Evolution Must Be Taught in Public Schools

[lawcat]

There is absolutely no need to teach evolution in public schools. Teaching of genetics, cells, and natural selection in beans does the trick sufficiently. There is no need to go further and shove the theory of evolution down people's throat. It's completely unnecessary for proper primary and secondary education in public schools. You can teach young students scientific facts without shoving conclusions down their throats.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by lemit

It is just my feeble way of suggesting to Mr. Kite that we should allow science to go where it will go instead of forcing something possibly of great value in other areas of our life to impose itself upon the teaching of science.

Sorry to interrupt.

I don't see it as an interruption at all.

Thanks for your input!

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by lawcat

There is absolutely no need to teach evolution in public schools.

Ok...why?
Why is it not important to understand that all life changes? Why is this to be omitted?

Teaching of genetics, cells, and natural selection in beans does the trick sufficiently.

Apparently, the trick has not been done.
You do realize that the scientific study of evolution posits natural selection as its major tenet, right?

There is no need to go further and shove the theory of evolution down people's throat. It's completely unnecessary for proper primary and secondary education in public schools. You can teach young students scientific facts without shoving conclusions down their throats.

I agree!
Shoving fossils and massive amounts of data down a child's throat is likely to result in an ignorance-based suffocation.

If, on the other hand, we wish to actually educate the child, it is imperative that we present the truth as established through science. Evolutionary theory is so robust, that your petty remarks have absolutely no effect.

Provide substance, please.

[lawcat]

Evolution is a likelihood theory. It is like Big Bang. You do not tell people that big bang occured. That is idiotic and a lie, because you are not 100% sure. We are dealing with likelihoods, and likelihoods are to be determined by each an every one of us. They are not to be shoved down people's throats as truths by arrogant and ignorant scientists and peddlers of truths. Give me the facts, the 100% truths, and teach me how to reason, and I will deduce for myself how it is. Other than that, Mr. scientist can go screw itself.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by lawcat

Evolution is a likelihood theory. It is like Big Bang. You do not tell people that big bang occured. That is idiotic and a lie, because you are not 100% sure. We are dealing with likelihoods, and likelihoods are to be determined by each an every one of us. They are not to be shoved down people's throats as truths by arrogant and ignorant scientists and peddlers of truths. Give me the facts, the 100% truths, and teach me how to reason, and I will deduce for myself how it is. Other than that, Mr. scientist can go screw itself.

Good luck!
Nothing is 100% certain.

Science has the unique advantage of being able to separate the wheat from the chaff. It's over 90% certain that current evolutionary theory is correct (notice that I reported an illegal figure, but still maintain sanity). Again, if you care to argue this, present your argument!

Otherwise, it's sufficient to ask that you perform your own experiments and report the data. It is science afterall...

[lawcat]

Originally Posted by freeztar

Shoving fossils and massive amounts of data down a child's throat is likely to result in an ignorance-based suffocation.

Well, that is one of the problems with current teaching. We suffocate students with facts, and derivations, without first teaching them how to reason.

[InfiniteNow]

What a strange conclusion. Evolution is the spine on which all of the limbs of biology are hung. Having a grasp of evolution is the single best way to understand how biological systems work and how they change over time, how life shifts, and it also allows one to better predict how life will shift in the future.

Teaching mere facts puts the child at a significant disadvantage, and has the added cost of causing the childs mind to numb over and care less about how their world actually works.

Your argument is akin to saying we should not teach kids about gravity in their physics classes because some people will feel like something is being "shoved down their throat." Further, you seem to suggest that having a child memorize a dictionary is better than teaching them the mechanics of communication and vocabulary. I can't understand how this seems reasonable to any non-indoctrinated mind.


On top of that, evolution is BOTH fact and theory, so there's another flaw in your approach here on this topic (thanks to Galapagos for the link):

Evolution as theory and fact - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Galapagos]

Originally Posted by lawcat

There is absolutely no need to teach evolution in public schools. Teaching of genetics, cells, and natural selection in beans does the trick sufficiently. There is no need to go further and shove the theory of evolution down people's throat. It's completely unnecessary for proper primary and secondary education in public schools. You can teach young students scientific facts without shoving conclusions down their throats.

I completely disagree. In fact, beyond the science, I believe understanding who we are, where we came from, and how our minds were constructed is knowledge that can profoundly and positively change ones political and philosophical views. The fact that our minds were evolved in an environment different from the one we find ourselves in now, for purposes different than the ones that distract us in our day-to-day lives is an important one that can inform ones views on topics such as race, gender, intelligence, responsibility, disease, and yes, even religion.

Secondly, as Inow has noted, and I have in this post, evolution is both fact and theory. Biologists of different stripes observe the evidence, and evolution is and has just been happening; there is so much evidence it is undeniable. Unless you would like to directly and scientifically engage all of the evidence presented thus far in this thread, you won't be convincing anyone of anything.

Originally Posted by lawcat

Evolution is a likelihood theory. It is like Big Bang. You do not tell people that big bang occured. That is idiotic and a lie, because you are not 100% sure. We are dealing with likelihoods, and likelihoods are to be determined by each an every one of us. They are not to be shoved down people's throats as truths by arrogant and ignorant scientists and peddlers of truths. Give me the facts, the 100% truths, and teach me how to reason, and I will deduce for myself how it is. Other than that, Mr. scientist can go screw itself.

No. That evolution happened is not a lie, it is a historical and science fact, the kind the science community is obligated to communicate to the public.

All organisms have descended from common ancestry. Molecular data spanning all domains of life has confirmed this again and again, and it didn't have to. An inconsistency could have been observed, but none have been. IF evolution didn't happen, then we live in a universe in which it looks EXACTLY like evolution happened.

[lawcat]

Originally Posted by Galapagos

All organisms have descended from common ancestry. Molecular data spanning all domains of life has confirmed this again and again, and it didn't have to. An inconsistency could have been observed, but none have been. IF evolution didn't happen, then we live in a universe in which it looks EXACTLY like evolution happened.

bwahahahaha. First, there were simple cells, then there was living mud. Then there were dinosaurs , and then most of life was extinguished. It's all a theory that requires one likelihood after another. It's truth in your head, but do not sell it as a fact to children. It's a likelihood.

Luckily scientists do not set policies, and that's how we want to keep it. Scientists should be locked up in labs and universities, but not in policymaking chambers.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by lawcat

bwahahahaha. First, there were simple cells, then there was living mud. Then there were dinosaurs , and then most of life was extinguished. It's all a theory that requires one likelihood after another. It's truth in your head, but do not sell it as a fact to children. It's a likelihood.

Let's just go ahead and get this out in the open...
Do you see another likelihood with the same or better certainty?

I ask this because your argument is a very popular one with believers of Intelligent Design.
If this is the case, then it's best to come out with it so we can expedite the education. If this is not the case, then are you just being trollish with intention?

If neither of these scenarios fit you, then I suggest that you take a step back and try to figure out why I (and most likely everyone else reading this thread) have interpreted it as such.

Luckily scientists do not set policies, and that's how we want to keep it. Scientists should be locked up in labs and universities, but not in policymaking chambers.

I agree that practicing scientists should not make policy decisions. They should inform policy decisions.