Proposition eighteen of John Walton’s The Lost World of Genesis One takes the stance that science education should be neutral when it comes to questions of purpose. A science course should by its very definition “discuss material origins from the perspective of a material ontology” and thus “there is no point at which the Genesis account becomes relevant, because Genesis does not concern material origins and does not have a material ontology” (p.152). What he does consider incompatible and in conflict are “biblical theology” and “metaphysical naturalism” to the extent that the latter is “committed to refusing any consideration of purpose (dysteleological)” (p.153).
Walton opposes the teaching of intelligent design in science classes not on a priori grounds, but because by its own admission it does not have an alternative theory of material origins to offer (pp.157-158). However, if one were to allow metaphysical naturalism to be taught in science classrooms, then that too would represent an inappropriate incursion of philosophy and matters of teleology into the science class (pp.159-160). Science ought to be allowed to pursue its aims using its own methods, without interference from those with particular religious or philosophical views who might seek to use or abuse science to justify and promote them.
This is the last of the “propositions” in the book. What follows are a summary and conclusion plus an FAQ. As this is in essence the “final chapter,” Walton appropriately reiterates one of his most important points: “For those concerned about the Bible and the integrity of their theology, the descriptive mechanisms that compose the evolutionary model need not be any more problematic for theology than the descriptive disciplines of meteorology or embryology. These descriptive mechanisms can operate within either a teleological or dysteleological system. If all parties were willing to agree to similar teleological neutrality in the classrooms dedicated to instruction in empirical science, the present conflict could move easily toward resolution” (p.158).
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