Skeptic Humor

Lesson Plan for Teaching Intelligent Design

By Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D.

Equipment Needed

Detailed models and/or pictures of:

• Human Eye
• Bird Wing
• Animal Cell
• Human Heart

Class Discussion

Teacher: "Lookee here, folks."

Point to the five models/pictures.

Teacher: "My, these are pretty complex, don'cha think? I mean, they're really, really complex. One might even say that they're so very very really extremely complex that they're, like, 'irreducibly complex', ya' know what I mean? Does anyone know what that term means ... 'irreducibly complex'?"

Wait up to 20 seconds while the class looks closely at their desks or pages slowly through their unread math notes, trying to find the answer.

Teacher: "What scientists mean by 'irreducibly complex' is that something like this eyeball here [point at model of human eye] is so complicated that it really needs all its parts to work right. What I mean is, well, if you take away any part — like the lens [point to lens] — the eyeball can't see. It's kinda like when you take a carburetor out of an engine, the engine can't work anymore. Right? Understand?"

Wait 20 seconds in order to give the class time to see if they understand and also to check any e-mails or text messages they may have received during the last few minutes.

Teacher: "Can anyone give me another example of something that is 'irreducibly complex'?"

Choose the first person who accidentally glances your way.

Teacher: "How about you? Can you think of another example of something that is 'irreducibly complex'?"

Student: "No, I don't know anything else that is "irregardlessly convex'."

Encourage the student to think more about the question with humor.

Teacher (while smiling): "If you can't think of even one example, maybe you really did descend from apes."

Wait for class to laugh. When this doesn't happen, laugh for them.

Teacher: "Ha, ha! Come on, just one example....

Student: "Baseballs?"

Teacher: "What?"

Student: "Uh ... socks?"

Teacher: "Well, maybe if they're really expensive socks or something. But lookee here..."

Point to model/picture of wing.

Teacher: "and here ..."

Point to model/picture of animal cell.

Teacher: "and here ..."

Point to model/picture of human heart.

Teacher: "Are these all examples of things that are irreducibly complex?"

Class probably will sit in stunned silence, or perhaps they're just listening to their irreducibly complex I-Pods. When someone nods her or his head, continue.

Teacher: "I really can't figure out how these really really complicated things could have evolved by natural selection or any other random biological process, can you?"

Wait 20 seconds while the class stares with eyes glazed over from considering all the complexity at the front of the room. Then describe in detail the scientific evidence supporting the theory of intelligent design.

Teacher: "Well, if this stuff is so really really very extremely complex that we can't imagine how a natural process could have produced them, then some super-duper-intelligent "Something" [include air-quotes] must have designed them. Does that make sense? Any questions?"

Wait up to 20 seconds while the class shifts uncomfortably in their seats and a girl in the back row answers her cell phone.

Teacher: "Now, let's look at the other side of this controversy. Atheistic biologists and other haters of the Holy Designer, claim that "natural selection"— or, as some have called it, "unnatural satanation" — cause the gradual evolution of all this [point at the models/pictures]."

Spend the rest of the semester/quarter discussing evolutionary biology.