The Texas Board of Education voted Thursday to drop a 20-year old state requirement that high school science teachers cover “strengths and weaknesses” in the theory of evolution. The vote is being characterized as a major defeat for social conservatives and sharply divided the Board.
“Under the science curriculum standards recommended by a panel of science educators and tentatively adopted by the board, biology teachers and biology textbooks would no longer have to cover the ‘strengths and weaknesses’ of Charles Darwin’s theory that man evolved from lower forms of life,” the Dallas Morning News reports.
A panel of science teachers had recommended that the “strengths and weaknesses” language be dropped. Critics had argued that the word weaknesses “has become a code word in the culture wars to attack evolution and promote creationism.” The Texas science standards have ripple effects from coast-to-cost, influencing how textbook publishers publishers handle the topic, since the Lone Star state is the largest statewide textbook adoption state.
Thories change with time. Faults are found and corrected. Darwin put his tree in the center of his universe when it may be more of a spider web. This is censorship, pure and simple.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/4312355/Charles-Darwins-tree-of-life-is-wrong-and-misleading-claim-scientists.html
Comment by tm willemse — January 23, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
Update: Texas State Board of Education Votes To Require Students to Analyze and Evaluate Evolution
http://www.discovery.org/a/8881
Comment by tm willemse — January 23, 2009 @ 1:45 pm
TX students are now to “analyze and evaluate evolution?” Great idea! I also think that they should analyze and evaluate other scientific theories! We could start them with atomic theory, plate tectonics, the existence of dark matter, and that edgy idea, chemical bonds.
Comment by Dan Willingham — January 23, 2009 @ 2:41 pm
TO Dan Willingham,
Students should evaluate atomic structure, plate tectonics, and other scientific discoveries. They are great examples of our culural heritage; studying them help develop critical thinking.
Comment by Tim — January 23, 2009 @ 5:32 pm
Of course, reputable science should be taught in classrooms. I find it odd that some people are still so frightened by the reality of evolution.
Comment by libhomo — January 23, 2009 @ 8:53 pm
I think Dan Willingham’s point is that high school students are no more, and no less, capable of evaluating evolution than they are of evaluating plate tectonics or quantum mechanics.
Comment by Rachel — January 24, 2009 @ 4:01 am
Rachel got it right regarding Dan Willingham but Texas has it wrong on science.
When are policy makers from states like Texas and Louisiana going to join the rest of the country in its entry into twenty first century academia?
The Texas vote in March currently stands at eight votes to seven in favor of science. Anything could happen between now and this vote and these kids could become doomed to (someone’s) religious dogma.
To exacerbate the situation further; major textbook publishers will be printing their texts based on the Texas vote. If Texas votes against evolution in favor of creationism or intelligent (PLEASE!) design other states could find themselves locked into the Texas mindset if they opt for the same book.
Is it any wonder our kids have difficulty competing with the students of other industrialized nations in math or science? Heck, people in this country can’t even decide whether to teach science or religion.
Comment by Paul Hoss — January 24, 2009 @ 12:35 pm