Evolution has been a cornerstone of biology for more than 100 years, but don't try to tell that to many of the thousands of people who posted comments on Florida's Department of Education Web site.
"The last time I went to the zoo, the monkeys weren't evolving into man," read one comment.
"Evolution is not proven and we should not brainwash our children with this concept," stated another.
The State Board of Education is to vote Feb. 19 on controversial new science standards that for the first time would require teaching evolution in Florida's public schools. The new standards are intended to beef up lackluster science education in schools.
The standards list evolution as one of 18 "big ideas" students must understand by the time they graduate. They call evolution the "fundamental concept underlying all of biology" and say it is "supported by multiple forms of scientific evidence."
But those academic phrases have ignited a theological controversy across the state. . . . .
Thursday, February 14, 2008
A Century and a Half After Darwin, Florida Considers Adding Evolution to Science Curriculum
Big vote coming up February 19. From the Orlando Sentinel:
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It's amazing how all of these comments against evolution seem to only support the fact that there is a need for everyone to be educated on what "evolution" means. It's true, zoo monkeys AREN'T turning into men, and whether or not you believe that, it's okay because it's a scientific theory and the evidence for and against it should be looked at critically. Evolution, however, does not mean that primates of any sort turned (or currently turn) into men, but rather that every living thing evolves, which is a fact that really can't be disputed.
ReplyDeleteSince so many people don't actually understand what evolution means, perhaps being better educated in science would help add some intellect into this debate.