Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaften und öffentliche Angelegenheiten
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Abstrakt

Free Exercise of Religion and Science Policy: A New Look on Creationism in Europe

Marcin Krasnodebski

The present paper draws attention to the major differences in legal frameworks addressing the problem of creationism in Europe and in the United States. Although it may seem that European and US solutions share multiple similarities, after the close analysis we realize that the policy justification methods at the old and at the new continent are built on two different philosophies. The first one, legal, is inspired by the concept of the Wall of separation between church and state. The second one, epistemological, is based on the reflection in philosophy of science. In the long run, these two approaches may bring us to astoundingly different policy choices. This perspective article hopes to provide a strong conceptual foundation for policymakers having to deal with the problem of creationism as well as to invite researchers to more interdisciplinary studies about the place of ‘epistemic minorities’ in our society.