But does this mean that all scientists and all students and all teachers must be learning and teaching evolution? Why is evolution the primary discipline and not some other scientific discipline?
There is no "primary discipline".** No one doing science suggests that science is "all biology, all the time". The only reason discussions like this, and boards like this, exist is the attempt of the religious to force their religion into
that field. The public prominence of evolutionary theory is a creation of the creationists. If there were no creationists, evolution would just be another quiet part of the scientific spectrum.
The whole public "controversy" is manufactured. It could just as easily be about some other subset of science but for the fact that most of science is not perceived as threatening to religious fundamentalists. I must say, though, that this is not true of the leadership of the ID movement. Their literature (ie. wedge document) make it clear that their goal is to suborn all of science to their theology.
this kind of sounds like people are forced to learn/teach evolution though... isnt' there something in the USA's constitution that promotes freedom of belief?
Personal belief has nothing to do with public policy. People are free to believe what they wish. They are not free to misrepresent that belief as something it is not. I might believe that peanuts are fruit, but i cannot sell "all fruit jelly" with peanuts in it at the supermarket. This whole controversy is just purely and simply about religious people lying about science. Lying. Period. Once you understand that, you will understand why so many religious believers hold IDists in contempt.
Im not trying to argue here, but im still trying to understand how the 'study of nature' is not considered scientific. (Keeping in mind that i've never read any ID literature, so i dont really know exactly what they say)
Because they are not "studying" nature. Looking at a sunset and saying things about it is not "studying" it in the scientific sense. This is a labeling issue. If looking at sunsets and flagella make you think about God, fine. Write a book, get it taught in literature class. But it's not science.
Capt.
** - Well, OK, physics.