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Missouri politicians against science

• Miseducation

Pedagogical proposal in Missouri:

New textbooks would have to label evolution as a theory that cannot be proved. A teacher, principal or superintendent could be fired for deliberately ignoring these requirements. ...

The bill could have a huge impact on the teaching of science, said Tom Cradick, a biology teacher at Parkway North High who has taught for 28 years and was 2001 Missouri Outstanding Biology Teacher. For instance, after science standards were changed in Kansas, a physics teacher was not allowed to teach the big-bang theory. A chemistry teacher could not teach the periodic table. ...

Cradick noted that the provisions of the bill would apply to physics, chemistry, biology, health, physiology, genetics, astronomy, cosmology, geology, paleontology, anthropology, ecology, climatology or other science topics. ...

"We are not defining who intelligence is," said White, a Boeing engineer who lives in St. Charles. "If you are Christian, you may say God. If you are an atheist, you may say it was an extraterrestrial intelligent cosmic being."

Or we could say the Designer had yen to design unintelligent life.

Carolyn Bower, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bill defines how to teach life's origins

Richard Evans Lee
January 23, 2004 •
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Sounds to me like a good idea as it does introduce the topic of the big bang theory, but seeing how it has not been proven it states that. Instead of just saying the big bang theory is what happened, it leaves it as a unproven theory which is just what it is. I support this as a fellow Missourian.

Posted by: Kolby K. | January 25, 2004 2:02 PM

Evolution is a fact. It has been observed in the modern world and the fossil record. We have theories to explain its mechanisms in order to explain how the natural world came to be like it is and to try to predict what will happen in the future. An understanding of evolution is essential to anyone working in the life sciences field. Gravity is a fact. We have various theories explaining how it works and how strong it is. But they are all just theories and they cannot be proven. Einstein said that it was caused by curvature in space, but you cannot see curvature in space. Quantum mechanics says that gravity is transmitted by particles, called gravitons. No graviton has ever been detected. It's all just theory. But to claim that gravity doesn't exist because we cannot prove any theory about its mechanism of action or even predict its force with 100% accuracy would be sheer folly. Yet that is the argument that creationists use. We have various theories of electricity. They are all based on the flow of electrons. No one has ever seen an electron or ever will. If this leads you to believe that electricy doesn't exist, go stick your finger in a light socket. That will convice you pretty fast. Theories are all we have to explain the workings of the universe. They are an important part of science and belong in our textbooks. Creationism or its pseudonym, "Intelligent Design" is not a theory or even rational. It is mythology. A myth that states that the universe suddenly popped into existance through magic power does not belong in a science book. The whole argument is "I don't understand the mechanism, therefore it must be devine magic." Keep religion out of our science books.

Posted by: Badguy | January 25, 2004 5:23 PM

I disagree Evolution is not a fact. Natural selection is a fact but this does not prove evolution. There is a whole lot of doctrine that one must swallow before they will believe that mechanisms like eyes and hearts evolved from a one celled organism. This is something that we do not see today and something that the fossil record only indicates if you "interpret" it in just the right way. Creationism isn't a fact either and there is no science whatsoever behind it. Why not present both of the theories in equal light with equal detail and let the children decide based on their upbringing and personal beliefs. By the way, what the heck is wrong with the periodic table?

Posted by: xingyifa | February 6, 2004 7:47 AM

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My thanks,
Richard

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