Kansas Update

[slickpoppa]

1 billion Indians are waiting to kick America's ass in science, and Kansas wants to take another step backwards:
link

TOPEKA, Kansas (AP) -- The Kansas school board's hearings on evolution were not limited to how the theory should be taught in public schools. The board is considering redefining science itself.

Advocates of "intelligent design" are pushing the board to reject a definition limiting science to natural explanations for what's observed in the world.

Instead, they want to define it as "a systematic method of continuing investigation," without specifying what kind of answer is being sought. The definition would appear in the introduction to the state's science standards.

The proposed definition has outraged many scientists, who are frustrated that students could be discussing supernatural explanations for natural phenomena in their science classes.

"It's a completely unscientific way of looking at the world," said Keith Miller, a Kansas State University geologist.

The conservative state Board of Education plans to consider the proposed changes by August. It is expected to approve at least part of a proposal from advocates of intelligent design, which holds that the natural world is so complex and well-ordered that an intelligent cause is the best way to explain it.

State and national science groups boycotted last week's public hearings, claiming they were rigged against evolution.

Stephen Meyer, a senior fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, which supports intelligent design, said changing the schools' definition of science would avoid freezing out questions about how life arose and developed on Earth.

The current definition is "not innocuous," Meyer said. "It's not neutral. It's actually taking sides."

Last year, the board asked a committee of educators to draft recommendations for updating the standards, then accepted two rival proposals.

One, backed by a majority of those educators, continues an evolution-friendly tone from the current standards. Those standards would define science as "a human activity of systematically seeking natural explanations for what we observe in the world around us." That's close to the current definition.

The other proposal is backed by intelligent design advocates and is similar to language in Ohio's standards. It defines science as "a systematic method of continuing investigation" using observation, experiment, measurement, theory building, testing of ideas and logical argument to lead to better explanations of natural phenomena.

The Kansas board deleted most references to evolution from the science standards in 1999, but elections the next year resulted in a less conservative board, which led to the current, evolution-friendly standards. Conservatives recaptured the board's majority in 2004.

Jonathan Wells, a Discovery Institute senior fellow, said the dispute won't be settled in public hearings like the ones in Kansas.

"I think it will be resolved in the scientific community," he said. "I think (intelligent design), in 10 years, will be a very respectable science program."

Evolution defenders scoff at the notion.

"In order to live in this science-dominated world, you have to be able to discriminate between science and non-science," said Alan Leshner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "They want to rewrite the rules of science."

[magiluke]

I thought the current definition was "a method of proving that god doesn't exist". Man, this new definition really puts things into perspective. Thanks Kansas!

[QuadsOverQuads]

All together now: "THANK YOU, REPUBLICAN VOTERS!" [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

(Next up: equal time for the "2+2=5" lobby.)


q/q

[HtotheNootch]

Bill Hicks: Did you ever notice how people who believe in creationism look really un-evolved?

Bill Hicks (imitating redneck creationist):I believe God created me in one day.

Bill Hicks: Yeah it looks like He rushed ya!

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
"THANK YOU, REPUBLICAN VOTERS!"

[/ QUOTE ]

You are welcome.

-Zeno

[ChristinaB]

[Cyrus]

...Quite obviously, that threat is the United States itself. This is how empires fall : first, they rot from the inside.



Link : "National test scores reveal that American academic achievement is stagnating or declining"

Link: "By virtually every measure of achievement, American students lag far behind their counterparts in both Asia and Europe, especially in math and science. Moreover, the evidence suggests that they are falling farther and farther behind."

[thatpfunk]

[ QUOTE ]

...Quite obviously, that threat is the United States itself. This is how empires fall : first, they rot from the inside.



Link : "National test scores reveal that American academic achievement is stagnating or declining"

Link: "By virtually every measure of achievement, American students lag far behind their counterparts in both Asia and Europe, especially in math and science. Moreover, the evidence suggests that they are falling farther and farther behind."

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this the defintion of irony? I click the link and the ad above the book was for "The Paris Hilton Collection." I had to laugh.

[Cyrus]

[ QUOTE ]
Is this the definition of irony? I click the link and the ad above the book was for "The Paris Hilton Collection."

[/ QUOTE ]

What irony? I hear it comes with subtitles.

[kurto]

[ QUOTE ]
...Quite obviously, that threat is the United States itself. This is how empires fall : first, they rot from the inside.


[/ QUOTE ]

I wish I had the link handy that showed how FOX viewers were the most misinformed Americans on current events in the news.

Well... when they vote a guy into office because, "George Bush is the kind of guy I'd like to have over for a barbecue. He's proud to be a C student. He can't speak English. He's just like me! Vote for Bush!"

When people throw "intellectual" around as insult and praise someone for being inarticulate... you can't be surprised when we start falling behind the rest of the world in education and have people changing the definition of science to fit their political goals.