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AAAS Board Resolution Urges Opposition to "Intelligent Design" Theory in U.S. Science Classes
AAAS ^ | November 6, 2002 | Ginger Pinholster

Posted on 11/07/2002 7:07:47 PM PST by Nebullis

The AAAS Board recently passed a resolution urging policymakers to oppose teaching "Intelligent Design Theory" within science classrooms, but rather, to keep it separate, in the same way that creationism and other religious teachings are currently handled.

"The United States has promised that no child will be left behind in the classroom," said Alan I. Leshner, CEO and executive publisher for AAAS. "If intelligent design theory is presented within science courses as factually based, it is likely to confuse American schoolchildren and to undermine the integrity of U.S. science education."

American society supports and encourages a broad range of viewpoints, Leshner noted. While this diversity enriches the educational experience for students, he added, science-based information and conceptual belief systems should not be presented together.

Peter H. Raven, chairman of the AAAS Board of Directors, agreed:

"The ID movement argues that random mutation in nature and natural selection can't explain the diversity of life forms or their complexity and that these things may be explained only by an extra-natural intelligent agent," said Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden. "This is an interesting philosophical or theological concept, and some people have strong feelings about it. Unfortunately, it's being put forth as a scientifically based alternative to the theory of biological evolution. Intelligent design theory has so far not been supported by peer-reviewed, published evidence."

In contrast, the theory of biological evolution is well-supported, and not a "disputed view" within the scientific community, as some ID proponents have suggested, for example, through "disclaimer" stickers affixed to textbooks in Cobb County, Georgia.

"The contemporary theory of biological evolution is one of the most robust products of scientific inquiry," the AAAS Board of Directors wrote in a resolution released today. "AAAS urges citizens across the nation to oppose the establishment of policies that would permit the teaching of `intelligent design theory' as a part of the science curriculum of the public schools."

The AAAS Board resolved to oppose claims that intelligent design theory is scientifically based, in response to a number of recent ID-related threats to public science education.

In Georgia, for example, the Cobb County District School Board decided in March this year to affix stickers to science textbooks, telling students that "evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things." Following a lawsuit filed August 21 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, the school board on September 26 modified its policy statement, but again described evolution as a "disputed view" that must be "balanced" in the classroom, taking into account other family teachings. The exact impact of the amended school board policy in Cobb County classrooms remains unclear.

A similar challenge is underway in Ohio, where the state's education board on October 14 passed a unanimous, though preliminary vote to keep ID theory out of the state's science classrooms. But, their ruling left the door open for local school districts to present ID theory together with science, and suggested that scientists should "continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory." In fact, even while the state-level debate continued, the Patrick Henry Local School District, based in Columbus, passed a motion this June to support "the idea of intelligent design being included as appropriate in classroom discussions in addition to other scientific theories."

The Ohio State Education Board is inviting further public comment through November. In December, board members will vote to conclusively determine whether alternatives to evolution should be included in new guidelines that spell out what students need to know about science at different grade levels. Meanwhile, ID theorists have reportedly been active in Missouri, Kansas, New Mexico, New Jersey, and other states, as well Ohio and Georgia.

While asking policymakers to oppose the teaching of ID theory within science classes, the AAAS also called on its 272 affiliated societies, its members, and the public to promote fact-based, standards-based science education for American schoolchildren.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: crevolist
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To: f.Christian
I agree. In fact, I most commonly describe myself as a "classical liberal" when people ask my political orientation.
21 posted on 11/07/2002 8:15:47 PM PST by Physicist
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To: CalConservative
I would stress that this is not just making claims about design, but actually using an ID approach to making research discoveries.

Another broad claim, but all I have is your assertion that it's so. Where's the beef? Where's an algorithm I can apply to a sequence of numbers, say, and determine whether it was designed or not?

22 posted on 11/07/2002 8:18:42 PM PST by Physicist
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To: RaceBannon
We cant have any children thinking for themselves!!

First, children must learn their ABCs. Then they can think for themselves.

23 posted on 11/07/2002 8:22:43 PM PST by Nebullis
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To: Nebullis
hey Atheists Anonymous for the Advancement of Stupidity: Republicans won bigtime Nov 5, 2002. Get over it.
24 posted on 11/07/2002 8:23:49 PM PST by arielb
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To: Cicero
For those freepers who don't want to bother visiting the link, AAAS stands for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Thanks. Also, AAAS is the publisher of Science.

25 posted on 11/07/2002 8:24:38 PM PST by Nebullis
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To: CalConservative
His work has led him to believe that it is impossible to simulaneously evolve 50 specialized genes to give the bacteria this component and there are no intermediate functionalities that could use only some of the genes while the others "evolve' to produce the final function.

This is not what we would call a research discovery.

26 posted on 11/07/2002 8:32:52 PM PST by Nebullis
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To: Physicist
Evolution...Atheism-dehumanism---TYRANNY(pc/liberal/govt-religion/rhetoric)...

