is not a proof for an unnatural process because you can reach an IC status via natural steps as I have shown you.

"You believe, that the preponderance of evidence makes evolution a legitimate explanation for all life on Earth."

Science is not about believes. It's about facts and explanations. Evolution is as long "a legitimate explanation for all life on Earth" as it fits to all evidences. Furthermore the theory of evolution will never be totally retracted like Newton's theory because its declarative power is so strong in many ways. ID needs an undetected unnatural causation where the theory of evolution only needs available natural laws.

The guys at SETI never forced or try to persuade someone to teach pupils their hypothesis that there are aliens out there in space.

"As long as evolution remains a theory and not a fact, it's not unreasonable to buck the odds based on a gut feeling any more than it's unreasonable to play the lottery or avoid air travel."

Evolution is a fact. Don't mix it up with the theory of evolution. We are talking about science and not a gut feeling. Every scientist needs to know a theory is only a description of mother nature. Trying to find something unnatural is not offensive just strange. The people at DI want to find a trace of god. That is strange.