...including the obfuscation.
Barbara Cargill, district 8 representative of the Texas State Board of Education, recently wrote an article addressing the "strengths and weaknesses" language in the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) for science.
I had a hankerin' to write up my own analysis of the article, but I was having trouble getting motivated. Therefore, I was pleased to find that Airtightnoodle already did.
I encourage y'all to go read it. Here's a little taste:
Ms. Cargill is being misleading again here by implying that evolution proponents are scared of their students asking questions about evolution. Unfortunately, some teachers may certainly be scared or a little intimidated, but this is not due to trying to "cover up" any inaccuracies in evolutionary theory. It is due to the backlash that might occur from the students, their parents, other teachers, local religious groups, and so on.
Sad, but true.
I would like to add one thing to Airtightnoodle's excellent analysis. In her article, Cargill stated that "attention is riveted on the idea of universal common ancestry." She then quoted from the Discovery Institute's "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism" list saying that "[c]areful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged."
What Cargill failed to mention is that the signatories of that statement are expressing their skepticism about "the ability of random mutations and natural selection to account for the complexity of life." The statement does not address common ancestry. In fact, several of the signatories have publicly stated that they have no problem with the fact of common ancestry.
This is just another example of the type of obfuscation we have unfortunately come to expect from those who loudly criticize what they do not understand.
They're all hat and no cattle.
posted by Jeremy Mohn
