Audio: The Devil in Dover
Here’s an interesting podcast from the San Francisco Chronicle, featuring an interview with journalist Laurie Lebo, author of The Devil in Dover: An Insider’s Story of Dogma v. Darwin in Small-town America.
Lebo grew up in a small town near Dover, Pennsylvania, where in 2004 the Board of Education tried to sneak creationism into science classes under the disguise of “intelligent design,” aided by the Discovery Institute. Her own father was an evangelical Christian vehemently opposed to Darwin’s theory of evolution, and she discusses the effect the trial had on her relationship with him.
Judge John E. Jones, a life-long Republican appointed by George W. Bush, absolutely destroyed the “intelligent design” side in his decision, excoriating the school board and their attorneys for the “breathtaking inanity” of their attempts to lie about their religious agenda. The decision is one of the most entertaining, well-written legal documents you’ll ever read: Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.
If you’re interested in learning more about this landmark case, I also recommend Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America’s Soul by Edward Humes, and The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA by science writer Gordy Slack.
Frank says: