Intelligently Designed: How Creationists Built the Campaign against Evolution

by Edward Caudill

Tracing the growth of creationism in America as a political movement, this book explains why the particularly American phenomenon of anti-evolution has succeeded as a popular belief. Conceptualizing the history of creationism as a strategic public relations campaign, Edward Caudill examines why this movement has captured the imagination of the American public, from the explosive Scopes trial of 1925 to today's heated battles over public school curricula. Caudill shows how creationists have appealed to cultural values such as individual rights and admiration of the rebel spirit, thus spinning creationism as a viable, even preferable, alternative to evolution.

 

In particular, Caudill argues that the current anti-evolution campaign follows a template created by Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, the Scopes trial's primary combatants. Their celebrity status and dexterity with the press prefigured the Moral Majority's 1980s media blitz, more recent staunchly creationist politicians such as Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, and creationists' savvy use of the Internet and museums to publicize their cause. Drawing from trial transcripts, media sources, films, and archival documents, Intelligently Designed highlights the importance of historical myth in popular culture, religion, and politics and situates this nearly century-old debate in American cultural history.

Genres: Science, Religion

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Justin Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the ever growing list of books on the "debate", this one is a must read. There are multiple things you should, or at least I have walked away from this book with. First, it's the simple fact that since Scopes, the campaign to legitimatize creationism has won. It's a fact that can't go ignored. However, it's a political campaign, not a scientific one. It has contributed nothing to the scientific community. It has convinced no one in the community, minus few detractors that creationist groups have gathered to give the false impression of legitimacy. Second, it's now a requirement that scientists attend to the problem if there is to be any hope.

Creationists, as shown extensively in this book, have created a non-existent controversy by winning over the laity. They have committed themselves to controlling the "debate", while lining up an arsenal of responses to evolution (also of which is clearly shown to be equated with many things such as social Darwinism, racism, atheism, secular humanism, etc) through web sites, magazines, museums, institutes and lobbyists. But the point is that all of these are a sham. They are not there to convince the experts in the field of biology. Nope, in fact they are to give the illusion of a dispute to the laity; also known as the uninformed or scientifically illiterate audience. They have successfully infiltrated the language of the laity by confusing such words as "theory" or "hypothesis" as to mean the commonly used word, guess. Theory, hypothesis, guess, and speculation are all synonymous to the creationist.

"Scientists have continued to make a logical, empirical, scientific case in order to vanquish those who have no regard for logic, empiricism, or science."

This is absolutely true and it's high time that scientists develop a public relations campaign.

[John Adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this useful history of the Intelligent Design movement, Edward Caudill explores "creationism not just as a science-religion issue, but as a political movement that skillfully engage[s] the press with a campaign grounded in American myths." Caudill shows how the Scopes Trial in set the stage for the conflict between creationists and science as it has played out ever since.

In spite of the lack of evidence to support their claims, creationists/intelligent designers, have been highly successful in following William Jennings Bryan's model of appealing to an underlying anti-intellectualism rampant in the United States along with a strong sense of support for traditional values and wisdom.

While Charles Darrow clearly "won" the trial on debating and factual terms Scopes was still convicted and Bryan's intellectual followers have succeeded in keeping creationism, in the guise of intelligent design, at the forefront of the national conversation. Opinion polls consistently show that nearly 50% of Americans, and a far larger percentage of Conservatives/Republicans, still do not believe in the clearly established science behind evolution.

The release of this book is especially well timed due to the recent Bill Nye-Ken Hamm evolution debate and the continued assault on science education in our schools. Highly recommended - essential reading to anyone teaching science at the high school or collegiate level!

[David James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nearly a century after Scopes, creationists are more of a force than ever despite holding beliefs that science has demolished beyond salvation. How can this be? Caudill does a good job of explaining this by tracing the ways in which biblical literalists have effectively used media, American cultural values and specious arguments to fool our scientifically-illiterate public into believing that a controversy exists over evolution.

There is no scientific controversy regarding evolution, of course. It's an exhaustively proven fact. Yet by recasting evolution as a political debate while developing a veneer of pseudoscience that seems plausible to people who don't understand evolution (this being much of the public owing to successful efforts at minimizing or eliminating the topic from public school textbooks), fundamentalists have created a controversy where none exists in the real world. It's brilliant public relations, something that most scientists and their supporters fail to grasp.

Developing an equally savvy counter strategy will be key to blocking this regressive political movement and keeping America a viable nation in a technologically and scientifically expanding world. This book doesn't offer suggestions on that point, but it does show why thinking people need to quit relying solely on reciting facts (something that fundamentalists have no regard for whatsoever) and start learning to sell them as well.

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about how the thought of creationist became a popular belief. Too start off, I do not believe in creationism, I am an outright evolutionist- I can't deny the facts. Anyways, this book shows that all those who support creationist- the fundamentalists mainly- have been very good at promoting it through political ways and they are very adept at using the media. They sneak into debates at just the right time with the right celebrity name.

A lot of the book was about the Scope trial, and being Canadian I had really no idea what that was. And then it brought up a lot of other trials and names. For me, this is why it only garnered 2 stars. I felt that it was just name after name, and no real succinct thought came from all the evidence. I got bored. And truthfully I skimmed about half of the book until I got to the final chapter.I also cannot get past the fact that so many people have such a wrong idea on what Darwinism actually is, and what he wrote about. (that's another rant for another day)

It isn't a book that forces you to pick a side, it is a book that shows the growth of a movement.

I wanted to read this book because I am such an evolutionist and I wanted to see the other viewpoint. Which I think everyone should. Look at both sides of the story. But that being said, I just can't get that this movement has been so successful. Just don't get it....

[Scarlett Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's virtually impossible to live in America in the 21st century and not be aware of the conflict between Creationism and evolution. Caudill gives an extremely informative and sometimes infuriating history of the Intelligent Design movement, starting with the Scopes Trial and leading up to the present. It's clear that Caudill doesn't agree with the standpoint of the Creationists, but he does give them a lot of credit for building a movement and creating a controversy where none (at least no scientific controversy) exists.

This is a scholarly work and not for a general audience. Caudill explores the politics and motivations of Creationists while assuming that the reader is familiar with the science. He doesn't feel the need to defend evolution; if you're interested in the evidence for that you can find any number of books on the topic. Caudill is writing about the growth of a movement, not to discredit or argue for either side.

Caudill has written a readable and enlightening guide for those interested in the intersection of politics, religion, and education, or for people who are already familiar with the arguments given by each side in this "debate" and want to know more about its history.

I received my copy of this book free from NetGalley.

[David Melbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way this was thought out and written. Since the Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925, none of the debates or trials regarding the battle between creationism and evolution is about science, it's about politics, myth, and super-dumbed-down anti-intellectualism, and yes, religion. Americans are the best at establishing what they feel and know to be the 'truth' and then make up anything they can to fit into that mold. You just cannot fix stupid!

[Foggygirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illuminating and somewhat alarming when you realize how entrenched the creationist movement has become in American culture.