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Intelligent Design Bibliography Misleading
National Center for Science Education ^ | 4/5/2002

Posted on 04/05/2002 1:57:02 PM PST by JediGirl

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National Center for Science Education National Center for Science Education
Defending the Teaching of Evolution in the Public Schools  
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Intelligent Design Bibliography Misleading
by NCSE Staff

In a fifteen-page analysis sent earlier this week to every member of the Ohio Board of Education, the National Center for Science Education exposed the Discovery Institute’s “Bibliography of Supplementary Resources for Ohio Science Instruction” as a systematic misrepresentation of the scientific literature that it cites.

The Bibliography, given by two representatives of the Discovery Institute — which seeks to promote “intelligent design” — to the Ohio Board of Education on March 11, claims that it lists publications that “represent dissenting viewpoints that challenge one or another aspect of neo-Darwinism (the prevailing theory of evolution taught in biology textbooks), discuss problems that evolutionary theory faces, or suggest important new lines of evidence that biology must consider when explaining origins.”

But the authors of the publications disagree. Twenty-six scientists, representing 34 of the 44 publications listed in the Bibliography, responded to NCSE’s request to evaluate the Discovery Institute’s description of their work. More than half of them regarded it as inaccurate and tendentious. As NCSE asks in its analysis, “Should the state of Ohio be guided in the development of its science standards by people who are apparently incapable of reliably and objectively summarizing the scientific literature?”

NCSE also asked Brian J. Alters, an internationally recognized expert on science education who holds appointments at Harvard University and McGill University, where he is the Director of the Evolution Education Research Centre, to comment on the pedagogical value of the Bibliography. Alters responded, “Not only is this selection of papers inappropriate for the high school level, it will likely engender numerous misconceptions among high school students about the science of evolution — something no science teacher would want.”

“In fact,” said Dr. Alan Gishlick of NCSE, “although the publications in the Bibliography are valuable contributions to the scientific literature, they provide neither evidence for ‘intelligent design’ nor evidence against evolution. The Discovery Institute is simply engaged in ‘quote-mining’ — searching for passages that it can misrepresent as somehow discrediting evolution.” He added, “If the Discovery Institute were really serious about improving science education, it would not be fomenting confusion about evolution.”

The complete analysis is available in both html and PDF formats.

The National Center for Science Education is a nonprofit organization, based in Oakland, California, dedicated to defending the teaching of evolution in the public schools. On the web at www.ncseweb.org.



April 5, 2002



TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Philosophy; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: creationism; crevolist; evolution; intelligentdesign
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1 posted on 04/05/2002 1:57:03 PM PST by JediGirl
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To: *crevo_list
bump
2 posted on 04/05/2002 1:57:17 PM PST by JediGirl
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: jlogajan
"Liars for Christ, I calls 'em."

That's it. We don't take kindly to your kind round here…

4 posted on 04/05/2002 3:26:14 PM PST by elfman2
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To: JediGirl
Is there another side to this story or is this kind of like New York Times reporting?
5 posted on 04/05/2002 3:32:37 PM PST by jwalsh07
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To: jwalsh07
Another side? Like the original authors of 34 out of 44 books are lying about what is in their own material? You don't objectivity, you want fog.
6 posted on 04/05/2002 3:54:34 PM PST by gcruse
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To: PatrickHenry; longshadow; jennyp; RadioAstronomer; <1/1,000,000th%; Stultis; ThinkPlease
"Inaccurate and tendentious" Bump!
7 posted on 04/05/2002 3:58:28 PM PST by VadeRetro
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To: VadeRetro
The Discovery Institute is simply engaged in ‘quote-mining’ ...

This guy's plagiarizing you!!

There should have at least have been a footnote.

8 posted on 04/05/2002 4:01:25 PM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: VadeRetro
Lurking ...
9 posted on 04/05/2002 4:01:29 PM PST by PatrickHenry
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To: JediGirl
You're wearing us out. I'm still on the other 2 threads. I hope you're taking the weekend off for some relaxation (and maybe a good steak dinner????).
10 posted on 04/05/2002 4:02:23 PM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: gcruse
Another side? Like the original authors of 34 out of 44 books are lying about what is in their own material? You don't objectivity, you want fog.

The fog is in your head cruse. Did you read this sentence? More than half of them regarded it as inaccurate and tendentious

Or put another way, half had no problem with their description. Shouldn't they have been heard from? Seems to me there is another side and like leftist pukes who populate the editorial pages and NEA, you aren't interested in it.

Regards.

11 posted on 04/05/2002 4:04:14 PM PST by jwalsh07
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To: jlogajan
Liars for Christ, I calls 'em.

Are you selling t-shirts? And in what colors?

12 posted on 04/05/2002 4:04:17 PM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: jwalsh07
Or put another way, half had no problem with their description.

Or, put it another way yet, less than half had no problem, or was too busy to respond.

13 posted on 04/05/2002 4:06:51 PM PST by VadeRetro
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To: VadeRetro
But we don't know that do we? And why don't we know it? Because like the New York Times, we got only what we needed to know, right?
14 posted on 04/05/2002 4:09:09 PM PST by jwalsh07
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To: jwalsh07
But we don't know that do we?

From the whole, take "more than half" away. What's left? 1) Half. 2) Less than half.

15 posted on 04/05/2002 4:10:28 PM PST by VadeRetro
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Comment #16 Removed by Moderator

To: VadeRetro
So lets the split was 14 to 12. And lets say they picked the population to get this split.

Never mind. If its your propaganda, its good propaganda. I get it.

17 posted on 04/05/2002 4:12:32 PM PST by jwalsh07
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To: lexcorp
Whats suspect is we didn't hear from the people you called liars, no? Perhaps they are liars, perhaps not.
18 posted on 04/05/2002 4:14:23 PM PST by jwalsh07
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To: jwalsh07
Even ten percent of your sources condemning you for misrepresenting them would look bad in scholarly lines of work.
19 posted on 04/05/2002 4:14:43 PM PST by VadeRetro
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To: VadeRetro
From the whole, take "more than half" away. What's left? 1) Half. 2) Less than half

How long did it take?

20 posted on 04/05/2002 4:16:10 PM PST by jwalsh07
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