Dull and non-controversial: That?s how bioethics pundit Art Caplan described the focus of a panel last night at the Philadelphia?s Franklin Institute titled ?Science, Faith and Darwin,? set to accompany their Darwin exhibit running through the end of December. Caplan meant to be wry, but with a panel (and seemingly an entire auditorium) full of folks in agreement, no sparks flew.

That?s not to say there wasn?t star power. Judge John E. Jones who presided over the Kitzmiller v. Dover case over the teaching of intelligent design in a Pennsylvania school district was present. (See below for some past commentary on the case.) Also present were Stephen Harvey and Eric Rothschild of the law firm Pepper Hamilton that won the case for the plaintiffs (?We put the ?win? in Darwin,? quipped Rothschild ). Not really rounding out the discussion were Michael Weisberg, a hi-fi-sci professor at UPenn with Caplan and Michael Shermer, executive director of the Skeptics Society.

Aside from some cute jokes, well trodden stories about Darwin?s beliefs, recounts of the Dover case, and some nervous discussion of how religion and science can coexist peaceably, much of what went on was an evolution love fest. A podcast of this event and previous Darwin related panels should soon be available from the FI website. A press officer for the museum told me that her attempt to round out the panel with Guy Consolmagno, an astronomer and Jesuit, didn?t pan out because he fell ill. It?s a shame there wasn't more counterargument. Ultimately we were left with possibly the most compelling thought of the night coming from Shermer who sided with a bumper sticker that defines the militant agnostic: ?I don?t know and you don?t either.?

I asked Judge Jones for his most vivid memory of the case. He judiciously responded that all the events were memorable. Some of my fond memories from the blog files follow:

Sept. 26, 05 ID in 30 minutes or less

Sept. 28, 05 ID crushes first amendment rights, again

Oct. 1, 05 End of week one

Oct. 6, 05 In Dover, what she said and what he wanted to say

Oct. 24, 05 The Dover downs

Oct. 27, 05 Terrorists, Pedophiles, and Darwin

Nov. 5, 05 The waiting game

Dec 20, 05 Judge Jones kicks ID out

Dec 21, 05 Discovery Institute?s silver lining