Volume 21: No. 4, April 2007

APA Adopts Resolution Rejecting the Teaching of Intelligent Design as Science

At its February 2007 meeting, the APA Council of Representatives adopted a resolution rejecting the teaching of Intelligent Design (ID) as scientific and reaffirming its support of evolutionary theory.

The driving force behind the adoption of this resolution was the APA Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE), which believed that it was imperative that APA respond to the recent resurgence of anti-evolutionary theory activism in the United States.

Members of CARE believe that repeated calls for the teaching of ID alongside evolution in science classes by political leaders and school boards poses a threat to the scientific enterprise in general and to the CARE constituency in particular. Thus, by adopting a resolution rejecting ID as science and its teaching as science education, APA (1) recognized evolutionary theory as a major unifying force in contemporary science; (2) affirmed that fully understanding the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of humans and other animals requires attention to evolutionary heritage and processes; and (3) reaffirmed previous APA resolutions that endorsed the importance of teaching and research activities grounded in evolutionary reasoning as vital to psychological science.

Why are APA resolutions important? First, resolutions are a primary means to creating APA policy -- putting the Association on record on matters of import to the members. Second, our legislative and federal affairs staff members are able to use these APA policies as the groundwork for advocacy activities. And last, they serve as meaningful reminders of our commonalities as a discipline.

To view the text of the APA resolution rejecting Intelligent Design as Science click here.