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Due: Monday, March 4. Hand-in a typewritten, double-spaced, 800-word paper on the following topic (about 250-300 words per page with 12 point type, 1” margins).
Topic: Should intelligent design theory be presented as a reasonable scientific alternative to evolutionary theory in high school and college biology classes? Your paper should focus on philosophical principles involved in choosing among theories, e.g., use of the likelihood principle or internal virtues, not on political issues, e.g., separation of church and state.
In your introductory paragraph, provide a clear, recognizable statement of the thesis that you will be defending, i.e., tell us whether you think intelligent design is a reasonable alternative to evolutionary theory that should or should not be part of the biology curriculum as a result. This is the conclusion of your argument.
Present a clear statement/explanation of one or two widely used, criteria for choosing among scientific hypotheses. You will use these criteria to justify your conclusion.
Present an argument in favor of your thesis. Your argument must show how the criteria for distinguishing among theories you have chosen leads you to conclude either that intelligent design should be presented as a reasonable alternative to evolutionary theory in biology classes or that it should not be presented as a reasonable alternative in biology classes. As an important piece of your argument, you should also include a statement of what you take to be the purpose or function of high school/college science courses. Your argument should be as detailed, specific, and concrete as possible. For example, you might provide a detailed critique of the testability of evolutionary theory (suggesting that intelligent design theory is a reasonable alternative to evolutionary theory), or you might argue that the theory of intelligent design does not cohere well with existing scientific knowledge in a wide variety of other fields (suggesting that intelligent design is not a reasonable alternative to evolutionary theory).
Hint: Don’t even attempt to cover all aspects of the issue. Be focused. It’s better to cover one idea well than a lot of ideas poorly.
Grading Criteria:
How well you follow the instructions above.
Accurate knowledge of the appropriate course material.
Logical strength of your argument. Remember, you are trying to convince the reader of the plausibility of your thesis. Your college friends should be able to understand your argument and be impressed with it.
Insight, independence of thought.
Clarity of the writing, logical organization of the paper.
Points will be taken off for too many spelling and grammatical errors.
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