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Posted on: April 29, 2008 8:58 AM, by Greg Laden
The Louisiana Senate Bill SB 561 has been renamed as SB 733 and HB 1168 are the Academic Freedom Act bills in the Louisiana State Legislature.
The Louisiana Senate appears to have passed their version of the bill with 35 votes in favor, zero opposed and 4 absent.
Life Science
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Comments
Louisiana politics is always like this - one step forward, three steps to the left, and two steps back. Not quite a waltz. On the one hand you have places like the Pennington BioMedical Research Center, or the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices; on the other you have teachers being required to teach critiques of physics. Of course, I should know better then to expect greatness from my home, since Baton Rouge also hosts 600 flags over Jesus.
Posted by: Philip H. | April 29, 2008 9:21 AM
Wow, 35 to zero as the bill passed...The Bill would allow students to be more critical of evolution and other issues such as climate change. To what degree, only time will tell. Maybe the school should have a space program, teaching the kids to collect raw material such as helium3 on the moon, and maybe one of the kids could invent a nice huge reactor for it in order to solve the annoying energy and food crisis which affects mostly everyone. I have big plans for these kids, no more thinking about 100 years into 21st century, it can be accomplished sooner rather than later. Well, it was just an idea anyway...
Posted by: Michael | April 30, 2008 3:55 AM
Hmmm... I read the text of the bill and believe (pesky faith!) that it has much potential to backfire in Louisiana's face.
It will provide a legal basis for those teaching evolutionary theory to challenge ID. It will provide protection to teachers who feel coerced into teaching ID. At least, in my reading of the bill.
The thing that ID proponents don't understand is that critical analysis is *welcomed* by science. And so, any law that supports critical debate is going to support the scientific method.
It's sad that their ignorance of the underpinnings of science is so profound. At the same time, it may work to the advantage of reason, logic and critical thinking.
One can only have, eh, faith.... ;)
Posted by: pxcampbell | April 30, 2008 11:04 AM