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Fortey’s Ego and the ID
Richard Fortey, President of the Geological Society of London, has found a heretofore unknown formula for attacking ID. In “The Ego and the ID,” Fortey calls his interlocutors “religious hard liners,” says that if they doubt common ancestry it is tantamount to “believing the earth is flat as a pancake,” and calls them “IDiots.” How becoming of the Michael Faraday Prize recipient. I suppose Faraday himself would surely have been a “religious hard liner” by Fortey’s standards. Fortey continues:
Kansas Board of Education Adopts Dumbed-Down Curriculum Standards on Evolution and History of Science
As was expected, earlier today the Kansas State Board of Education voted 6-4 to adopt dumbed-down science standards that delete any mention of scientific data that might be perceived as critical of Darwinian evolution. But that’s not all. The board also gutted a history of science standard that called on students to study both the abuses and the successes of science in history. The history of science standard had encouraged students to learn about such tragedies as the eugenics movement and the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment. But studying the misuses of science was apparently too much of a downer for the Darwin-only crowd, so they rewrote the standard to ensure that students would be exposed only to the triumphs of Read More ›
Like Christmas for Humanists
ENV editor, Anika Smith, has a delightful column in the SPU Falcon newspaper titled Beware of ‘Darwin Day’. In describing some of the more humorous elements of Darwin Day celebrations (carols, Darwin look-alike contests and even an incredible, edible tree of life) Smith notes the holiday’s familiar trappings. If you’re wondering what a secular humanist does to commemorate such an occasion, it turns out that these particular humanists stand on street corners and hand out leaflets about evolution in an attempt to reach passers-by.In Victoria, B.C., a philosophy of religion professor organized a Darwin Day celebration for his students where they decked the halls with humanist style. Participants decorated an evolution tree, exchanged Darwin cards and even sang evolution carols.If Read More ›
AP: “ID backer knocks Tuskegee deletion from Kansas standards”
The Associated Press is reporting on the Kansas State Board of Education’s proposed deletion of the Tuskegee experiment, eugenics, and other abuses of science from the state’s existing science curriculum standards. The only complaint I have about the article is that it does not make clear that the existing history of science standard, which I favor, asks for students to study the positive achievements of science as well as the abuses of science. The purpose is to give students a balanced understanding of the history of science. It is the supporters of Darwinian evolution who are trying to suppress the coverage of both sides, not intelligent design (ID) proponents. It is interesting to look at the tortured explanations offered by Read More ›
Un-natural Selection: Ms. Dean Invites Us to Justify Academic Discrimination
In Monday’s New York Times (“Believing Scriptures but Playing byScience’s Rules”), Cornelia Dean joins Eugenie Scott of the Darwin lobbyNCSE (National Center for Science Education) in raising the tantalizingthought that (as “some say”) maybe scientists who have earned legitimatedoctorates in scientific fields, but are known to hold private views thatquestion Darwinism, should be denied their professional degrees. Take thatin: Perhaps doctoral candidates whose personal views deviate from anideological party line should be punished professionally. Presumably, ifthey are in a later stage in their career, you can thwart their applicationfor tenure; or later still, a promotion to full professor.