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| This image depicts that politics and science just don't mix |
Anti-evolution activism is becoming more and more apparent in states across the U.S. Last week, Tennessee and Oklahoma General assemblies both created bills which had anti-evolution overtones in them. In Tennessee, they passed a bill (SB 893) which states that teachers can't get in trouble for pointing out weaknesses in scientific theories such as evolution and global warming. The bill also requires that school officials help teachers in finding "effective ways to present science curriculum as it addresses scientific controversies." The Oklahoma bill goes even further than that, stating that biological evolution is scientifically controversial. The bills have not yet become laws in their states but they are similar to Louisiana's Science Education Act of 2008, which allows local school boards to approve supplemental classroom materials specifically for the critique of scientific theories (with an emphasis on evolution and global warming). Many other states, such as Missouri and New Hampshire, have considered bills which hinder science education in public schools.
It used to be common that people who didn't believe in Darwinism and evolution made it illegal to teach it in schools. But nowadays, with the mounting empirical evidence, it has been allowed and teaching intelligent design has been limited to only being taught in history, philosophy, and theological curriculums. But now, opponents to Darwinisms have evolved, much like life itself and they are coming up with new "adaptations" to overcome their obstacles-the bills mentioned above. They are masking their defense as "academic freedom" in these bills. But these bills don't encourage correct scientific evidence-based debate, they just create controversy.
Supporters of these bills believe that they will encourage students to challenge current scientific thought and allow for teachers to answer the student's questions regardless of their own beliefs. But is this really necessary? It seems to me that these bills are only forcing politics into classrooms and making the students more confused on a subject that is already complex and multi-faceted. Also, wasn't this issue settled decades ago? Do we really need to go back to the Scopes trial? Why are we moving backwards on this issue? The longer that we continue to bicker over these laws, the worse off the students will be. I think its important that both sides come to an agreement soon, for the sake of education.
- Rachael Morris
- Rachael Morris
Wow, I find this actually very surprising. It's a damn shame too, since this is a step backward more than anything else.
ReplyDeleteVery unfortunate that we live in a country where there's already an enormous percentage of the population that is clueless as to how evolution actually works, and that laws are being passed to prevent this ignorance from being rectified.