Is Evolution Arkansas's "Hidden" Curriculum

RNCSE 25 (1-2)/National Center for Science Education ^ | Jan.-April. | by Jason Wiles

[Stultis]

I don't mind them calling it evolution, as long as they teach it as a theory that is based on lies and presuppositions rather than facts.

Obviously no currently accepted scientific theory is known to be "based on lies." If this were known it would not be an accepted theory. Besides it is bizarre that you wouldn't mind such a theory being taught (even with the absurd proviso). However all scientific theories (not just evolution) are based upon both facts and "presuppositions". Some of the later are general to science as such (e.g. the uniformity of natural law with respect to space and time) and some are unique to particular theories (for instance relativity presupposed that the speed of light is a constant, Newtonian mechanics presupposed that the geometry of space is Euclidean, and evolution presupposes the existence of living organisms).

[furball4paws]

I've been thinking about a comparison of this to Kansas. At least Patrick's lovelies are being more honest.

[PatrickHenry]

I have 942 on my list (so far). 'Course, my list covers seven years of threads...

I assume your list is of thread participants. Are they all evos? My list is all evos (except for one experiment) and -- other than the first dozen or so that I started with -- they all specifically asked to be listed.

[Right Wing Professor]

And Tom Wolfe's scientific credentials are what, exactly?

He's the world expert on horses boinking.

[Sloth]

Both of the directors welcomed me warmly and were very forthcoming in their answers to my questions. They were, however, quite firm in their insistence that they and their facility be kept strictly anonymous if I was to write this story up.

Sounds fabricated to me.

[Junior]

Participants. Mostly folks who actually posted CrevoSci threads. The database has been normalized, so I have to keep the posters in a separate table.

[Servant of the 9]

This is great.

Unprepared Arkie students mean that much less competition for my decendants in placement at elite universities and high paying jobs.

I am sure Arkies wil remain tops in snake handling and telling people to 'squeal like a pig'.

So9

[peyton randolph]

I can make some comments about Arkansas and its citizens and make it a hot thread, if you like :)

Whatever you do, do not suggest that the family trees in Arkansas lack branches or contain plenty of fruits.

[sagar]

The e-word might hurt creationist sensibilities.

[M203M4]

To be fair, other countries are struggling with dark ages anti-science myth-machines.

Why does the Muslim world lag in Science?"

snip:

Islam contributes to the Muslim world's lagging behind in science insofar as its tenets have not satisfactorily been reconciled with those of science.

...

Yet, these incremental and pragmatic measures must still confront a hostile environment. For science again to flourish in Muslim countries requires a recognition that it requires long-term continuities, the lessening of authoritarianism, and a serious effort to reconcile faith and reason.

And from NSCE (note that BAV = Bilim Arastirma Vakfi, an Islamic fundamentalist group supported by ICR, an "American" group intent on spreading fundamentalism in the middle-east, and having great disdain for scientific progress).

Tactics and Pseudoscience of Islamic Creationists BAV's tactics and strategies are also adapted from those used by ICR for decades. Most of the information, slides, figures, and ideas they use in their conferences resemble those long used in ICR presentations. A quick overview illustrates both the ICR heritage and the local adaptations in the BAV approach.

1) BAV uses pseudoreferences. The references they cite in their books and presentations usually support and defend evolution, but they take just one sentence that they think might seem to support their arguments and use it as their scientific reference. They claim that they can find scientific proof of creation in journals such as Discover, Scientific American, Nature, and Science, even though a cursory reading would show that these references support evolution, not creation. Because it is so difficult for Turkish readers to have access to these journals, however, most of Harun Yahya's arguments go unchallenged.

2) BAV never acknowledges the overwhelming weight of scientific research supporting evolution, but generally distort a single news item (for example, from a popular journal like Discover) to "prove" their conclusion. It does not discuss the fact that the rest of the article or other articles in the same issue of that journal defend and support evolution.

3) BAV first concludes that evolution is wrong and then tries to build up a whole system of "proofs". These proofs do not use any traditional logical and scientific methods to reach the scientific conclusions; instead, they cite the Qur'an as the ultimate (and also the scientific) truth. They even cite surahs as scientific references. Creation is an axiom, not a hypothesis to defend!

