The Limits of Dissensus: The Case of “Intelligent Design”
Although dissensus is a natural component of argumentation and testimony, there are limits as to what can be considered acceptable contrarian or arguments. In science, dissenting arguments are limited by the extent of their fidelity to known facts and theories. Dissensus is therefore limited by how consistent a new theory or hypothesis is with an established body of knowledge, as well as other criteria any good theory must meet. In the case of the so-called “intelligent design” controversy, the supposed “dissensus” is really an attempt at imposing inappropriate forms of argument. Using this case study as an example, questions on what are the limits of dissensus will be raised and examined.
An Intelligent Person's Guide to Intelligent Design Theory
The public debates surrounding the legitimacy of Intelligent Design Theory (IDT), popularly known as "Creationism," have been so far limited to the United States. However, this is not because America uniquely suffers from antiscientific backlash. This backlash is now fairly widespread in the Western world, but usually it is driven by eco-warriors who nevertheless share the Creationists' holistic orientation to nature. In fact, the controversial status of IDT has very little to do with the relationship between science and religion, which, after all, has been largely symbiotic in human history. Rather, it relates to the contingencies of America's birth and the perverse twist that its founding myth has taken in the development of the nation's legal system and political culture. The religious persecution endured by the early English-speaking settlers provided the background against which the much-vaunted separation of church and state became the core of the Constitution's protection of civil liberties, especially freedom of expression. The exclusion of religion from public school instruction was supposed to allow students the space to develop their own views without pressure to conform to a particular faith. Of course, in practice, one creed was given precedence, namely, belief in the United States itself, which remains emblazoned in the minds of all Americans over 30 as the "Pledge of Allegiance" that used to be recited at the start of each school day. The idea of America as a secular faith became especially important in the second half of the nineteenth century, as waves of immigrants from outside northern Europe flowed into the country. In this context, religious difference was no longer seen as something the law should protect; rather, it became a potential source of divisiveness that demanded, in turn, an ideology that would enable Americans to transcend, if not eliminate, their religious differences in forging a world-class nation. This "melting pot" turned out to be mandatory edu-
THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND COLONIALISM: REASONS FOR AFRICA’S UNDERDEVELOPMENT?
It is probably an understatement to assert that Africa, the world’s second largest continent, is underdeveloped compared with other continents. Two major exogenous factors often cited for Africa’s development crisis are the so called ‘dual historical injustices’ – the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism. It is often pointed out that while the former almost completely arrested and retarded Africa’s demographical growth for more than three centuries, evoked a perennial state of acrimony and warfare and created a tense and unprecedented atmosphere of insecurity which hindered economic activities and stifled local entrepreneurship and technological drive and dislocated Africa’s socio-economic and political structures and institutions; the latter tied African countries to the apron strings of western imperial powers thereby rendering the pre-conditions necessary for socio-economic and political transformation unachievable. This paper contends that while the history of Africa’s underdevelopment may be traceable to the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism, African leaders had made enormous contributions to the continent’s underdevelopment and backwardness. The paper concludes that irresponsible and irresponsive leadership, vampirism and prodigality, corruption, lack of respect for democratic ideals, insecurity, endemic civil wars, nepotism, etc are the fundamental causes of Africa’s underdevelopment.