Hannah

The // Of Pandas and People // phenomenon has evolved in recent years as an alternative to teaching evolution in the classroom. Science is a theory, being tested and tested with the slightest chance that something may change within the next time of trial. With this being said, //Of Pandas and People// evolved merely to oust the regular biology textbook linked with Darwinism, by replacing it with a different spin on evolution and creationism(1,2,3,4). The new idea that //Of Pandas and People// is trying to relay is Intelligent Design (1,2,4). //Of Pandas and People// was published in 1989. Its second textbook was published in 1993. The second edition of Pandas was the last. //Of Pandas and People// uses words such as Intelligent Design, Intelligent Designer, and Design Proponents to explain their research and to keep away from Darwinism(4). Much of the controversy over this topic of ID has been caused by this controversial textbook (2). In the late 80's and early 90's, //Of Pandas and People// with the approval of creationists began surfacing in many public schools(3)//. Of Pandas and People// became a major issue in the 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover case, where Dover school board approved the text to be placed in the library as an alternative to Darwin’s theory (1). The school board also proposed that the science teachers, before using the Biology textbook, read a one minute statement stating that science is a theory, and that Darwinism is merely a tested theory(2). The thought of Intelligent Design and //Of Pandas and People// even being involved as a reference in the school enraged many parents. The case went to court. After many months of trial, the court ruled that ID is not science and //Of Pandas and People// is stating that ID is indeed a cover-up for creationism(1,4). //Of Pandas and People// is said to be a text that is “not going to be taken seriously by any teacher who has a professional knowledge of science” (2). So far, teachers and school boards have not accepted the text. Pandas seems to have lost all of its fight for the battle. The idea of Intelligent Design is not science, and neither is the creationist text //Of Pandas and People// (2). //Of Pandas and People// will find it a hard challenge to change people’s minds that the text is science.

1) http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/09/banned_book_of_the_year_of_pan.html

2) __Judgement Day.__ Jay O. Sanders. Nova and Vulcan productions, INC. 2007.

3) http://www.textbookleague.org/53panda.htm 4)[|http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/8442_1_introduction_iof_pandas__11_23_2004.asp