Science and Culture Today Discovering Design in Nature
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Robert Crowther

Reporting on South Carolina Evolution Debate is Wrongly Trying To Make the Debate About Intelligent Design

Columbia South Carolina’s The State newspaper had a preview piece this morning about today’s hearing held by the state’s Education Oversight Committee (EOC) to hear from experts about teaching evolution.

State reporter Bill Robinson spoke at length with CSC policy analyst Casey Luskin last week in order to get more information on the overall debate, and also to better understand Discovery’s position on the issue. Unfortunately his article doesn’t reflect that.

Robinson, through an error of omission, misrepresents Discovery’s science education policy position, which we’ve been consistently clear about. The article, which completely misses the point that the debate in SC has nothing to do with intelligent design, only mentions Discovery once, but like this:

“Casey Luskin said Keller and Sternberg are scientists known to the Institute, which he said takes the position that “intelligent design is a scientific theory that is a good explanation for many aspects of life.”

By not explaining that our position is that we’re opposed to mandating intelligent design Robinson leaves his readers with the impression that is what we’re supporting in SC. Of course, as we’ve made clear, that isn’t true. It remains to be see if The State will do the right thing and issue a clarification. I’ve contacted Robinson but as of yet have not received a reply.

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National Academy Scientist Endorses Language in South Carolina Science Standards Calling for Critical Analysis of Evolution

"Many of the scientific criticisms of which I speak are well known by scientists in various disciplines, including the disciplines of chemistry and biochemistry, in which I have done my work. … South Carolina students would be well served to learn about these scientific criticisms as they do their own critical analysis of the evidence that both supports and challenges neo-Darwinian evolution.” Read More ›

South Carolina Has Historic Opportunity to Adopt Science Standards Calling for Critical Analysis of Evolution

*South Carolina Has Historic Opportunity to Adopt Science Standards Calling for Critical Analysis of Evolution* The South Carolina Education Oversight Committee will hear testimony from two scientists today who will advise them to recommend language for the state’s science standards that calls for students to critically analyze certain aspects of evolutionary theory. Read More ›

New York Times Reports on Differing Opinions on Intelligent Design from Catholic Leaders, Implies that Evolution is a Fact

"New York Times Reports on Differing Opinions on Intelligent Design from Catholic Leaders, Implies that Evolution is a Fact" Second, the latter half of Dean’s and Fisher’s comment –the part seemingly defining what intelligent design is— simply throws up a strawman caricature of intelligent design that does not accurately represent the theory in part or in whole. Intelligent design theorists do not say “life is so complex that it must have been designed by an intelligent source” or a higher power, or a creator, or an alien, or god, or whatever you want to tack on to the end of that particular caricature. Intelligent design theory is NOT an argument based on what we don’t know, but rather an argument from what we DO know. Read the rest at Evolution News & Views, www.scienceandculture.com. Read More ›

Setting the Record Straight on Discovery’s Policy on Teaching Intelligent Design as Mischaracterized in the Weekly Standard

*Setting the Record Straight on Discovery's Policy on Teaching Intelligent Design as Mischaracterized in the Weekly Standard* To repeat in no uncertain terms: it is the long-standing policy of the Discovery Institute that students be required to learn both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of neo-Darwinian theory and chemical evolutionary scenarios for the origin of the first life. It is not the policy of Discovery Institute that schools mandate the teaching of the theory of intelligent design. Read the rest at Evolution News & Views, www.scienceandculture.com. Read More ›

Will New York Times Writer Put Words In Mouth of Catholic Church?

*When It Comes To Evolution Reporting The New York Times Prints All The News That Fits Their Agenda* It's funny that the Times is reporting on an op-ed as if if was the official position of the Vatican. That would be like a reader assuming that Cardinal Schönborn's piece distancing Darwinism from the Church was the view of the New York Times because they published it. Read the rest at Evolution News & Views, www.scienceandculture.com. Read More ›

Discovery Institute Praises School District for Withdrawing Class Misrepresenting Intelligent Design

*Discovery Institute Praises School District for Withdrawing Class Misrepresenting Intelligent Design* "If Americans United really believes that it's OK to teach about intelligent design in philosophy or social studies courses," said Luskin, "we challenge them to join with us to come up with an objective course that can be taught in the El Tejon district. Otherwise, it will become clear that their real goal is the suppression of any discussion of intelligent design in any classroom anywhere in the country." Read the rest at Evolution News & Views, www.scienceandculture.com Read More ›

Then Americans United Okay With Intelligent Design in Philosophy, Now Americans United Seeking To Stamp It Out Across The Board

A California high school has settled out of court with Americans United for Separation of Church and State who had complained and sued over the school’s teaching of an elective philosophy class called “Philosophy of Design.” The settlement orders the district to cancel the class by Friday next week and says: “No school over which the School District has authority, including the High School, shall offer, presently or in the future, the course entitled “Philosophy of Design or “Philosophy of Intelligent Design” or any other course that promotes or endorses creationism, creation science, or intelligent design.”

Clearly, Americans United for Separation of Students from Science is singing a different tune now than they did last year during the Dover trial.

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Discovery Institute Statement to El Tejon School Board About Teaching Intelligent Design and Evolution

*Discovery Institute Statement to El Tejon School Board About Teaching Intelligent Design and Evolution* Thus, the only remedy at this point to avoid creating a dangerous legal precedent is to simply cancel the course. Cancel the course for this year, and then if you want to teach it again next year, take your time, and consult people from all sides to construct a course that everyone agrees on. You could consult people from Americans United, you could consult the Discovery Institute, you could consult other experts, and you could create a philosophy course which people on all sides agree would be acceptable. Then you could re-teach the philosophy course on origins next year. Read the rest at Evolution News & Views, www.scienceandculture.com. Read More ›

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