Evolution Must Be Taught in Public Schools

[Overdog]

I like the concept overdog. Now, if students could opt out of High School and choose the online version it would be better than what it is now. the money that would go to the highschool would instead go to the online school. And that money could be used to improve the courseware. If people had a way to create courses and add them to the program, that would even be better. Like an opensource library with specific tools available for adding your own courses to the library.

Yes...but it's a long and difficult road to get there, if we ever do. Lot's of politics and economic challenges, all the way down to the local level, get in the way. No state or federal agency was willing to fund it. She had to, on her own, convince multiple school districts to help. It isn't a money-maker at this point, is another problem. Of course, it was never intended to be, but in the end, projects like this ultimately have to be self-sustaining, just like anything else. It won the governor's award, but did it get any new funding from the state? No. And the Patent application was turned down. Why? Apparently you can't patent something like this.

 

It is discouraging how many obstacles there are that must to be overcome to make something innovative like this available to kids.

 

And let me guess, her solution is getting attacked because "the schools won't have enough money to stay running if everyone can just stay home and study at their own pace".

 

I don't think it would ever be able to do that without major federal backing.

 

I once saw a televised symposium on home schooling where the pros and cons were discussed by professional educators. One lady stood up and asked, "Well, if everyone home schools, what will happen to the teachers?".

Your wife's solution will allow them to become mentors and at least transition to a different career. But I think the lady's question hit one of the problems right on the head: the schools are for the children, not the teachers. Too many people don't understand that.

Yes, it presents a great opportunity for retireing baby-boomers teachers to become part-time Mentors. Right now it's mainly graduate students and teachers donated by the collaborating school districts that are helping support the program.

 

Please pass on my compliments to your wife.

 

I will, Thanks.

 

EDIT:

 

I forgot to mention, the Online Academy is available to any student in the US. It's not limited to Virginia. I just talked to my wife about our discussion, feel free to contact her if you are interested....

[ldsoftwaresteve]

well, she's in a battle against a fallacy and that fallacy has created so many blindspots .... and it eventually gets back to the entire study of the Humanities: What it means to be human, what is the nature of morality and how motivation is tied to all of it. Because the achilles heel of her enemies is that they have no functioning model of what it means to be human. I think that if we could pull that string, all the bullshit would fall apart.

[nutronjon]

I think humanity is far better off with a scientific explanation of the human condition. I think this is very important to our legal system which remains dominated by Christian notions of good and evil and is far from based in good science. I think given the human brain continues to develop until the human reaches age 25, means we should not recognize persons under 25 as adults.

[freeztar]

I think given the human brain continues to develop until the human reaches age 25, means we should not recognize persons under 25 as adults.

 

Can you provide some support for this claim nutronjon?

[Eclogite]

I think given the human brain continues to develop until the human reaches age 25, means we should not recognize persons under 25 as adults.

And since it almost immediately begins to deteriorate we should not consider those older than twenty five to be competent to engage in logical thought. Let the world be ruled exclusively by those who are twenty five.

 

It is a brilliant idea nutronjon. I would vote in favour of it, but I am well past my Sell By date and declare myself inelligible.

[nutronjon]

well, she's in a battle against a fallacy and that fallacy has created so many blindspots .... and it eventually gets back to the entire study of the Humanities: What it means to be human, what is the nature of morality and how motivation is tied to all of it. Because the achilles heel of her enemies is that they have no functioning model of what it means to be human. I think that if we could pull that string, all the bullshit would fall apart.

 

I don't know who "she" is but I sure like what you have said. Until 1917, vocational training was not part of public education. Until 1958 training for citizenship remained the priority purpose of public education, and then we changed the purpose of public education to preparing the young for a technological society with unknown values, and left moral training to the church. This has thrown our nation into a culture conflict pitting athiest against Christians, and the social ramifications of the change in public education are intense.

