School Bias Thread 12/21/04: Textbook Bias

[AVNevis]

I have decided to start posting various examples of bias in schools as I observe them firsthand as a high school student. This will not be posted on any schedule, just when I have something to say. There will probably be more posts in the next two weeks, however, as I am off school and have more spare time.

Today's inaugural edition will focus on bias in textbooks.

The first example comes from my science book. Here is a quote from the chapter on evolution. "You may have heard someone refer to evolution as just a theory, as though this important idea is somehow different or less well accepted than other major scientific explanations of natural phenomena. Statements like these show the speaker does not fully understand what a scientific theory is."

Now, just for the record, I believe in the theory of evolution. However, this is blantent disregard for other points of view. Textbooks that teach this country's students should not be calling a significant percentage of the population stupid as they did above.

Another example I would like to focus on is my Writing book and Planner. They all contain many, many quotes from liberal heros and the suggestions in the Writing book about ideas for persuasive papers are all mostly liberal ideas. The planner sometimes has a quote above each week. These usually contain primarily quotes from liberal heros such as Guhandi, Martain Luther King, and various members of the Kennedy clan.There is one quote from a conservative, General Patton. But your telling me they found multiple quotes from the Kennedys but couldn't find one from Reagan?

[AVNevis]

School Bias PING!

If you would like on or off the list post here or FReep mail me.

I have to go, I'll catch everyone's comments later.

[Dataman]

Textbooks that teach this country's students should not be calling a significant percentage of the population stupid as they did above.

The PS texts are incredibly biased and include known errors. This problem is so bad a number of states have passed laws requiring texts to be accurate. Most of the errors are in science texts regarding evolution or in history texts regarding American history.

[pillbox_girl]

Most modern high school biology texts are not just biased; they are just plain wrong. It looks like your textbook is just another example of this.

I know I am going to take some flak from the creationists on this site (and probably a few "evolutionists"), but here's the deal: Charles Darwin never discovered a "theory of evolution". Evolution is not a theory. Charles Darwin came up with the Theory of Natural Selection as a possible explanation for the observed phenomena of evolution. Another theory for a mechanism behind evolution was the Aquired Characteristics theory of Lamarck.

Neither Lamarck, nor Darwin, were theorizing that evolution happened. They both knew damn well evolution happened simply by looking at the fossil record and the variations between related species. They both theorized possible means to explain how evolution happens. Lamarck was completely wrong. Darwin's theory of Natural Selection was closer to the mark. He didn't know of DNA or genetics, and he was also wrong about the Uniformatarianism ideas put forth by the geologist Lyell, but Darwins core theory has proven largely correct. With slight modifications by other scientists, notably Stephen Goulds theory of Punctuated Equilibrium, Darwin's Natural Selection model is probably quite close to how evolution actually happens.

Unfortunately, you're not going to see this in most modern high school textbooks. They just simplify to "Darwin == Evolution" and turn it into dogma. They really just add to the confusion and ignorance regarding evolution and Darwin. And that is never a good thing (it tends to give people nasty ideas like forced eugenics and the holocaust).