Evolution Revisited

How interesting that someone at Space.com would see fit to comment on evolution.

I've made my opinions clear previously. Not surprisingly, I find Ms. Devore's article condescending, ill-informed, and strictly partisan.

I used to believe very strongly in the theory of evolution, both cosmic and biological. When I was eleven or twelve, I was introduced to the dissenting theories. Now, I was still very skeptical of these dissenting theories, but I studied them. I'm not convinced that a literal creation as described in Genesis is the way that life, the universe, and everything came into being, but I've studied "evolution" with a much more critical mind, and found that the water-tight case that evolutionists like Ms. Devore claim are rather lacking with respect to responsible science.

Here's what I feel to be the money shot.

Human evolution is included in the National Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, our national statements of the fundamental science concepts for grades K-12. The Standards and Benchmarks describe the basics for scientifically literate citizens. At the state level, politics overtake science education. Human evolution is included in only 8% of the state science standards, and is therefore not required in almost all American elementary, middle or high school science courses. ("The Emphasis Given to Evolution in State Science Standards: A lever for Change in Evolution Education?" Gerald Skoog, Kimberly Bilica, 2002) The evolution of the universe, our solar system, and our planet fare somewhat better, but still do not appear in almost half of the states’ science standards. These standards drive the content of textbooks and state achievement tests, and learning about evolution is getting left out.

How important is evolution to education? I mean, really. Is it crucial? Of course not. Is it even important? Of course not. Understanding basic concepts of science is a plus, but education dollars should be concentrated on reading, writing, civics, basic science, and basic mathematics.

If a student doesn't understand how laws are made, or how the three branches of American government operate, but they understand that the scientific concept accepted by concensus is evolution, have they received a balanced education? Of course not. The truth of the matter is that evolution is not an important part of primary education.

Unfortunately, people like Ms. Devore, who are obviously more interested in indoctrination than education, can't be bothered with such details as these.