Designer Science: A History of Intelligent Design in America

The history of the intelligent design movement and its legacy

Anti-science rhetoric in contemporary American politics has become a preoccupying concern for science educators, politicians, and government employees. But why are so many Americans primed to distrust the scientific establishment? This book offers a history of the intelligent design movement, analyzing the links between the legal contests over United States high school curricula and a radical rejection of contemporary scientific practice.

Though closely associated with creationism, the intelligent design movement has its own story. It is related to but different from the various forms of creationism, and it has a unique background in natural theology and conservative politics. Typically perceived today as defunct after its public defeat in the 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover court case, intelligent design did not disappear, and this book makes the case that its legacy is far more significant than we might think. Though it failed to achieve its goal of remaking contemporary science, intelligent design played a crucial role in legitimizing a mindset of suspicion which has taken hold in discussions of climate change, COVID-19, and vaccine hesitancy. In today’s post-truth moment, where scientific expertise has become increasingly rejected, the volume showcases that the intelligent design movement’s most lasting effects may not be in its challenge to evolution, but in the way it influenced the public’s understanding of science and scientists. Designer Science makes the case that we are all grappling today with intelligent design’s legacy, and it offers a history of how we got here.

C.W. Howell is a researcher and writer based at Duke University. He holds a PhD from Duke in Religion and has taught at Duke and Elon Universities. He is also the Director of Academic Programs for the C.S. Lewis Foundation. His writing has appeared in Scientific American, Wired, and Le Grand Continent.