Seth Cooper

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Discovery Institute Weighs In

Seth Cooper
April 6, 2010
Dear Editor, Abraham Lincoln is often credited for the old maxim that “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” If this statement is true then matters do not sit well for a few of the more extreme Darwinists who have made some ill-informed and irresponsible claims about the proposed science policy at issue before the Darby School Board. Fortunately, the word is getting out about what the policy actually says about teaching evolution. And the record is now being set straight: the Darby proposal is a modest compromise. It is perfectly constitutional for students to learn scientific critiques of scientific theories. Contrary to some claims, the proposed policy before the Darby …

A Textbook Case of Judicial Activism

How a Pro-ID Publisher Was Denied its Day in Court
Seth Cooper
August 22, 2006
The topic of teaching evolution in public schools continues its hold on national attention with the recent Kansas Board of Education elections. But for most of 2006, the discussion about the controversy surrounding Darwin’s theory has focused upon the intelligent design (ID) case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Board. Kitzmiller has become one of the most widely discussed court cases in recent memory. Yet, few are aware of the many troubling factual, procedural and legal problems leading to the verdict by federal trial Judge John Jones III. Judge Jones’s ruling on the school dispute in a small Pennsylvania township and the contents of a pro-ID textbook has no value as precedent beyond the parties to the lawsuit. Neither party appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third …

Teaching About Evolution in the Public Schools

A Short Summary of the Law
David K. DeWolf and Seth Cooper
June 20, 2006
A new approach to teaching about evolution has been developed to meet the test of good science and satisfy the courts’ standards of constitutionality. "Teach the controversy" is tje idea is to use scientific disagreements over evolution to help students learn more about evolution, and about how science deals with controversy.

Media Backgrounder on Selman Sticker Case Regarding Evolution Disclaimer in Biology Textbooks

Seth Cooper
November 8, 2004
This week a U.S. District Court in Atlanta will hold a trial on the constitutionality of a textbook sticker placed in public school biology textbooks. The ACLU is suing the Cobb County School District after the school board chose to adopt a textbooks sticker reading: “This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.” The bench trial, which will be presided over by Judge Clarence Cooper, could last as long as one week. Georgia Resources Page PRESS RELEASE: Georgia Scientists File Legal Brief in Evolution Lawsuit, Defend Open-Minded Approach to Teaching Evolution What is at Issue in the …

Discerning Truth

Iraq War and How Moral Ideas Affect Policy
Seth Cooper
October 7, 2002
Last Friday morning, Dr. George Weigel, a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, gave a lecture entitled “Morality, Just War Doctrine, and Iraq” before the Discovery Institute, here in Seattle. The presentation was as fascinating as it was timely. Weigel began by quickly dispensing with the idea that moral and theological ideas should not receive consideration in policy decisions that concern war and international conflict. He proceeded with a brief discussion of the origins of Just War Theory, a set of principles that provides a framework or calculus for ascertaining whether the use of armed force is justified in a given context. Weigel elaborated upon the often neglected but clearly discernable difference between bellum and duellum. Bellum involves the use …