To the editor:

How should a university properly teach about intelligent design? It is clearly not science; there is no testable theory. Religious studies isn’t really the right place for it either; the intelligent design proponents are far too coy about who the designer is to be able to say much about it as a religion.

It seems to me the proper home for a course on intelligent design is the political science department. Intelligent design is best described as a religiously motivated political movement and a rather successful one at that. Through the continuous repetition of bogus criticisms of evolution, the movement has over half of the American public convinced that one of the pillars of modern biology is incorrect.

When a KU professor wants to teach a course on intelligent design that doesn’t follow the party line, do the friends of intelligent design engage in serious scholarly debate about it? No, they go quote-mining in private e-mails and indulge in public character assassination of the professor.

So how about a course titled: “Political Propaganda and the Intelligent Design Movement”? I’m sure the political science department would get lots of free publicity if they offered it.

Philip Baringer,

Lawrence