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Jhud -> RE: Denying evolution - couple of curiousities (4/15/2008 10:26:03 AM)
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quote:
Well, I rather like Ken Miller's idea about text book warning labels. When the Kansas school board decided to put warning labels on their science textbooks that read something to the effect of 'Evolution is just a theory, and its probably not true, its for godless heathens, blah blah blah', Ken said the warning labels didn't go far enough. In his eyes, those warning labels told kids that we are absolutely certain about everything else in that book, except evolution. His warning label would have told kids to treat everything in the science book with skepticism and open-mindedness.
I'm all for introducing skepticism and critical thinking into the classroom... but that still doesn't mean ID or creationism have a place there.
See, it's things like this that make realize that evolutionists either don't know what they are talking about, or just make things up and believe them.
The 'warning labels' as you call them were a sticker put on biology text books by the Alabama State Board of Education. The final form read as follows:
The following position statement regarding scientific theories is included in this document. The word "theory" has many meanings. Theories are defined as systematically organized knowledge, abstract reasoning, speculative ideas or plans, or systematic statements of principles. Scientific theories are based on both observations of and assumptions about the natural world. They are always subject to change in view of new and confirmed observations.
Many scientific theories have been developed over time. The value of scientific work, however, is not only the development of theories but also what is learned from the development process. The Alabama Course of Study: Science was developed within the context of trying to establish scientific literacy, not to question or diminish one's beliefs and/or faith. To that end, this document includes many theories and studies of scientists' works for examination by students. The works of Copernicus, Newton, and Einstein, to name a few, have provided a basis for much of our knowledge of the world today.
The theory of evolution by natural selection, a theory included in this document, states that natural selection provides the basis for the modern scientific explanation for the diversity of living things. Since natural selection has been observed to play a role in influencing small changes in a population, it is assumed, based on the study of artifacts, that it produces large changes, even though this has not been directly observed. Because of its importance and implications, students should understand the nature of evolutionary theories. They should learn to make distinctions between the multiple meanings of evolution, to distinguish between observations and assumptions used to draw conclusions, and to wrestle with the unanswered questions and unresolved problems still faced by evolutionary theory.
There are many unanswered questions about the origin of life. With the explosion of new scientific knowledge in biochemical and molecular biology and exciting new fossil discoveries, Alabama students may be among those who use their understanding and skills to contribute to knowledge and to answer many unanswered questions. Instructional materials chosen to implement the content standards within this course of study should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.
Nothing in there about evolution being 'probably not true' or the 'its for godless heathen' etc.
So your factually wrong mischaracterization of what happened bears no resemblance to the reality of the matter, and you should really spend a little time investigating statements before you make them.
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