Intelligent design network
Encyclopedia
The Intelligent Design Network (IDnet) is a nonprofit organization formed in Kansas to promote intelligent design
. It is based in Shawnee Mission, Kansas
. The Intelligent Design Network was founded by John Calvert, a corporate finance lawyer with a bachelor's degree in geology
and nutritionist William S. Harris. Its self-described mission is "to promote evidence-based science education with regard to the origin of the universe and of life and its diversity" and "to enhance public awareness of the evidence of intelligent design and living systems."
In June 2000 it made a news release urging Kansas school boards "to reject National Science Standards proposed by Kansas Citizens for Science
", complaining that they "would limit teaching to only 'natural explanations'", limiting tuition to only "one side of the controversy" (see Teach the Controversy
) and ignoring "[t]he evidence supporting design". In a letter sent the same day to all Kansas school districts, Calvert hinted at legal consequences for failing to admit intelligent design into curricula. In July 2000, two weeks before the Kansas State Board of Education
Republican primaries, IDNet held a symposium featuring a number of Center for Science and Culture
fellows and affiliates.
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
. It is based in Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Shawnee Mission, Kansas is a name created by the United States Postal Service to describe an area of Johnson County, Kansas that contains numerous towns. Parts of southern Overland Park are not part of Shawnee Mission as they were annexed from unincorporated Stanley and use zip code 66085...
. The Intelligent Design Network was founded by John Calvert, a corporate finance lawyer with a bachelor's degree in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and nutritionist William S. Harris. Its self-described mission is "to promote evidence-based science education with regard to the origin of the universe and of life and its diversity" and "to enhance public awareness of the evidence of intelligent design and living systems."
In June 2000 it made a news release urging Kansas school boards "to reject National Science Standards proposed by Kansas Citizens for Science
Kansas Citizens for Science
Kansas Citizens for Science is a science advocacy organization, incorporated as a not-for-profit 501, that "promotes a better understanding of what science is, and does, by: advocating for science education, educating the public about the nature and value of science, and serving as an information...
", complaining that they "would limit teaching to only 'natural explanations'", limiting tuition to only "one side of the controversy" (see Teach the Controversy
Teach the Controversy
Teach the Controversy is the name of a Discovery Institute campaign to promote intelligent design, a variant of traditional creationism, while attempting to discredit evolution in United States public high school science courses...
) and ignoring "[t]he evidence supporting design". In a letter sent the same day to all Kansas school districts, Calvert hinted at legal consequences for failing to admit intelligent design into curricula. In July 2000, two weeks before the Kansas State Board of Education
Kansas State Board of Education
Kansas State Department Board of Education is Kansas's Board of Education, headquartered in Topeka. The board of education that controls the department is a constitutional body established in Article 6 of the Kansas Constitution. The ten members of the Board of Education are each elected to...
Republican primaries, IDNet held a symposium featuring a number of Center for Science and Culture
Center for Science and Culture
The Center for Science and Culture , formerly known as the Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture , is part of the Discovery Institute, a conservative Christian think tank in the United States...
fellows and affiliates.