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Physicist claims faculty vetoes topic
An assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong criticised its science faculty on an RTHK radio programme about evolution this week for banning him from teaching intelligent design.
Physicist Chris Beling, who holds weekly secret meetings in his office to show students videos on the topic, is upset that the faculty threw out a course he developed on the origins of the universe and rejected prominent speakers he invited to talk about intelligent design.
Dr Beling spoke out on Thursday's Backchat programme ahead of a British Council-sponsored debate that evening about Charles Darwin's legacy on the 200th anniversary of his birth.
The radio show was supposed to feature his boss, HKU dean of science Sun Kwok, who took part in the evening debate at St John's Cathedral. owever, Professor Kwok withdrew from the programme 'Creationism versus Evolution' at the last minute after he was told it would take the form of a debate. He was one of five speakers invited.
A source close to the chat show said Professor Kwok pulled out when he learned Dr Beling was on the panel, adding there was a conflict between the two scientists. But Professor Kwok denied that was the reason, saying he withdrew from the programme when he was told it would take the form of a debate because he felt unqualified, as a physicist, to take part in one that required knowledge of biology.
'We heard on the last day that they were turning it into a debate and since I'm not a biologist, I felt it was not appropriate for me to be taking part in the debate,' he said. 'I'm not the right person.'
Backchat host Hugh Chiverton said: 'It happens that people make tentative plans to come on the programme and then change. Sometimes that's because of other people on the panel and they think the panel may be not balanced.'
Dr Beling took the opportunity to criticise HKU for refusing to allow him to teach intelligent design in class - a topic that has sparked controversy in the US and Britain.
Asked on the show whether he taught intelligent design, he said: 'I would like to, but unfortunately it's not something that I'm allowed to do. I tend to do what I'm meant to do and stay clear of that. I try to talk to students about it so that they can have an open mind - but such opportunities are not very common.'
Dr Beling said after the programme that the bar on him teaching intelligent design was not an overall policy of the university but was strongly upheld by the science faculty. 'It's more censuring or vetoing by my colleagues,' he said.
'Within the science faculty, it is absolutely established that there would be no teaching of intelligent design or even mention of it.' Dr Beling, who describes himself as a Christian, said he tried to set up a course in 2003 called Magnificent Universe: Chance or Design? - on the origin of the universe - but it was turned down by the faculty board. 'I only showed one video on intelligent design and that was enough to get the course cancelled,' he said.
Dr Beling said he used the 'secret meetings' in his office to show students documentaries on intelligent design produced by Michael Behe and by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards. All three are members of conservative US public policy think-tank the Discovery Institute, which promotes intelligent design and runs the Teach the Controversy campaign to get creationism into US public secondary school science courses.
'I have got to show them the data,' he said. 'I have got to show them what theories are being talked about. Each week I hold some video screenings in my office. I don't get many students, sometimes five or sometimes two. These are secret meetings I hold. But I am very sensitive to any degree of proselytising and I make that a very strict rule. I will not try to convert people to Christianity.
'I think the faculty should change their policy on intelligent design. They ought to welcome any scientists with good qualifications. I would also like to see more public debate and more open debate within the university on this issue.'
In 2003, Dr Beling tried to arrange a talk by Professor Behe in the science faculty but was turned down and in 2007 his request to invite Dr Gonzalez and Dr Richards, who were in Hong Kong for a church talk, was rejected by the dean.
Professor Kwok said: 'I don't think we have forbidden anything. But science is not about equal time. It is not about giving equal time to science and creationism or intelligent design.
'We don't at the same time say the earth is round but, by the other token, there is a large group of people who say the earth is flat. We are here to educate students. We are not a religious organisation,' he said.
RTHK Backchat Creationism Vs. Evolutionism 12/02/2009
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