florida votes in the kool-aid...

[rivendellrose]

Oh Hell. I was really hoping the whole "alternatives to evolution" thing wouldn't pass in Florida.

I love the big old picture of Ben Stein right at the top of this one. Like he's a major player in this fiasco. Thanks, NPR.

Comments

[beam-oflight.livejournal.com]

*HEADDESK*

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Pretty much, yup.

Oh, my country. Why are you so stupid sometimes?

[lovelies.livejournal.com]

Seriously?

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

My country: Stupider than the rest of the world gives us credit for. :P

[bluerose16.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't mind if alternatives to evolution were taught, if they were scientific alternatives and they were required to be taught in a scientific manner. I'm all for academic leeway. But it's such a thinly veiled religious incursion.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

See, here's my issue with the "academic leeway" thing; what these people are asking for is for a concept that has absolutely no basis in science to be taught in science classrooms. If they want to teach creationism in philosophy classes, that's great. If they want to teach it in comparative religions classes, that's fantastic - I'm totally for comparative religion classes, provided they're genuinely comparative and aren't secretly (or overtly) pushing one way or another - the lack of knowledge about religions among the general American population frankly disgusts me. BUT - so does the lack of scientific knowledge, and framing creationism as a valid scientific theory is, to be perfectly blunt, absolute bullshit. There's no basis for it, and if kids are going to understand science in any way, shape, or form, they need to be taught what differentiates science and scientific theories and scientific discourse from plain old armchair speculation.

I don't mind if they nod to it and say "evolution is the best theory that we have, but true scientific theories are always up for adaptation and challenge from evidence." But anything that isn't science has no place in a science classroom.