creationism had no scientific basis. In September 2008, his views were presented in some media reports as lending support to teaching creationism as a legitimate point of view; however both he and the Royal Society later stated that this was a misrepresentation. Reiss stressed that the topic should not be taught as science, but rather should be construed as a cultural "Worldview." Reiss argued that it was more effective to engage with pupils' ideas about creationism, rather than to obstruct discussion with those who do not accept the scientific version of the evolution of species. In July 2009, he led a number of the UK's most senior scientists in writing to the Schools Secretary Ed Balls to complain that Ofsted's proposed new curriculum for primary schools did not mention evolution. In 2010 Reiss debated Michael Behe on the topic of Intelligent Design. References External links https://web.archive.org/web/20170523121822/http://reiss.tc/ Institute of Education web page Prof Michael Reiss at IRIS UCL 1960 births Living people 20th-century British biologists 21st-century British biologists English Jews 20th-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English Anglican priests Schoolteachers from Cambridgeshire Bioethicists People educated at Westminster School, London Converts to Anglicanism from atheism or agnosticism Academics of the UCL Institute of Education Fellows of the Royal Society of Biology British male journalists Academics of the University of Cambridge Theistic evolutionists