[Phys-L] Re: Another attack on Evolution

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

We need to be aware of states and localities where this might have an impact
on education.  At present the few people are sufficiently numerous to be
able to take topics out of the curriculum or attempt to insert their
interpretation into it.  Even when they lose the court battles they have
still won by frightening science teachers away from evolution or cosmology.
The topic is not discussed.  Then there is the fact that most science is
taught from a rigid fact basis rather than from an inquiry basis.  This is
also consistent with the rigid type of thinking displayed by the critics of
evolution.  And in the US the anti-evolutionists are actually a majority in
many states.

The future of science teaching and of our country depends on combating this
type of thinking.  I doubt that most members of this list are frightened by
this type of thing, but many colleagues are.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> Why do we even need to discuss this?  The answer is that over the
> last 400 years, people have found ways of reconciling their religion
> with Copernican astronomy ... whereas quite a few people have not
> yet found ways of reconciling their religion with evolution.  Maybe
> in the next few hundred years they'll figure it out.  Until then,
> they will fight a rear-guard action, attacking science, attacking
> scientists, lying about the observed evidence, and lying about
> their own activities.
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