 

At the time of the US founding, except for apprintership training of some young people, religious education was the only public education. The colonist fought each other over religious matters and religious intolerance was not the rule, but all the different religions provided the same basic moral training, but many people were not religious and did not get this training, and immigrants with different values and customs were flooding our new democracy and causing social chaos. Around 1840 public schools for citizenship were established, and the humanities became the enemy to some religious groups, but by teaching a set of American values, we did restore social order. However, without the humanities, which has been the case since education for technology replaced liberal education, many people get no moral training. The dilemma is figuring out how to recreate a moral standard, and understanding our evolution from animals is the most sensible way to rebuild a moral standard and justice system.

 

PS, I address questions about brain science in a new thread.

[InfiniteNow]

Via Afarensis:

 

 

YouTube - What's so important about Human Evolution? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt2E7ELZ-T8

[Thunderbird]

GOVERNOR: Palin is only candidate to suggest it should be discussed in schools.

By TOM KIZZIA

Anchorage Daily News

Published: October 27, 2006

Last Modified: October 30, 2006 at 09:40 AM

The volatile issue of teaching creation science in public schools popped up in the Alaska governor's race this week when Republican Sarah Palin said she thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the state's public classrooms

 

 

Palin was answering a question from the moderator near the conclusion of Wednesday night's televised debate on KAKM Channel 7 when she said, "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both."

Her main opponents, Democrat Tony Knowles and Independent Andrew Halcro, said such alternatives to evolution should be kept out of science classrooms. Halcro called such lessons "religious-based" and said the place for them might be a philosophy or sociology class.

 

 

adn.com | elections : 'Creation science' enters the race

[freeztar]

Good find TB.

 

Asked for her personal views on evolution, Palin said, "I believe we have a creator."

 

Ok Mrs. Palin, but, back to the question, What are your personal views on evolution?

 

 

You've gotta love this:

 

After a six-week trial, a Republican judge appointed by President George W. Bush concluded that intelligent design "advanced a particular version of Christianity" and did not belong in class.

 

Judge John E. Jones III said Darwin's theory of evolution was imperfect. "However, the fact that a scientific theory cannot yet render an explanation on every point should not be used as a pretext to thrust an untestable alternative hypothesis grounded in religion into the science classroom."

[Nitack]

I'm a small government kind of a guy. I hate earmarks and government programs, pork barrel politics drive me up the wall. I WAS going to vote for John McCain because his one defining shtick over his career was fighting against all that crap. Now his running mate is an ideologue and supports teaching religious crap in a science class. I am torn.

 

I hate politicians.

[Moontanman]

I asked a friend who is a rabid republican and knowledgeable about science if the idea of the republicans supporting teaching ID in school bothered him. His reply was a classic, he said he wasn't worried about it. Evolution should win out if the theory is presented with ID because the arguments for ID just don't hold up and if that small thing was all it took to get the Christian right to vote his man into office it was worth it. :shrug:

[Nitack]

I asked a friend who is a rabid republican and knowledgeable about science if the idea of the republicans supporting teaching ID in school bothered him. His reply was a classic, he said he wasn't worried about it. Evolution should win out if the theory is presented with ID because the arguments for ID just don't hold up and if that small thing was all it took to get the Christian right to vote his man into office it was worth it. :)

 

:)

The problem with that is that ID does not hold up UNDER SCRUTINY. If you are a kid whose parents have been pushing religious zealotry on you your whole life, you are primed to believe the lies and overlook the flaws. People believe complete crap all the time, not because of the merits of the crap, but because they WANT to believe.

 

Breatharians really believe that they can survive on only air and sunlight; with out food or water. Many idiots die because they try this crap (although I consider it a blessing in disguise... think evolution :lol:). The people want to believe that they can get everything they need from air and sunlight. That does not mean they actually can.

 

Perpetual motion... there are many many people who believe that they can create a perpetual motion machine. Should we teach that it is possible in science class just because there are a large number of people who believe it is possible? That is essentially the same argument that the creationists are pushing. "We believe it is scientific so you should teach it in a science class."

