For Darwin Advocates, Wistar Conference Remains a Pain in the Master Narrative
The 1966 Wistar Institute conference remains, fifty years later, a pain in the master narrative of Darwin advocates. According to their favored story, doubts about the evolutionary mechanism are the exclusive domain of, first of all, those seeking to uphold a particular interpretation of Genesis and, second, the scientifically ignorant. Today marks the anniversary of the conference’s opening, April 25 Read More ›
Darwin’s Poisoned Tree
This article appears in the Fall, 2015 issue of the legal journal Trinity Law Review, Vol. 21 (1), pp. 130-233, published by Trinity Law School. Click here for a PDF of the full article. Introduction The teaching of biological origins in public schools is a contentious and highly debated area of the law. If there is any fixed star of Read More ›
Religion Doesn’t Belong in Public Schools, but Debate Over Darwinian Evolution Does
Zogby Poll: Most Americans Want Strengths and Weaknesses of Darwinism Taught In Schools
This article, published by CNS News, quotes Discovery Institute Senior Fellow John G. West: Dr. John West, associate director of the Center for Science and Culture, said the findings contradict the prevailing notion that “a small group of the uneducated” – as critics charge — drove skepticism over Darwin’s theory. The rest of the article can be found here.
As Texas Goes, So Goes the Nation on Textbooks
Texas last week was the scene of a stirring illustration of democracy at work as the State Board of Education (SBOE) set itself the task of revising standards for science education, debating fundamental controversies in biology, paleontology and chemistry. The radioactive topic of evolution was the center of attention. When the dust settled, the resulting vote left Texas with the Read More ›
Using Religion to Suppress Debate on Evolution
Evolution was back in the headlines this week as the Texas State Board of Education voted 13-2 to require students to “analyze and evaluate” major evolutionary concepts such as common ancestry, natural selection, and mutations, as well as adopting a critical thinking standard calling on students to “critique” and examine “all sides of scientific evidence.” The vote was a loss Read More ›
Texas Improves on Strengths and Weaknesses Language in Science Standards on Teaching Evolution
Austin, TX — Today, the Texas Board of Education chose science over dogma and adopted science standards improving on the old “strengths and weaknesses” language by requiring students to “critique” and examine “all sides of scientific evidence.” In addition, the Board—for the first time— specifically required high school students to “analyze and evaluate” the evidence for major evolutionary concepts such Read More ›
Discovery Institute Honors Charles Darwin With Academic Freedom Day
Discovery Institute today announced the launch of Academic Freedom Day in honor of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday on February 12, 2009. “We’re celebrating Charles Darwin’s birthday by supporting what he supported: academic freedom,” said Robert Crowther, Director of Communications at Discovery Institute. “Like Darwin, we recognize the importance of having an open and honest debate between evolution and intelligent design.” Read More ›
Media Backgrounder: Texas Board of Education Actions on Evolution
This morning the Texas State Board of Education unanimously approved the first reading of new science standards for the state. There seems to be a great deal of confusion in the media about what the Board actually accomplished, and so we are putting out this backgrounder summarizing the Board’s key actions relating to evolution. In a nutshell: The Board refused Read More ›