Perfect Castaway Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Science-C...Evolution-.html I'm going to be watching this one closely. I have 2 kids who will be entering the public school system in Texas and one of them starts this year. Hopefully we don't take a step backwards... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Critical debate of scientific theories is part of the process of the advancement of knowledge. Co-opting the process with arguments that do not rise to the standards of the scientific method, however, is an impediment to the advancement of knowledge. We'll see whether the legislators are interested in prograss... "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old dead things Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 If passed, I wonder if the teachers will need to be certified in theology too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texaswoodie Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 To not be able to question something that has not been proven is totalitarianism and an impediment to learning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 If passed, I wonder if the teachers will need to be certified in theology too. Only if they don't want to be burned at the stake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Maybe I am reading one of the statements here incorrectly, but just in case, I need to clarify that Evolution has been proven beyond any doubt, the question remaining is exactly how (by what biological/environmental mechanism) it happens. There is more than enough proof that it happens, that organisms have changed over time so that they no longer are the same species as their ancestors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Live blogging of the vote can be found at The Texas Freedom Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfect Castaway Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 To not be able to question something that has not been proven is totalitarianism and an impediment to learning. Do they raise doubts in public schools about the atomic theory of matter? That's still a theory and hasn't been proven yet it is never treated as anything other than fact in school text books. The method by which evolution occurs is still debatable, some people think natural selection is not a sufficient catalyst for change, but are we really still debating whether evolution itself occurs? The case for evolution is so much stronger than most people realize. As has been said before, nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. Coming from a strict christian upbringing I understand that this is a very sensitive topic and even here maybe I shouldn't rock the boat. If it passes I'll be sure to let my kids know that there is no debate at all in the scientific community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 To not be able to question something that has not been proven is totalitarianism and an impediment to learning. ^^Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach_the_Controversy To include language that would allow primitive mythology to be taught as science is dogma. Make no mistake about it, the State Board of Education chairman Don McLeroy is a Young Earth Creationist(as is half of the board). His view is grounded in dogma, and has no relation to reality. He is convinced that the Earth is 6000 years old, and that specie are stable and unchanging since that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 ...some people think natural selection is not a sufficient catalyst for change... It's not. The beauty of the double helix is that it combines in uncountable ways; only those combinations that offer a survival/reproductive advantage under the current conditions can persist. As conditions change, so do the criteria for competitive survival (and conditions are under continuous change; from both inorganic forces and from life's impact itself). Life persists because it can. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Critical debate of scientific theories is part of the process of the advancement of knowledge.Co-opting the process with arguments that do not rise to the standards of the scientific method, however, is an impediment to the advancement of knowledge. We'll see whether the legislators are interested in prograss... Hear, Hear! Well said Auspex. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I have been a Ph.D. scientist for almost 16 years and I have never once in my career, at least to my knowledge, met another Ph.D. scientist who did not believe in evolution. Even Pope John Paul II, a pretty conservative guy, said that evolution is not inconsistent with biblical teachings. I'm sorry if I offend anyone here but I have very little tolerance for people who believe that the world is a little over 6000 years old. Believe it if you want but don't try to make my kids learn that BS in school! I have been watching evolution take place in my lab. I work on a yeast that has a pretty fluid genome. Random genomic arrangement has allowed this yeast overexpress a protein that makes it resistant to a brand new class of antimicrobials. Ten years ago we could not find a single yeast isolate, out of thousands tested, that showed resistance. I now have a 4-5% resistance rate in the population I am studying. That's evolution at a pretty quick rate. I'd go on about outward clonal expansion of populations and genome fluidity but I would bore everyone to tears. If you believe everything you read, perhaps it's time for you to stop reading... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 27, 2009 TFN President Kathy Miller: Texas State Board of Education Adopts Flawed Science Standards The word “weaknesses” no longer appears in the science standards. But the document still has plenty of potential footholds for creationist attacks on evolution to make their way into Texas classrooms. Through a series of contradictory and convoluted amendments, the board crafted a road map that creationists will use to pressure publishers into putting phony arguments attacking established science into textbooks. We appreciate that the politicians on the board seek compromise, but don’t agree that compromises can be made on established mainstream science or on honest education policy. What’s truly unfortunate is that we now have to revisit this entire debate in two years when new science textbooks are adopted. Perhaps the Texas legislature can do something to prevent that. ### The Texas Freedom Network is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization of religious and community leaders who advance a mainstream agenda supporting public education, religious freedom and individual liberties. http://tfnblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/sc...-hits-in-texas/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 27, 2009 TFN President Kathy Miller: Texas State Board of Education Adopts Flawed Science Standards The word “weaknesses” no longer appears in the science standards. But the document still has plenty of potential footholds for creationist attacks on evolution to make their way into Texas classrooms. Through a series of contradictory and convoluted amendments, the board crafted a road map that creationists will use to pressure publishers into putting phony arguments attacking established science into textbooks. We appreciate that the politicians on the board seek compromise, but don’t agree that compromises can be made on established mainstream science or on honest education policy. What’s truly unfortunate is that we now have to revisit this entire debate in two years when new science textbooks are adopted. Perhaps the Texas legislature can do something to prevent that. As long as the FSM goes into the new texts, I'm good. If you believe everything you read, perhaps it's time for you to stop reading... