Charles Darwin
The Texas board of education is in the process of adopting new science standards. This means there is a controversy brewing over how evolution is taught in the classroom. Today teachers are required to state the “strengths and weaknesses” of evolution.
Now, while I am not completely opposed to having intelligent debates on evolution, or any other scientific theory for that matter. I am opposed to using such rules to impose religious beliefs on students. While it doesn’t bother me that there exists a “strength and weaknesses” clause in today’s science curriculum. It does bother me that people feel the need to actually spell it out. The very basis of science accounts for the strengths and weakness of any theory. The simple notion of an idea being a theory, underlines the fact that there is not conclusive evidence to determine that is in fact true. In fact, evolution may never become a scientific law or be universally accepted by the science community. That is just how the scientific community works.
There should not be a requirement that special language be used when teaching science. Students should be taught what science is and how the community works. Students should be able to understand what a “theory” is before they are exposed to any theory.
Text books should be written with the intent to educate students about science, and not to defend it. There should be no reason why Science should be defended or explained. Science stand on its own. If one day and “intelligent designer” showed and proved that he in fact designed all of the existent life. The scientific community will be the first to say they were wrong.
We should not be using the public education system to impose our personal beliefs on society, we can do that on Sunday mornings. If you want your kids to learn what you believe, teach them that yourself.
More importantly, it doesn’t matter how much people hate it. Evolution is a valid scientific theory!