Then came the SPLIT SCHIZOPHRENIA/ZOMBIE/BRAVE-NWO1984 LIBERAL NEO-Soviet Darwin/ACLU America---the post-modern age of switch-flip-spin-DEFORMITY-cancer...Atheist secular materialists through ATHEISM/evolution CHANGED-REMOVED the foundations...demolished the wall(separation of state/religion)--trampled the TRUTH-GOD...built a satanic temple/SWAMP-MALARIA/RELIGION(cult of darwin-marx-satan) over them---REDACTED and made these absolutes subordinate--relative and calling/CHANGING all the... residuals---technology/science === TO evolution via schlock/sMUCK IDEOLOGY/lies/bias...to substantiate/justify their efforts--claims...social engineering--PC--atheism...anti-God/Truth RELIGION(USSC monopoly)--and declared a crusade/WAR--JIHAD--INTOLERANCE/TYRANNY(breaking the establishment clause)...against God--man--society/FREEDOM/LIBERTY/SCIENCE!!

27 posted on 11/07/2002 8:33:11 PM PST by f.Christian
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To: arielb
Republicans won bigtime Nov 5, 2002.

I know it. I helped vote them in.

28 posted on 11/07/2002 8:33:31 PM PST by Nebullis
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To: CalConservative
I just had dinner last month with a research microbiologist from a relatively large university and he was telling me how he uses design concepts in a predictive capacity for his research work on bacteria.

Perhaps you could point us to some peer-reviewed papers published by your anonymous contact. In that way, we can judge in what way he or she (as the case may be) actually uses design concepts.

29 posted on 11/07/2002 8:34:44 PM PST by Doctor Stochastic
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To: All
Hey!! Our new HIV test hit PMSNBC news!
30 posted on 11/07/2002 8:36:16 PM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: Nebullis
AAAS . . .

You sure that isn't ASSS? e.g. American Society for Socialist Shenanigans or some such.

31 posted on 11/07/2002 8:38:13 PM PST by Fester Chugabrew
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To: arielb
And what is the point? Are scientific theories to be subject to vote?
32 posted on 11/07/2002 8:40:02 PM PST by Doctor Stochastic
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To: Nebullis
Scientifically:

Intelligent Design is an interesting guess, but unless a hypothesis can be developed from it that can be then tested, it doesn't qualify as a theory.

Theologically:

I personally don't think God would/will allow "proof" of his existence. It seems to me that the whole concept behind faith is that you accept it in the absence of proof. If the existence of God was provable, then God would be part of man's body of knowledge, and I think one of the points of faith is that God's plan cannot be encompassed by man's reason.
33 posted on 11/07/2002 8:40:51 PM PST by RonF
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To: <1/1,000,000th%
Is this the p24 antigen test? Johns Hopkins?
34 posted on 11/07/2002 8:43:26 PM PST by Nebullis
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To: Nebullis
This is not what we would call a research discovery

That was basically part of the background conversation I was describing. Like I said, I'm a geologist, so I'm hardly the right one to describe research microbiology or genetics, but his research basically had to do with temperature regulation of bacteria. I guess what I was mainly interested in was the process and how ID was used in his research.

35 posted on 11/07/2002 8:43:54 PM PST by CalConservative
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To: CalConservative
I guess what I was mainly interested in was the process and how ID was used in his research.

It seems you didn't get much of an idea of that process. A claim of design use in research is too broad to be useful. In some sense we all do that. It has little to do with Intelligent Design theory.

36 posted on 11/07/2002 8:52:18 PM PST by Nebullis
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To: Nebullis
Hi, Nebullis! The following statement left me scratching my head. Could you elaborate please?

A claim of design use in research is too broad to be useful. In some sense we all do that. It has little to do with Intelligent Design theory.

37 posted on 11/07/2002 8:56:05 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Nebullis
AAAS Board Resolution Urges Opposition to "Intelligent Design" Theory in U.S. Science Classes

These are the descendents of those who tried to protect the phlogiston theory of combustion.
38 posted on 11/07/2002 8:56:21 PM PST by aruanan
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Comment #39 Removed by Moderator

To: Nebullis
I have a wierd request: at 10:57 est I was on my porch (in East Tennessee) and saw a strange series of meteor-like displays in the East-Northeast. The first object streaked across and went 'poofed'; less than a minute later a second object streaked across the night sky, then appeared to be 'hit' by something and explode(?), then a little more light streak downward from that burst; approximately one minute later a third meteor-like object streaked across the sky and went 'poof'. Does anyone know if the military was taking satellite target practice tonight or was a satellite scheduled to 'fall' out of orbit? The pattern appeared to be roughly in a 'string of streaks' from overhead to East-northeast with the pattern running east-northeast to the north. Any thoughts, Anyone?
40 posted on 11/07/2002 9:02:32 PM PST by MHGinTN
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