Abstract
Proponents of the Intelligent Design Movement identify themselves principally as scientific thinkers working to remove philosophical bias from modern science, especially evolutionary biology. A review of their popular literature, focusing on that of Phillip Johnson, shows that their arguments rest heavily upon historical, not scientific critiques. They are less concerned with science itself than they are with the impact of science on culture. They enter the debate with desired cultural norms pre-selected as the conclusions of their arguments. They therefore write about the secularization of the West and in doing so betray a polemical and apologetic rationale underlying their critique of Darwinian evolutionary theory.