"To say there is no debate is ridiculous," said board member Phoebe Raulerson. "Then why are we here today?"
The panel includes the word "evolution" in state science standards for the first time, but it is relegated to a place among a host of ideas, including Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. By contrast Isaac Newton's law of gravity is taught as undisputed fact.
During more than two hours of testimony, scientists and religious representatives argued over whether teaching that humans evolved from a single-celled species over hundreds of millions of years should be taken as gospel.
Some religious groups believe that evolution conflicts with the Biblical account of creation, though others contend there is no conflict. These contentions have driven debates in several states, including Kansas and Pennsylvania, as to how the subject should be taught in public schools.
Proponents say the body of research is replete with data backing up evolution as the major driving force in biology, noting that the prestigious National Academy of Sciences approved the original language that said "Evolution is the fundamental concept underlying all of biology."
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http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1929595320080219
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Florida Will Teach Evolution But Only As Theory
Posted on Wednesday, February 20 at 09:52 by N SayContributed By
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eg: Scientific Theory: "hypothesis: a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory</a><br />
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Traditional use of Theory is mor elike 'a belief that can guide behavior'. 'The Professor in the Study with the Lamp' is a theory, to be proven or disproven.<br />
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Evolution is the best explanation of the facts as far as we can know. Newtons' laws however, are Theory. They are also known as 'Newtons Theory of Universal Gravitation'. Until General Relativity and Quantum physics are reconciled, Newtons' Laws will remain Theory. Even then. they will still be the best explanation for what we observe in the natural world.<br />
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Losing this key distinction in meaning is the failing of this ruling. A whole generation of future leaders in science and technology (if they go that route) will no longer be able to stand on the shoulders of giants, relying on being force fed their critical thinking.<p>---<br>The preceding comment deals with mature subject matter, however immaturely presented. Viewer discretion is advised.<br />
No sir, 9/11 is a much better example of why the US is going down the toilet, not only scientifically but in every other way imaginable, as the country is being transformed into a dogmatic police state.
That the US is turning to a police state has to do with nether.
But, the subject is Florida teaching creationism, and giving the scientific theory of evolution the same weight. . .
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The preceding comment deals with mature subject matter, however immaturely presented. Viewer discretion is advised.
Take the Bible out of schools and now this
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"When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do."
William Blake
<p>---<br>The preceding comment deals with mature subject matter, however immaturely presented. Viewer discretion is advised.<br />
A relative thing to say, since depending on the perspective, the your so-called established theory is the alternative one.
"That the US is turning to a police state has to do with nether."
It has to do with an ignorant population that lacks the general ability to question government policy and actions, and soaks up mass media propaganda without any critical thought. I.e., we're talking about having a religious-like blind faith in the ruling establishment's ability to tell the truth.
"But, the subject is Florida teaching creationism, and giving the scientific theory of evolution the same weight"
Creationism is a religious fiction made up by story tellers with nothing but fiction to back it up, while evolution is a scientific theory because it is not based on story tellers, but is based on independently reproducible and verifiable evidence.
The official 9/11 conspiracy theory is clearly a government/media told fiction because none of the evidence behind it can be independently analyzed and verified, therefore I see little difference between teaching the fiction of Creationism in schools vs teaching the 'official' 9/11 fiction to an entire world.
If one were to put such a theory in a book, it would get no more than a couple sentences worth of mention (normally of course it would get no mention at all) because there's nothing scientifically significant to say about it.
Turning fiction into reality is what the spin doctors who control government do best, and they do it all over the place not only with pushing fictional stories as if they are scientific theories, but with suckering populations into supporting wars of aggression and with accepting imprisonment inside their own country.