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The testimony of Kevin Padian in Kitzmiller v. Dover

This is easily the most thorough presentation of paleontological evidence for evolution by natural selection and the most damning collection of evidence against intelligent design that I have ever encountered. I would, in fact, go so far as to describe it as beautiful. Two shortcomings of this biology lesson, however, are that much of the testimony and questioning are guided by the overarching issue of whether intelligent design should be mentioned to school children in Dover, Pennsylvania; and, second, that the attorney examining Dr. Padian (on the anti-ID plaintiff’s side) consistently harps on whether this or that idea is published in peer-reviewed journals and is accepted by the majority of scientists. While his goal is, understandably, to establish that children need to receive an education that is supported by the scientific community and by the colleges they will be applying to, my contrarian mind has to make note that wide acceptance doesn’t make something fact. Thorough and irrefutable evidence does, and that is what Kevin Padian presents masterfully.