Krugman's Opinion on Intelligent Design

Paul Krugman had a few things to say about Intelligent Design in a recent NYTimes op-ed. Most of his op-eds are about economics. It was fun to see this one about ID. I include a snippet below along with a repost of the article located in a place where the NYTimes cannot take it away.

NYTimes: Design for Confusion (by Paul Krugman)

Which brings us, finally, to intelligent design. Some of America's
most powerful politicians have a deep hatred for Darwinism. Tom
DeLay, the House majority leader, blamed the theory of evolution for
the Columbine school shootings. But sheer political power hasn't
been enough to get creationism into the school curriculum. The
theory of evolution has overwhelming scientific support, and the
country isn't ready - yet - to teach religious doctrine in public
schools.

But what if creationists do to evolutionary theory what corporate
interests did to global warming: create a widespread impression that
the scientific consensus has shaky foundations?

Creationists failed when they pretended to be engaged in science,
not religious indoctrination: "creation science" was too crude to
fool anyone. But intelligent design, which spreads doubt about
evolution without being too overtly religious, may succeed where
creation science failed.

The important thing to remember is that like supply-side economics
or global-warming skepticism, intelligent design doesn't have to
attract significant support from actual researchers to be effective.
All it has to do is create confusion, to make it seem as if there
really is a controversy about the validity of evolutionary theory.
That, together with the political muscle of the religious right, may
be enough to start a process that ends with banishing Darwin from
the classroom.

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