Evolution and Creationism should both be taught in public schools

I'd like to start by clearing up something from my last argument - I wasn't trying to call ID a whim of the public, only to say that if we apply the broader principle of deciding education based on the will of the electorate, the education system WOULD fall prey to whims. You make the argument that objective truth has changed over time, and you're correct. However, the present incarnation of science - which you seem to think is an acceptable way of seeking the truth - is a relatively recent phenomenon. Nothing is accepted in science today without evidence to back it up, and even then, there is usually more than one side to any given phenomenon. Education does and should seek to be about objective truth - it will never fully reach that goal, because it's impossible to be certain about anything, but it should continue to strive toward that goal. But I'd like to spend some time talking about the idea that science isn't pure in public education, and that it's not simply the pursuit of truth. I strongly disagree with this idea - every part of a science class's curriculum follows the same basic pattern - introduce a phenomenon and offer explanations for that phenomenon. The evidence, and any alternative scientific theories are always offered. At any given time, what's taught in science class reflects the most plausible explanation for a phenomenon given the evidence. I think it's ludicrous to place ID and evolution on equal footing when explaining the origins of the universe and of man. No matter what, you'll always have to make some leap of faith to the idea that God is involved in ID, because there's nothing that could possibly prove the existence of God, not to mention His involvement in creating the planet or the species. Scientifically, evolution is a legitimate and defensible theory, whereas ID is not at all. I suppose this debate really comes down to the goal of education though. I believe that if we truly want education to be the instillation of knowledge into our nation's youth, we need to teach evolution as the only current viable theory for the existence of man in science class. Students should certainly know of the existence of Creationism and ID, but students know that already - it's not complicated to communicate, and it gets a mention in most classrooms as an afterthought. But if we really want to instill knowledge into children, we can't compromise the very definition of science to play to a belief that has very little academic merit. Something like that is the province of parents, because at some point, it will require an article of faith to swallow - evolution requires no such faith. So I don't think it is wise at all to teach ID or Creationism in a science classroom. Let me close by talking about the Flying Spaghetti Monster (more information at http://www.venganza.org....) If, theoretically, enough people decided to hold the belief that the FSM created the universe, shouldn't we start teaching that as a theory in public schools? There's no scientific basis for it, but it's essentially the same idea as ID, just with a different Creator. I know it's an absurd example, but your argument does have the potential for absurd results.