Tag: Texas
In Texas Former CEO of AAAS Agrees With Teaching Strengths and Weaknesses of Evolution
Anyone who is familiar with Alan Leshner will know that he is a dogmatic defender of Darwin-only science education, and so you will be shocked to find out that he now seems to agree with us. You may also be shocked to learn that he favors teaching the strengths and weaknesses of evolution. They say that students need to hear about the strengths and weaknesses of evolution, which of course is true. Yes, we do say that, as do many scientists, teachers, educators, and school board members all over the country. Just this past summer the state of Louisiana passed the Louisiana Science Education Act, which protects teachers who discuss the strengths and weaknesses of evolution. So far, so good; Read More ›
Darwin Defender Daniel Bolnick Illustrates How to Market Evolution to the Public
Daniel Bolnick, a leader of the pro-Darwin only “Texas 21st Century Science Coalition,” recently published an op-ed in the Waco Tribune which provides some good lessons on how to argue for “evolution” to the public: Be extremely dogmatic and vague about the evidence. Lesson 1: Vaguely Assert Massive Support for “Evolution” From the Scientific LiteratureBolnick writes that in the past decade, “biologists have published more than 30,000 research articles demonstrating that evolution has occurred and how it works,” further stating that “[m]ore than 100,000 published biological research studies demonstrate the fact of evolutionary change.” So just how does Bolnick define “evolution”? He doesn’t, thus introducing equivocation and vagueness into the discussion. “Evolution” can refer to something as simple as minor Read More ›
Texas Media Bites on TFN’s Bait
It looks like the Texas media are already biting on the so-called “controversy” of Explore Evolution authors Meyer and Seelke being included on the state’s Science Standards Review Panel. Yesterday News 8 Austin, a local CNN affiliate, ran a story, “Intelligent design debate brews controversy in Texas,” where in the first ten seconds of the video, the anchor introducing the story says that “one human rights organization is up in arms over the inclusion of several intelligent design scientists on the state’s curriculum review panel.” Wow, a human rights organization… that’s impressive. I’m thinking Amnesty International must be all over this issue.What, you say, the group the news is referring to is actually the Texas Freedom Network? Oh. That’s a Read More ›
Texas Freedom Network Manufactures Bogus Controversy Over Science Standard Reviewers
AUSTIN, TX — The Chicken Littles at the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) are ranting that the sky is falling because two of the six experts selected to review the state’s science standards co-authored Explore Evolution, a textbook that examines both the strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution (www.exploreevolution.com). What the TFN doesn’t reveal is that another of the expert reviewers co-authored a one-sided, Darwin-only textbook! David Hillis, a biology professor at UT Austin co-authored the 2008 edition of Life: The Science of Biology, a textbook whose previous editions have been approved for use in Texas high schools. Hillis also serves as a spokesman for a pro-evolution lobbying group that is trying to remove language in the Texas science standards requiring Read More ›
Who in Texas Is Afraid of a Little Critical Analysis of Evolution?
Texas Darwinists are afraid of language in the Texas Science Standards that requires students to learn about the “strengths and weaknesses” of evolution, justifying their fear by claiming that when it comes to neo-Darwinian evolution, “[t]here may be some questions that may yet to be answered, but nothing that’s to the level of a weakness.” Nothing that’s to the level of a weakness? That’s a pretty dogmatic and unscientific claim. If this Texas Darwinist is right, then I suppose that these comments by leading scientists must not show that there is anything that rises “to the level of a weakness” in neo-Darwinian evolution: Still think Darwinian evolution has “nothing that’s to the level of a weakness”? I strongly suspect we’ll Read More ›