Legal Definitions - creation science

Creation science refers to an approach that attempts to interpret scientific evidence, arguments, and knowledge in a way that supports the belief system known as creationism.

Instead of following the standard scientific method of forming testable hypotheses and drawing conclusions based on empirical observation and experimentation, creation science typically begins with the predetermined belief that a supernatural creator brought the universe and life into existence, often as described in religious texts. It then seeks to find or interpret scientific information to affirm this pre-existing conclusion. Mainstream scientific organizations generally do not recognize creation science as a legitimate scientific discipline.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a private educational institution that offers courses on biology. In these courses, rather than teaching the widely accepted scientific theory of evolution, the curriculum focuses on presenting geological and biological observations as direct evidence for a recent, sudden creation event and a global flood, as described in certain religious texts. This institution might argue that the fossil record, for instance, is best explained by a catastrophic flood rather than millions of years of gradual change and speciation.

  This illustrates creation science because it involves interpreting scientific evidence (like the fossil record and geological formations) specifically to support a creationist narrative (a recent creation and global flood), rather than allowing the evidence to lead to conclusions through the established scientific method.

• Consider a group of individuals who publish articles and books claiming to use scientific data to demonstrate that the Earth is only a few thousand years old, despite overwhelming scientific consensus on its age being billions of years. They might selectively cite geological data or radiometric dating results, arguing that these can be reinterpreted to fit a young-Earth timeline, or that standard scientific dating methods are flawed in specific ways that align with their creationist beliefs.

  This exemplifies creation science because it involves taking scientific knowledge and arguments (geological data, radiometric dating) and reinterpreting or selectively using them to support a specific creationist belief (a young Earth), rather than engaging with the broader scientific understanding and methodology.

• Picture a public debate where a speaker argues against the scientific consensus on the origin of life. The speaker might present complex biological structures, such as the intricate machinery within a cell, and assert that their complexity is so profound that they could not have arisen through natural processes like evolution. Instead, the speaker concludes that these structures must have been designed by an intelligent creator, framing this conclusion as a scientific deduction based on the observed complexity.

  This demonstrates creation science because it uses scientific observations (the complexity of biological systems) and arguments (the perceived impossibility of natural origin) to support a creationist viewpoint (intelligent design by a creator), rather than proposing testable scientific hypotheses for this design or engaging with the scientific explanations for the development of complexity.