Evolution comments (from Cox & Perdue) irk scientists | AJC

< The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 2/2/04 >

Evolution comments irk scientists

By MARY MacDONALD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Gov. Sonny Perdue says he wants a "balanced" classroom approach to teaching evolution with an emphasis on its standing as "academic theory."

State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox says her proposed biology curriculum will allow teachers to present other scientific theories about evolution and specifically mentions "intelligent design."

Across Georgia, scientists cringed at the statements.

Sarah Pallas, an assistant professor of biology at Georgia State University, said Sunday that the public comments reveal an ignorance of science and mimic the arguments used by people who rebut evolution. Her views were shared by other biologists.

More at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sounds like something from the Home and Garden channel!

:-)

Anyway, to the subject at hand, ID "theory" is creationism cloaked in even more pseudoscience, but a real slick variety of it. The basic idea is that some things are so complex, and I am so stupid I can't possibly think of an explanation on how they could have formed naturally, I won't even try, and we'll go ahead an inject a creator in there.

that is one of the novelties of the contemporary concept of I.D.

The idea is something like this...an old fashioned mousetrap (the board with spring loaded neck-breaking bar and trigger) doesn't work without all its parts in their proper associations, and those parts can't of themselves become properly assembled to operate to trap a mouse.

Staggering complexity is more like the classic Paley argument from design.

on edit: both design arguments rely on another idea that I should have mentioned...the concept that these things come together to serve a purpose. Pieces of dumb metal and/or wood are incapable of the foresight/planning to accomplish the ultimate task of being a mousetrap or a watch. Such a thing requires a designer

...(and it was used extensively by M. Behe in "Darwin's Black Box", more or less the "gospel" of I.D.) is that it IS reducible.

It's been pointed out to Behe that you can remove the board from the mousetrap by attaching the bar & trigger assembly directly to the floor.

Now that you mention it, they should switch titles and both would be more appropriately named.

...or a deceased drag queen.

:-)

I'd bring in books about Roswell and alien abductions and have them watch the entire X-Files series :-) Hey, intelligent design doesn't say anywhere that its intelligent beings weren't aliens, does it? Lets see a creationist try to argue against that without admitting that it is the Christian God they actually meant when they thought of intelligent design. Make their entire argument look like they're a bunch of UFO-believing nutballs and see how far it gets.

is my mother's bumper sticker. She edits the Creationist Newsletter in NM. She hated the fact that I went into Anthropology, and still, many years later baits me (rarely do I bite anymore). It's more sad than anything.:shrug:

given that you can say this about Perdue and Cox on just about any subject at least they are consistent

example of that fact. Monkeys are so much more advanced.

I was recently delighted that the Rhino collection of (almost) all the old DEVO videos has come out on DVD, including their early film "In the Beginning Was the End: The Truth About De-evolution". Very cheesy but great fun.

"Gov. Sonny Perdue says he wants a "balanced" classroom approach to teaching evolution"

Balanced with what?

Does the good guv also wish to have a "balanced" approach to teaching the germ theory of disease?
Maybe give equal time to the demon theory of disease?

Makes as much sense, Governor.

NOT!

That would explain a lot.
on edit: Liberty University is Jerry Falwell's play school.

it's little wonder they have such a poor understanding of science

First year teaching full-time in GA and you can bet I will describe evolution and have students doing the same. Mine however, don't really care about much and will just regurgitate whatever they think they need to do to pass the class. I suspect someone will finally ask a question when we get to human evolution.

But please don't think that none of them care.

Gov. Sonny Perdue says he wants a "balanced" classroom approach to teaching that the earth is round with an emphasis on its standing as "academic theory."

State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox says her proposed earth science curriculum will allow teachers to present other scientific theories about the shape of the earth and specifically mentions "the flat earth hypothesis."

Common Sense is what tells you the world is flat!

Tetragonal Earth is a perfectly acceptible interpretation of the bible's "four corners of the earth" passage!

I think that this kind of stuff borders on child abuse. Inflicting ignorance on a minor should be a crime.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0202-09.htm

I cannot believe in this day of age we are regressing instead of progressing. We desperately need a leadership change. How a company runs is a reflection of the management.