4,994
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 29:
Line 29: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Why Conservapedia need to include the "mainstream" view of evolution... somewhere.
::"Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs." (Mark 7:27)
::"Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs." (Mark 7:27)
:[[User:JC|JC]] 09:03, 30 March 2007 (EDT)
:[[User:JC|JC]] 09:03, 30 March 2007 (EDT)
== Why Conservapedia need to include the "mainstream" view of evolution... somewhere. ==
It is often possible to agree on "facts about opinions." For example:
*''regardless of whether the phlogiston theory is or is not true,'' it is a fact that it was the dominant scientific theory of combustion from about 1718, when Stahl developed it, until 1777, when Lavoisier published "Sur la combustion en général."
*''regardless of the medical effectiveness of bleeding,'' at the time of [[George Washington]]'s final illness it was the generally accepted medical treatment for many kinds of illness.
*''regardless of whether or not the Apollo astronauts actually landed on the Moon,'' it is a fact that a large number of people—about 6% of the U. S. population, according to one poll—believe that the landing was a hoax or deception and that it never occurred.
Now, with regard to the theory of evolution, there are a number of facts that we should be able to agree on, ''regardless of whether or not we agree with the theory of evolution.''
*It is a fact that the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences can be taken to represent "mainstream scientific opinion" in the United States. It is a fact that the AAAS issued [http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2002/1106id2.shtml a 2002 statement] opining that "The contemporary theory of biological evolution is one of the most robust products of scientific inquiry.... To become informed and responsible citizens in our contemporary technological world, students need to study the theories and empirical evidence central to current scientific understanding.... the lack of scientific warrant for so-called "intelligent design theory" makes it improper to include as a part of science education." In brief, evolution is the "mainstream" opinion.
*It is a fact that about 15% of the questions in the SAT II Biology test are on evolution and diversity, and the "correct" answers reflect the contemporary theory of evolution.
*It is a fact that the New Jersey [http://www.nj.gov/njded/aps/cccs/science/frameworks/horizontal.doc core curriculum standards], on which the HSPA tests are based, assumes a knowledge of the contemporary theory of evolution. It imposes specific goals: by grade 12, students are expected to "Explain that through evolution the Earth's present species developed from earlier distinctly different species" and "Explain how the theory of natural selection accounts for extinction as well as an increase in the proportion of individuals with advantageous characteristics within a species."
Conservapedia can ''qualify'' what is said about evolution. Conservapedia can make sure that points of view that are unrepresented or underrepresented elsewhere are given a fair, even a preferential presentation.
But if Conservapedia is going to fulfill the goal of being a "trustworthy" educational research, it needs to present the mainstream opinions on evolution so clearly and accurately that a reader can understand them... and, in particular, a student understand them well enough to know which are intended to be the "correct" answers on examinations that are advised for college applicants and that increasingly are required for high school graduation.
I'd add that what imprisons a mind is the notion that, literally, "everyone else believes something." (Orwell: "Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one.") To liberate it, it is sufficient to make it clear that "''not'' everyone else believes this." It's not necessary to go to the opposite extreme. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 21:22, 31 March 2007 (EDT)