A Philosophy of Humanism Symposium Event
Title of Presentation: Questioning Parental Rights: Intelligent Design Creationism in Canada
Presentation Summary: Intelligent Design Creationism (IDC) is the belief that the development of life can be better attributed to an intelligent cause rather than to evolutionary processes. In this presentation Christine will trace the origins of the IDC movement from the U.S. and discuss its manifestation in Canada, focusing on the case of Morinville, Alberta. She will argue that the discourse of parental rights needs to shift toward a greater acknowledgment of the rights of children.
Biography: Christine Shellska is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Communication and Culture, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Calgary, Canada. Her research involves studying the rhetorical strategies employed by the Intelligent Design Creationism movement. Among other involvement in the secular community, she is a Secular Humanist Liaison at the Faith and Spirituality Centre at the University of Calgary, a member of the Board of Directors and Secular World representative for Atheist Alliance International, and a regular co-host on the Calgary-based Legion of Reason podcast.