Evolution and Creationism

Dave Milovich argues that since the purpose of biology classes is not to train biologists, students should learn about unscientific theories on biological issues. Unlike most liberals, I don't have a constitution-based problem with minimalist inclusion of intelligent design or similar ideas somewhere in the curriculum. Enough people believe in them that a well-rounded person should at least know what they are, and I don't think students who don't will be adversely affected from learning about the beliefs of their peers in an appropriate setting. However, I think Dave's argument is weak in that he doesn't actually say what he sees as the purpose of a high school biology class and consequently where the setting is, in fact, appropriate. The analogy with learning different theories of history breaks down at the level of methodology. You can come to different views of history by applying historical methods, but creationism is solely a faith-based religious perspective which lies firmly outside the scientific method, which is based on testing hypotheses via empirical observation. Class time dedicated to science should be used for science, an area in which American high school students have not recently excelled. Learning the basics of this field which defines so much of our modern era is important even for those who don't pursue it as a career.

UPDATE: Dave responds here.