Majority of Texans favor teaching both strengths and weaknesses of Darwin’s theory of evolution

Discovery Institute ^ | September 8, 2003 | Staff

[Heartlander]

Discovery Institute News 1511 3rd Ave Suite 808 - Seattle, WA 98101 - (206) 292-0401 x107

New poll shows overwhelming majority of Texans favor teaching both strengths and weaknesses of Darwin’s theory of evolution

By: Staff
Discovery Institute
September 8, 2003

---

DALLAS, SEPT. 8 -- By nearly a five-to-one margin, 75% of Texas residents say the state board of education should approve biology textbooks that teach both Darwin's theory of evolution and the scientific evidence against it, according to a statewide poll released today by Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based public policy think-tank..

“This poll is directed to the pivotal issue raised by the state board of education,” said Bruce Chapman, president of Discovery Institute. “Texans want Darwin’s theory of evolution fully and completely presented, including the theory’s strengths and weaknesses.

The poll focused exclusively on how Darwin’s theory of evolution should be presented in textbooks and Texas state law regarding textbook approval. Zogby International conducted telephone interviews of 601 adults chosen at random in Texas. All calls were made from Monday, August 25 to Wednesday, August 27, 2003. The margin of error is +/- 4.1%.

Pollsters presented respondents with the following:

Which of the following two statements comes closer to your own opinion?

A: The state board of education should approve biology textbooks that teach only Darwin's theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it.

B: The state board of education should approve biology textbooks that teach Darwin's theory of evolution, but also the scientific evidence against it.

Seventy-five percent answered that they agreed with statement B. Strong support was shown in every region of the state and across all ethnic and age groups.

Even higher percentages – three-fourths or more of people in most sub-groups – agree that the state board of education should apply Texas law to how evolution is presented in textbooks.

When presented with the following statement 82% of respondents answered in the affirmative:
Texas law requires students to analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information. Should the state board of education apply this standard to how evolution is presented in textbooks?

The complete report, including cross-tabulated results for all sub-groups is available online at http://www.discovery.org/csc/texas/. Copies are also available on request from Discovery Institute.

[Heartlander]

Texas State Board of Education Hearings on Biology Textbooks

9-08-03
New poll shows overwhelming majority of Texans favor teaching
both strengths and weaknesses of Darwin's theory of evolution

Background Information
Questions and Answers about Discovery Institute

Questions and Answers about Teaching Evolution


Articles
9-10-03
Statement regarding the Texas State Board of Education hearings on biology textbooks by Dr. Jonathan Wells, Senior Fellow

9-10-03
Statement regarding the Texas State Board of Education hearings on biology textbooks by Dr. Bill Dembski, Senior Fellow

8-18-03
Darwinism Critics Have Viable View, by Dr. Francis J. Beckwith

8-08-03
Discovery Institute Supports Accurate Science, by Dr. John G. West

7-30-03
Columnist at Austin Chronicle Offers Poorly Designed Arguments, by Dr. Francis J. Beckwith

Dr. Jonathan Wells Response to Charge of Misquotation by David Hillis

Self-Organization and Irreducibly Complex Systems, by Dr. Michael Behe


News Releases
8-19-03
Texas Professors Urge State Board to Fully and Completely Teach Evolution
Link to PDF of open letter (PDF attached)

8-20-03
Discovery Institute Endorses Texas Freedom Network's Call for Sound Science and Teaching Evolution

8-20-03
Texas Textbook Censors Misrepresent, Mislead and Miss the Point

7-23-03
Austin American Statesman Corrects Misleading Report about Discovery Institute

7-12-03
So goes Texas, so goes the nation
Decision on textbooks will affect classrooms nationwide

7-10-03
CNN Fabricates Texas Textbook Story


Review & Analysis of Textbooks
7-21-03
A Preliminary Analysis of the Treatment of Evolution in Biology Textbooks


Zogby Poll
Views Of Texas Residents On Teaching Evolution: A Zogby
International Report

Complete cross tabulated poll results

[Thane_Banquo]

One of the huge misconceptions out there is that science is fact. Science is a method to interpret data, and while the data are facts, the interpretations are often merely very educated opinions on what the facts mean.

I took a History of Economic Thought class over the summer. There was a definite patter to the subject matter: Someone would come out with a better theory than the one before, everyone would herald it as the next great thing, and then several decades to a century later, someone would come out with a better theory. But every theory has its detractors and its facts that it can't explain.

To teach any scientific theory without pointing out what the theory can't explain and what the detractors say is only reporting half the story.

[SengirV]

WOW!!! Imagine that. Give the kids all the information and let them decide for themselves. All information, provided they do not mention the bible, of course. Basically you can handle the anti-evolution side in one sentance "No definitive transition fossils have yet to be discovered."

Any of their other arguments are laughable. My favorite one is that there are perfect spheres of differing matter around our solar system that causes light to travel at incredible speeds so that light we perceive as taking billions of light years to reach us have really only taken a couple thousand years. hehehehe HEHEHEHEHE HAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHA HAHAAHAHAHAHAHA. You have to excuse me, I can't help myself whenever I hear that one.

[Heartlander]

Teach the Controversy

Bibliography of 44 Peer-Reviewed Articles

[balrog666]

Ignorance never sleeps.

[PatrickHenry]

Thread on this posted yesterday: Texas Mulls How Biology Should Be Taught.

[showme_the_Glory]

Welcome to FR

[stuartcr]

Couldn't they study the bible at their bible school of choice, then they could compare teachings?

[SengirV]

Those who attempt to rationalize their faith with "science" are not truely faithful.

Lets expound upon this for a minute. Nevermind, lets not. You are an idiot, plain and simple.

[SengirV]

Maybe because not everyone goes to bible school. What is so wrong with pointing out some of the lacking information in the evolution model? You don't have to teach from the bible.

[stuartcr]

Sorry, I thought your reply had something to do with not mentioning the bible.

[SengirV]

No problem. It was a bit rambling. Obviously they are not going to teach from the bible, but I see nothing wrong with pointing out the problems/lacking information with evolution.

I went to catholic grade school(1-8) and highschool. We were obviously taught creation from the bible, but we were also taught the evolution model as well. It would have been a disservice to us to NOT expose us to all of the information out there. I thought I got a DAMN good education becasue nothing was off limits, unlike the present public education system.

[stuartcr]

You may be hard to find a public school teacher that is familiar enough with the bible to teach any of it. Besides, I think there would be so many parents that would object if it wasn't their bible, or their personal take on evolution.

[SengirV]

I am in no way saying that they should teach the bible in public school. I was just saying that I thought I got the best possible education because my school could teach from the bible.

[stuartcr]

Probably so, I was educated in a Catholic school for quite a while also.