Should Evolution Be Taught In Public Schools?

[Vincent Vega]

Hello everyone,
Came across this interesting article about a teacher at my school (!!) in the NY Times, and his struggle with teaching evolution.
He is a supporter of evolutions and a faithful Anglican.

Discuss.


[url="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/education/24evolution.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp"]http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/educatio...amp;_r=1&hp[/url]

[Hassan]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1641976' date='Aug 29 2008, 09:51 PM']Hello everyone,
Came across this interesting article about a teacher at my school (!!) in the NY Times, and his struggle with teaching evolution.
He is a supporter of evolutions and a faithful Anglican.

Discuss.


[url="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/education/24evolution.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp"]http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/educatio...amp;_r=1&hp[/url][/quote]

Yes. That this question could even be asked stuns me to be honest

[Vincent Vega]

Why does it stun you?

[goldenchild17]

No. Not as scientific fact. Should students be made aware of it and what it entails? Sure, but they should not be led to believe it. No one can make someone believe something or disbelieve it, but teachers should not be putting this on the same pedestal as 1+1

[pan!c139]

They should be aware of the theory because it's part of history, but not as a scientific fact, as goldenchild said.

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='goldenchild17' post='1642018' date='Aug 29 2008, 09:34 PM']No. Not as scientific fact. Should students be made aware of it and what it entails? Sure, but they should not be led to believe it. No one can make someone believe something or disbelieve it, but teachers should not be putting this on the same pedestal as 1+1[/quote]
I think you'd be surprised as to the amount of supposed "fact" which has been discovered as false and the comparative amount of "theories" that have been proven so...

[MakeYouThink]

Yes, because people have a right to believe in anything they choose to believe in. As long as it doesn't interfere in the rights of a person to believe in something without ridicule.

Funny, an entire group of high school students having a book that shows where each part of a Biological text books assertions about Evolution might be wrong, and we're a minority! LOL!

Edited August 30, 2008 by MakeYouThink

[goldenchild17]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1642030' date='Aug 29 2008, 09:39 PM']I think you'd be surprised as to the amount of supposed "fact" which has been discovered as false and the comparative amount of "theories" that have been proven so...[/quote]

I don't know how surprised I would be. But all I'm saying is that something shouldn't be purported to be something that it hasn't been proven to be (i.e. Evolution as a scientific fact)

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='goldenchild17' post='1642047' date='Aug 29 2008, 10:45 PM']I don't know how surprised I would be. But all I'm saying is that something shouldn't be purported to be something that it hasn't been proven to be (i.e. Evolution as a scientific fact)[/quote]
Gravity hasn't been proven to be fact. It, after all, is still the Theory of Gravity.
Should teachers teaching it also let their class know that it's not a "proven fact" when teaching it?

[Hassan]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1642009' date='Aug 29 2008, 09:32 PM']Why does it stun you?[/quote]



The Origin of Species, itself an extraordinarily cogent argument for Darwinism was published in 1859, it is now 2008. Our entire scientific knowledge of biology, pharmaceuticals, and zoology is based on evolution. There is such a plethora of evidence that evolution is absolutely correct that is boggles the mind.
I suppose what stuns me is that, no offense, so many people could be so astonishingly ignorant. It’s not like are live in the backwoods of Vietnam, Americans have such an astonishing amount of information available to them, and they waste it.

[Vincent Vega]

It sometimes puzzles me that people deny it, yes, but I don't know why it would stun you that the question would be posed for discussion's sake.

[Hassan]

[quote name='pan!c139' post='1642026' date='Aug 29 2008, 09:38 PM']They should be aware of the theory because it's part of history, but not as a scientific fact, as goldenchild said.[/quote]

Nothing in science is a "fact" as you seem to be thinking of the term.

[goldenchild17]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1642051' date='Aug 29 2008, 09:47 PM']Gravity hasn't been proven to be fact. It, after all, is still the Theory of Gravity.
Should teachers teaching it also let their class know that it's not a "proven fact" when teaching it?[/quote]

I should have clarified. I'm not using the word "theory" in the scientific sense. In the scientific terminology of course a theory holds far more weight than it does in the general sense. A scientific theory is far more authoritative than a theory that I were to come up with. I'm referring to evolution as a theory in the latter sense while gravity of course would be a theory in the former sense.

[princessgianna]

the only problem i have with evolution being taught is it is being taught as if it were a law and it is a THEORY!
There are several holes still like if we were at one point little dust particles flying in space where did those dust particules come from???
And If we did evolved from monkeys why do we still have monkeys???

Edited August 31, 2008 by princessgianna

[Fidei Defensor]

[quote name='princessgianna' post='1643118' date='Aug 30 2008, 11:02 PM']the only problem i have with evolution being taught is it is being taught as if it were a law and it is a THEORY!
There are several holes still like if we were at one point little dust particles flying in space where did those dust particules come from???
And If we did evolved from monkeys why do we still have monkeys???[/quote]
Do you even have a functioning understand of what the theory of evolution actually is? No offense, but it sounds like you don't. Kind of silly for you to be making judgments based on your personal ideas rather than scientific evidence.