Joshua Rosenau spends his days defending the teaching of evolution at 
Akron's Beacon Journal explains how the attacks on science by creationists are expanding to climate change and stem cells.
There's a lot that has to be unpacked about that, but one thing stands out: evolution, climate change and stem cells are not scientifically controversial. All exist, and are well-documented. Scientists discuss the details, but the basic understanding is consistent.
To mark these as "controversial issues" in a science class is to blur the distinction between scientific controversy and social controversy. The causes of the hump-shaped relationship between productivity and species diversity is a scientific controversy, as is the status of string theory. They are not societal controversies. The taxonomic status of Preble's jumping mouse is a scientific controversy that impinges on a societal controversy about the appropriate limits of development.
Evolution, climate change, and stem cells are not scientific controversies. Discussing them in that context is dishonest.
The goal is not to improve science teaching, but to obscure the religious objections to evolution by tossing in global warming. Not that that makes the purpose of teaching about creationism any less religious.If you haven't yet, write to the Ohio Board of Ed and tell them not to bother with this.
Comments
Thought you would enjoy this piece from Kung Fu Monkey:
"As one scientist I know put the discussion between evolution and ID -- "Its not science vs. faith. It's science vs. crap." One of the truly wonderful things about science is that it's open source -- no matter who you are, if you can back up your hypothesis with successful experimentation, you win. Simply put -- intelligent design is just not bad science, it's not even science.... The current argument about evolution is occurring only because ID proponents are taking advantage of the fact that most people don't know how the scientific method works. They are undermining the scientific method. To me, that's like selfishly breaking the tool that allows anyone with enough intelligence and resolve to change the world. I can see reasonable people disagreeing about abortion, God, gay marriage in society, the best anti-poverty initiatives, strategies and tactics in the GWoT -- but 2+2=4, and as soon as it doesn't, these people have destroyed something that most of us have no idea is so beyond price. And we will only miss it when it is too late."
Read the rest here: kfmoney.blogspot.com. It's worth it.
Posted by: ckreiz | September 8, 2006 1:06 PM