The Board of Directors of the world’s largest general scientific organization, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), today strongly denounced legislation and policies that would undermine the teaching of evolution and “deprive students of the education they need to be informed and productive citizens in an increasingly technological, global community.”
Across the United States, at least 14 pending laws — including Missouri HB 1266 — differ in language and strategy, but “all would weaken science education,” said AAAS President Gilbert S. Omenn, professor of medicine, genetics and public health at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. “The AAAS Board of Directors opposes these attacks on the integrity of science and science education,” he added. “They threaten not just the teaching of evolution, but students’ understanding of the biological, physical, and geological sciences.”
Pending U.S. anti-evolution legislation currently includes: Alabama SB 240, Arkansas HB 2607, Georgia HB 179, Kansas SB 168, Michigan HB 5251, Mississippi SB 2286, Missouri HB 1266, New York 8036, Ohio HB 481, Oklahoma HB 2107, Pennsylvania HB 1007, South Carolina SB 909, Texas HB 1447 and Utah SB 96.
Some of these bills would seek to discredit evolution by emphasizing “flaws” in the theory of evolution, or “disagreements” within the scientific community, the AAAS Board noted. Other bills would encourage teachers and students to explore the concept of intelligent design or other non-scientific “alternatives” to evolution, or to “critically analyze” evolution and “the controversy”. But, AAAS emphasized, “There is no significant controversy within the scientific community about the validity of evolution.” (more) Moreover, “Evolution is one of the most robust and widely accepted principles of modern science,” the AAAS Board concluded, reconfirming its October 18, 2002 statement, as well as the December 2005 ruling of federal District Court Judge John E. Jones III, who found that intelligent design is based on religion, not science.
Science and religion “need not be incompatible,” AAAS officials emphasized. “Science and religion ask fundamentally different questions about the world. Many religious leaders have affirmed that they see no conflict between evolution and religion. We and the overwhelming majority of scientists share this view.”
related news have been covered at Konquest Online: Vatican: ID is not science, Kansas School Board approving ID and 38 Nobel winners reject ID
February 19th, 2006 | General Science