Evolution Legislation

As the new legislative year gets underway, most of the discussion is about budgets and how to balance them. Lost in the economic talk, though, are the first two anti-evolution bills of 2009.

Oklahoma Senate Bill 320 would require state and local authorities to:

endeavor to create an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that encourages students to explore scientific questions, learn about scientific evidence, develop critical thinking skills, and respond appropriately and respectfully to differences of opinion about controversial issues.

That doesn't sound too bad, if it was preceded with:

The Legislature further finds that the teaching of some scientific subjects, such as biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning, can cause controversy, and that some teachers may be unsure of the expectations concerning how they should present information on such subjects.

As one of my science heroes (you know you're a geek when you have science heroes) likes to point out, encouraging critical thinking and thoughtful questioning is a good thing in science class. In fact, the ability to ask questions and think critical about the natural world are extremely important tools for a scientist. However, when certain theories of science are singled out for special treatment, we start to run into problems. Probably the biggest is that the statement above gives the impression that scientific questions and evidence should only be explored, critical thinking skills should only be used, and differences of opinion should only be respected when discussing evolution, the origins of life, global warming, or human cloning. If you're studying something like, say, gravity, then there's no need to ask questions. If you're discussing the extinction of wildlife due to overhunting or habitat depletion, don't worry about recognizing or respecting that other people might have a different view than you do. And if you're learning about quantum mechanics, don't bother with looking for evidence.

I'll have more on this later. In the meantime, the amazing folks at the National Center for Science Education have an informative post on this piece of legislation.