Dean H. Kenyon

Dean H. Kenyon (born c. 1939) is Professor Emeritus of Biology at San Francisco State University, a young Earth creationist, and one of the instigators of the intelligent design movement. He is the author of Biochemical Predestination. He became a creationist around 1976, and gave testimony defending creation science at the McLean v. Arkansas and Edwards v. Aguillard court cases. During the latter case, he co authored the creation science supplementary textbook Of Pandas and People. The case decision went against teaching creation science in public schools, and the authors then altered all references to creationism to refer to intelligent design before the book was published in 1989. He subsequently became a Fellow of the Discovery Institute, and continued to endorse young Earth creationism.

Kenyon was recruited as an expert in two notable cases about "creation science" during the 1980s.

Following the McLean ruling, which declared the teaching of "creation science" in public schools to be an unconstitutional establishment of religion, Louisiana's version of the "Equal Time" legislation was put to the test. This time, Wendell Bird was deputized by the state and ran the state's defense of the law. Dean Kenyon was advertised as the creationists' lead expert witness, however the case (which eventually became Edwards v. Aguillard when it reached the Supreme Court) was decided by summary judgment, and so never went to a full trial. Nevertheless, in written briefs and in his oral arguments, Bird relied heavily on an expert witness affidavit written by Kenyon. This affidavit is online at the TalkOrigins website. It was entered into evidence in the Kitzmiller case as evidence that Kenyon was explicitly defending "creation science"—and advocating that it be given equal time in public schools and textbooks as the "only" alternative to evolution—while at the same time working on a public school textbook, which eventually became the first "intelligent design" book, Of Pandas and People. In 1987, in Edwards v. Aguillard the Supreme Court heard a case concerning a Louisiana Law that required "creation science" be taught on an equal basis with evolution in public schools. Anti creationists argued that this was illegal on the basis that it violated the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution. Kenyon issued an affidavit in that case, stating his support for creationism, and defining it thus:

Creation science means origin through abrupt appearance in complex form, and includes biological creation, biochemical creation (or chemical creation), and cosmic creation. ( ) Creation science does not include as essential parts the concepts of catastrophism, a world wide flood, a recent inception of the earth or life, from nothingness (ex nihilo), the concept of kinds, or any concepts from Genesis or other religious texts.

During the Edwards v. Aguillard case, Kenyon was co authoring with Percival Davis, a creationist school textbook entitled Of Pandas and People, which was published in 1989. After the Edwards decision, all references to "creationism" were replaced with "intelligent design", with a reference to "creationists" being replaced by "design proponents". In the history of creationism, this is the origin of the term intelligent design and the link between creationism and intelligent design. He had been teaching creationism and intelligent design "for more than ten years," which received complaints from students and some faculty. Following the Chair's request, the faculty came out in support of Kenyon's academic freedom and ability to teach what he wanted without administration controlling topics. After a hearing, Kenyon "won the right to teach his iconoclastic view of the evolution of life." Kenyon claimed objections to his teaching rested on a positivist view of what constitutes legitimate science. Following the controversy, Kenyon entered talks with what became the Discovery Institute, including Stephen C. Meyer, Phillip E. Johnson, William Dembski and Michael Behe. The Institute is the driving force behind the intelligent design movement. In Winter 1996, Kenyon's co authored paper, "The RNA World: A Critique," appeared in Origins and Design, a now defunct creationist journal where he was on the Editorial Advisory Board. He continued publicly arguing in favor of creationism, notably at the 1998 International Conference on Creationism. Currently, Kenyon is a speaker, writer, and board member for the Kolbe Center, a Catholic YEC group. In 2008, Kenyon endorsed a young Earth creationist book promoted by the Center.

Kenyon DH, Steinman G. Biochemical Predestination. McGraw Hill Text (1969) Davis PW, Kenyon DH. Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins. Foundation for Thought & Ethics; 2nd edition (1993) Steinman G, Kenyon DH, Calvin M. The mechanism and protobiochemical relevance of dicyanamide medicated peptide synthesis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1966 Aug 24;124(2):339–50. Smith AE, Kenyon DH. Is life originating de novo? Perspect Biol Med. 1972 Summer;15(4):529–42. Smith AE, Kenyon DH. The origin of viruses from cellular genetic material. Enzymologia. 1972 Jul 31;43(1):13–18. Smith AE, Kenyon DH. A unifying concept of carcinogenesis and its therapeutic implications. Oncology. 1973;27(5):459–79. Smith AE, Kenyon DH. Acupuncture and A. T. P.: how they may be related. Am J Chin Med (Garden City). 1973 Jan;1(1):91–17. Kenyon DH. On terminology in origin of life studies. Orig Life. 1975 Jul;6(3):447–49. Nissenbaum A, Kenyon DH, Oro J. On the possible role of organic melanoidin polymers as matrices for prebiotic activity. J Mol Evol. 1975 Dec 29;6(4):253–70. Kenyon DH, Nissenbaum A. Melanoidin and aldocyanoin microspheres: implications for chemical evolution and early precambrian micropaleontology. J Mol Evol. 1976 Apr 9;7(3):245–51.