4) BAV rejects anything that opposes its ideology or that supports evolution. It does not accept any evidence that shows its proposals as unscientific. According to BAV, science is what proves the Qur'an - and BAV's interpretation of it.

These characteristics are consistent in approach and method with the ICR's version of creationism - selective citation, incomplete survey of appropriate literature, prior conviction that evolution must be wrong (and evil) with an emphasis on the scientific truth of scripture, and the conviction that "true" science must be concordant with scripture.

However, there are some significant differences between the approaches of these two groups. For the most part, Harun Yahya is not aiming for a sophisticated scientific presentation. Acting in Turkey, BAV does not face the difficulty of opposing a highly trained and prominent scientific community, as does the ICR in the US where some of the world's most sophisticated scientific knowledge is produced. BAV has not faced much resistance from the universities or scientific organizations until our recent campaign.

Conclusions

Islamic scientific creationism has become a threat not only to science but also to democracy and the secular system in Turkey. Unlike Christian creationism, it is a critical part of the rise of an extreme religious movement and has actively contributed to the decline of democratic reforms and progress in scholarship and research in the Turkish Republic. If groups like the BAV are unopposed by Turkish science organizations, universities, the government, and individual scientists, they will continue their propaganda unchecked. If they succeed in their efforts, they will influence not only the believers but also the rest of the society, since there is a very weak scientific foundation among the vast majority of the Turkish public. We must recognize the power of the BAV's appeal and take a page from the successful opposition to the ICR and its allies in the US. The only hope for Turkish science and society is a vigorous campaign to expose and oppose Islamic creationism in every forum throughout the country.

[Coyoteman]

The e-word might hurt creationist sensibilities.

No problem, the e-word is not mentioned once in the following:

---

Fossil: Sts 5 Site: Sterkfontein Cave South Africa (1)

Discovered By: R. Broom & J. Robinson 1947 (1)

Estimated Age of Fossil: 2.5 mya * determined by Stratigraphic, floral & faunal data (1, 4)

Species Name: Australopithecus africanus (1, 2) Gender: Male (based on CAT scan of wisdom teeth roots) (1, 30) Female (original interpretation) (4)

Cranial Capacity: 485 cc (2, 4)

Information: No tools found in same layer (4)

Interpretation: Erect posture (based on forward facing foramen magnum) (8)

Nickname: Mrs. Ples (1)

See original source for notes:
http://www.mos.org/evolution/fossils/fossilview.php?fid=24

[furball4paws]

Well, that's more science than some.

[furball4paws]

Hey C-man, I really appreciate your posting of these humanoid fossils.

[dread78645]

Can you give me the date he said that so I can mark the passing of 40 years in my calendar?

Jan 10 2005.

Of course by then the Toe will have been modified with new discoveries.
And the Creists will scream "No, not the new one, the old one. See it's gone!"

[null and void]

ping

[Virginia-American]

I don't have a problem with teaching evolution in the classroom as long as labs are provided so students can observe the evolution process.

Fruit flies or bacteria?

Actually, gene seauenceing is better, but it'snot highschool level; they should be content to read the sequences in references.

[Virginia-American]

...as long as they teach it as a theory that is based on lies ...

Three concrete examples, please.

[Coyoteman]

Hey C-man, I really appreciate your posting of these humanoid fossils.

Plenty more where these came from.

This one I just posted is an old favorite. We had the cast in the osteology lab in grad school.

She was called Mrs. Ples (after her original name, Plesianthropus).

"Mrs Ples" and her relatives lived on the South African highveld between about 2 and 2.5 million years ago. "Mrs Ples" is the most complete cranium of the species Australopithecus africanus. Formerly the skull was known as "Plesianthropus" which means "almost human". "Mrs Ples" is almost human in the sense that she could walk upright, like humans, but she had a small brain, similar in size to that of a modern chimpanzee. Source.

[From many - one.]

I'm surprised you would quote such poor reasoning as Wolfe's. What made you think it was worthwhile?

[dread78645]

Unprepared Arkie students mean that much less competition for my decendants in placement at elite universities and high paying jobs.

And they'll have their own problems with competition from Kansas students.