Further to “Entomologist surprised his name is included in a retracted anti-Darwin paper (but surely he also wouldn’t want his name appearing on a pro-Darwin paper at present? That’s like just so not keeping up with the news … ): Time Magazine has published a screed that should warm the cockles of the hearts of unionbots everywhere: “Creationism in Schools – On the Taxpayer’s Dime”:
According to Politico, 14 states will spend a collective $1 billion in 2014 on vouchers for private and religious schools that teach kids to mistrust not only the science of evolution, but also cosmology, geology, biology and even math. Twelve other states—including bright blue New York—are considering following their lead.
Occasionally the programs don’t just “teach the controversy,” as their backers like to say, but something darker. Evolution, according to one set of texts, is a “wicked and vain philosophy.” Children are taught to “discuss the importance of a right view of evolution,” a view that does not—no surprise—include an enthusiastic embrace of Darwin.
Note the sly adjective “occasionally.” In short, science writer Jeffrey Kluger didn’t find much, but never think that’d stop him from claiming that “14 states will spend a collective $1 billion in 2014 on vouchers for private and religious schools that teach kids to mistrust not only the science of evolution, but also cosmology, geology, biology and even math.”
Remember the youth slogans of old: Question everything? No more. Now the cry is: Believe anything if a PhD somewhere does.
Kids: Heads up! Disbelieve whatever Jeffrey Kluger tells you. Find other sources instead.
This is a guy who conflates a few schools doing something that he disapproves of (and maybe you and we would too) to the whole whack. If your science education is teaching you to think like Jeffrey Kluger wants, that’s one problem right there. We can wrap it.
Note, we only said “one problem.” The mediocrity swamping education across the United States is no more the fault, exclusively, of Darwin’s defenders than it is of his opponents. The system itself is obsolete. Many kids would learn far more on their own; it’s just we don’t want them learning even half of that. But a school should do more than just slow a kid down at learning stuff that isn’t good for him by wasting his time. – O’Leary for News
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Hat tip: Bioethics.com