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 ^^RAmen brother, may you be bless by His Noodley Appendages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Perhaps Don McLeroy should relocate to Kansas where the air is oooh so more affiable to flights of fancy! Hawkeye, you beat me to it on the Pope. Been through this too many times.... Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I hate to tell all of you this but they have been teaching creationism for years on the sly in Texas schools. I distinctly remember my 8th grade Science teacher telling me that Darwins theory of evolution were a load of snarge. She then went on to tell us how the lord created everything with Adam and Eve so therefore the world was still very young. This was back in 1988 at Grapevine/ Colleyville ISD. My daughter just came home today and told me a similar story about the evolution of the earth. The poor child was so upset because her teacher told her all the fossils she has been collecting lately are just a few thousand yrs old. Cierra new better than that and when she tried to enter into a discussion about it with her teacher she was threatened with detention. I talked to the principal about the matter and he stated that the teacher has a right to teach what she believes and that the creationism theory has lots of facts backing it up. I then realized I was dealing with not one but two idiots and am now seriously considering home schooling my daughter. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 To not be able to question something that has not been proven is totalitarianism and an impediment to learning. This is obviously a correct statement, as it stands. However, given the context, and what is being implied, this statement has no relation to reality. There are no competing 'theories' to evolution anymore. There is no controversy. There is no discussion of whether or not it happens/has happened. The discussion happened over 100 years ago, and since has been vindicated by nearly every single major biologic and paleontologic discovery since the publication of Origin. As previously pointed out, there is discussion of how it occurs (for example, punctuated equilibrium v. gradualism; not all groups show changes in the rate of morphological evolution or saltatory 'jumps' in morphology, so gradual evolution does occur as well). Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I hate to tell all of you this but they have been teaching creationism for years on the sly in Texas schools. I distinctly remember my 8th grade Science teacher telling me that Darwins theory of evolution were a load of snarge. She then went on to tell us how the lord created everything with Adam and Eve so therefore the world was still very young. This was back in 1988 at Grapevine/ Colleyville ISD. My daughter just came home today and told me a similar story about the evolution of the earth. The poor child was so upset because her teacher told her all the fossils she has been collecting lately are just a few thousand yrs old. Cierra new better than that and when she tried to enter into a discussion about it with her teacher she was threatened with detention. I talked to the principal about the matter and he stated that the teacher has a right to teach what she believes and that the creationism theory has lots of facts backing it up. I then realized I was dealing with not one but two idiots and am now seriously considering home schooling my daughter. Grrr! Butting up against the system, are you! The ACLU takes on cases like this. The system always loses, and sometimes there are damages awarded (but, the smart systems settle before trial). It cannot be easy for the parents who engage in such a battle, but some are willing, thank goodness. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfect Castaway Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 I hate to tell all of you this but they have been teaching creationism for years on the sly in Texas schools. I distinctly remember my 8th grade Science teacher telling me that Darwins theory of evolution were a load of snarge. She then went on to tell us how the lord created everything with Adam and Eve so therefore the world was still very young. This was back in 1988 at Grapevine/ Colleyville ISD. My daughter just came home today and told me a similar story about the evolution of the earth. The poor child was so upset because her teacher told her all the fossils she has been collecting lately are just a few thousand yrs old. Cierra new better than that and when she tried to enter into a discussion about it with her teacher she was threatened with detention. I talked to the principal about the matter and he stated that the teacher has a right to teach what she believes and that the creationism theory has lots of facts backing it up. I then realized I was dealing with not one but two idiots and am now seriously considering home schooling my daughter. I will be watching for this when my daughter is in school. I'm not sure what recourse I will have if they are teaching her young earth creationism... home school is a good option, I was home schooled for the exact opposite reason. I was taught evolution in Maine public schools and my mother pulled me out for that very reason. However, public schools are important for teaching the kids how to socialize...something I didn't learn for a long time. Grrrr....it's a shame we haven't evolved beyond this yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I hate to tell all of you this but they have been teaching creationism for years on the sly in Texas schools. I distinctly remember my 8th grade Science teacher telling me that Darwins theory of evolution were a load of snarge. She then went on to tell us how the lord created everything with Adam and Eve so therefore the world was still very young. This was back in 1988 at Grapevine/ Colleyville ISD. My daughter just came home today and told me a similar story about the evolution of the earth. The poor child was so upset because her teacher told her all the fossils she has been collecting lately are just a few thousand yrs old. Cierra new better than that and when she tried to enter into a discussion about it with her teacher she was threatened with detention. I talked to the principal about the matter and he stated that the teacher has a right to teach what she believes and that the creationism theory has lots of facts backing it up. I then realized I was dealing with not one but two idiots and am now seriously considering home schooling my daughter. Some moron teaching their dogmatic views as science in a publicly funded school, and then threatening detention for being called out on their hogwash... kids read this board, so I'll just "say" that it burns me up. Contact The Texas Freedom Network; mark the subject line as "urgent". Here is their email: tfninsider@tfn.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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