Monkey Trials

In 1925, in what is sometimes called "The World's Most Famous Trial," high school teacher John T. Scopes was put on trial for teaching evolution in his science class in Dayton, Ohio.

The lead prosecuting attorney was William Jennings Bryan, the lead defense counsel was Clarence Darrow.

In my time in high school, we studied this trial, even re-read the entire transcript. It had a profound effect on students, who marvelled and laughed (at times) at the verbal jousts between two great orators, one a master at appalling to the masses, the other a master of logic and as it turns out, of the law (though that Darrow was a legal genius isn't really a surprise these days). We were stunned at the bigotry, the perverse adherence to a specific religious dogma, over actual research. All of us were, children of Republicans as well as children of Democrats. There were no children present who protested and claimed the earth was only 15,000 years old (or 5,000). It was a little different time. The primary point of the trial was that no religion, not Christianity, not Islam, not Judaism, not Shintoism, nor Hinduism, nor Confucianism - none - should be dominant in the classroom. We believe in this country in religious freedom, that is, the right of everyone to chose to worship (or not) whatever they desire, and no religious historicity (as in creationism) should take a lead/front-seat in the classroom because to do so is to endorse one religion over the others.

As John Scopes said, in his only public comment at the trial, in response to his sentencing for violating the "Butler Act" a law which forbad the teaching of evolution...

"Your honor, I feel that I have been convicted of violating an unjust statute. I will continue in the future, as I have in the past, to oppose this law in any way I can. Any other action would be in violation of my ideal of academic freedom — that is, to teach the truth as guaranteed in our constitution, of personal and religious freedom."

These were his, not Darrow's words. The Butler Act had been passed as religious fundamentalists tried to prevent the progress of evolutionary theory by enacting laws to prevent it from even being discussed. They used the government to stop in the courtroom what they could not stop in the court of public opinion (good line from Wiki).

Why do I bring this up? The obvious application of this quote is as a response to Sarah Palin and the like where support of strict creationism is a litmus test for entrance into the fold of true believers. For example, Palin believes the earth is 15,000 years old and that God put the dinosaurs on earth so we'd have oil. More compelling, though, is that the Scopes trial points to the origin and impact of attempting to have a specific religion (Christianity) usurp research and the scientific method. During the Bush years, the executive branch repeatedly meddled in the scientific research of organizations like the EPA, but also of NASA. Reports which confirmed that the earth was warming were quashed, reports which showed the devastating impacts of pollution were heavily redacted by political appointees. Many scientists felt the government had become impotent or worse, a political tool of a highly biased political movement which, for example, believed the world is 15,000 years old and so any scientific discovery which suggested otherwise (such as the study of early man), was to be heavily questioned and the outcomes restated to allow for this possibility. The truth wasn't that science was trying to get rid of religion, but rather, much like in Tennessee v. Scopes, religion was trying to outlaw/deny science. They were using the executive branch to hide the findings which routinely supported the case they still could not win in the court of public opinion.

Yesterday Barack Obama issued a policy document to all scientific branches/offices of the executive government which effectively denies the right of any political appointee to interfere in the findings of the scholars/engineers/scientists engaged in research in those offices. Reports are not to be subject to political censorship/approval, department heads are to keep their hands off. Note that Obama didn't instruct the offices (as Bush did) to review reports to support his personal political faith (Obama is a Christian), but rather to keep religion out of science and out of the determination of governmental policy. When the vast preponderence of information supports one theory - it is time to put the fact that it conflicts with one particular version of faith aside. Much as the "Dover Trial" showed, creationism is deeply lacking in scientific substantiation, while evolution still has not been found to have one major, material flaw (or it would have been discarded). The government, whether in the classroom or in the laboratory, should not be stunting the progress of medicine, exploration, and most of all, of thought. It is a powerful tool, it can be powerfully misused, or it can be a power for great good. I am glad this sad chapter in our history (of Bush's interference in science) was ended by Obama. When I was a child I believed it ended in 1925, for while Scopes was convicted, Bryan and the creationists lost as the public, like school-children, laughed at the absurdity of the arguments of Bryan, and applauded the logic of Darrow. I hope this is the last time we have to establish the correct separation of faith from fact in science, I believe John Scopes would have held the same hope.