Dick DeVos, the Republican candidate for governor of Michigan, expressed his support for adding “Intelligent Design” (ID) creationism to public school science curricula in the state:
DeVos said exposing students to the concept of intelligent design — viewed by most scientists as a nonscientific, religion-based belief — would help them analyze competing theories. …
In the AP interview, during which DeVos discussed a range of education issues, he was also quoted as saying, “I would like to see the ideas of intelligent design — that many scientists are now suggesting is a very viable alternative theory — that that theory and others that would be considered credible would expose our students to more ideas, not less.”
The electoral value of such a position is dubious – last year, voters in Dover, Pennsylvania ousted school board members who added ID to science class, and a similar vote took place in Kansas this summer. However, DeVos has shown an independent commitment to advancing the Right Wing agenda for public education – using his family fortune to fund the school voucher movement.
See also: PFAW Foundation’s Defending Science toolkit.