 

GAH!! ;):lol::lol::):lol::shrug:

 

Ignorant people are really pissing me off.

[Moontanman]

:)

The problem with that is that ID does not hold up UNDER SCRUTINY. If you are a kid whose parents have been pushing religious zealotry on you your whole life, you are primed to believe the lies and overlook the flaws. People believe complete crap all the time, not because of the merits of the crap, but because they WANT to believe.

 

Breatharians really believe that they can survive on only air and sunlight; with out food or water. Many idiots die because they try this crap (although I consider it a blessing in disguise... think evolution :lol:). The people want to believe that they can get everything they need from air and sunlight. That does not mean they actually can.

 

Perpetual motion... there are many many people who believe that they can create a perpetual motion machine. Should we teach that it is possible in science class just because there are a large number of people who believe it is possible? That is essentially the same argument that the creationists are pushing. "We believe it is scientific so you should teach it in a science class."

 

GAH!! :):lol::lol::):lol::shrug:

 

Ignorant people are really pissing me off.

 

What is really amazing is that people who really know better are willing to let that crap be taught as truth in school just get their guy in office. Truth is meaningless under these conditions.

[REASON]

I think that if journalists :shrug: are going to ask politicians and local school board members if they believe ID should be taught as a part of public school science curriculums and they say yes, that the immediate follow up question should be whether they also believe Astrology, Palm Reading, Tarot Cards, ESP, Witchcraft, and Ghost Busting should be included in the science curriculum as well, and see what they say about that.

 

It would at least be fun watching them squirm as they attempt to explain the difference. :lol:

[Nitack]

I think that if journalists :shrug: are going to ask politicians and local school board members if they believe ID should be taught as a part of public school science curriculums and they say yes, that the immediate follow up question should be whether they also believe Astrology, Palm Reading, Tarot Cards, ESP, Witchcraft, and Ghost Busting should be included in the science curriculum as well, and see what they say about that.

 

It would at least be fun watching them squirm as they attempt to explain the difference. :lol:

 

But they would say that ID is also a scientific theory and the sheep would follow with out actually making them prove that assertion.

[Pyrotex]

I'm telling you guys, this is the most important presidential election I have seen in my lifetime (with the possible exception of Kennedy vs. Nixon). There is probably more at stake on this one than for any election in the 20TH Century. There is more to win and WAAAAAAYYYY more to lose if we wind up with the wrong person in charge.

 

We could well see the end of the "American Experiment", our citizens slowly retreating back into a state of ignorant and uneducated bliss, unable to distinguish between superstition and knowledge, between astronomy and astrology -- gullible victims of every "fat-burner pill", "perpetual motion machine", "herbal cure" and "aura manipulation" con that comes down the pike. Our technological infrastructure will slowly fall apart, and we will sink down into tribalism, book burnings and petty crusades.

 

And the future colonists on Mars and the Moon will all speak Chinese.

[Nitack]

I'm telling you guys, this is the most important presidential election I have seen in my lifetime (with the possible exception of Kennedy vs. Nixon). There is probably more at stake on this one than for any election in the 20TH Century. There is more to win and WAAAAAAYYYY more to lose if we wind up with the wrong person in charge.

 

We could well see the end of the "American Experiment", our citizens slowly retreating back into a state of ignorant and uneducated bliss, unable to distinguish between superstition and knowledge, between astronomy and astrology -- gullible victims of every "fat-burner pill", "perpetual motion machine", "herbal cure" and "aura manipulation" con that comes down the pike. Our technological infrastructure will slowly fall apart, and we will sink down into tribalism, book burnings and petty crusades.

 

And the future colonists on Mars and the Moon will all speak Chinese.

 

The problem Pyrotex, is that both candidates are equally problematic. One is pandering to the religious right (McCain), despite their war on science. The other is pandering to the populists (Obama), not caring that all the government programs are economically unsound and will drive us into bankruptcy. They both suck *** here.