October 16, 2008
Speaker: Edward J. Larson, University Professor of History and Hugh & Hazel Darling Professor of Law, Pepperdine University
Presented by: The Center for Professional Ethics
Summary: Professor Larson will introduce the rich history of the creation-evolution legal controversy in the United States. The controversy centers on the efforts by some parents and religious organizations to limit the teaching of evolution in American public schools. Scientists, civil liberties groups, and some school administrators and teachers typically oppose these efforts in the name of teaching good science.
The legal battle, however, is fought over the Establishment Clause. The Constitution does not mandate teaching good science, but it is interpreted by the Courts to bar public schools from promoting a religious viewpoint. Larson will explore the history of judicial interpretations of the Establishment Clause as applied to various specific efforts to limit the teaching of evolution in public school over the past century. The legal controversy will be set in its cultural and religious context to give a deeper appreciation of constitutional law and its practical application in everyday disputes over classroom instruction and public-school education.
