Nature: Bioscience Is Thriving in spite of Academic Freedom

Academic freedom has not meant an end for bioscience in Louisiana even though schools allow a critical examination of Darwin. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.





Joel Kontinen

In 2008, Darwinists warned of the dire consequences of allowing Louisiana schools to examine evolution in a more critical way. It would cause high-tech companies to leave the state, they claimed.

They have since repeated the warning a few times, for instance earlier this year when the Tennessee Academic Freedom Law was debated.

Now, however, Nature published an article that states that bioscience is actually thriving in Louisiana.

Source:

Mascarelli, Amanda. 2012. All Jazzed Up. Nature 486 (7403): 429-431.

“Creationist Bill” in Tennessee and Some Other Interesting Stories in Nature

Tennessee Law: Why Are Darwinists Afraid of Academic Freedom?

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.





Joel Kontinen

During the past few weeks we have witnessed a barrage of not-so-civil comments on what has happened in the state of Tennessee. Bloggers at Huffington Post and elsewhere claim that the doors have now been opened for the teaching of creationism.

However, the Academic Freedom Law that was recently passed merely states:

“Neither the state board of education, nor any public elementary or secondary school governing authority, director of schools, school system administrators, or any public elementary or secondary school principal or administrators shall prohibit any teacher in a public school system of this state from helping students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught within the curriculum framework developed by the state board of education.”

The Law does not allow the teaching of creationism or even intelligent design, but it allows teachers to present evidence both for and against Darwinian evolution.

“This section only protects the teaching of scientific information, and shall not be construed to promote any religious or non-religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs or non-beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or non-religion.”

Similar laws have been passed in nine other states, for instance in Texas, and they have not taken a single state back into the Stone Age.

What they have done is they have (at least in theory) protected teachers from being discriminated against and allowed them to teach their students to think critically.

If there was no controversy about the mechanics of Darwinian evolution, evolutionists would have nothing to worry about. However, their angry comments suggest that the evidence is not all that convincing.

Source:

Zimmerman, Michael. 2012. Tennessee Joins the Anti-Evolution Parade and Ignores the Experts The Huffington Post (23 March).

Want to Promote Academic Freedom?

Joel Kontinen

As evidenced by Ben Stein’s documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, questioning Darwinian evolution has become hazardous for scientists, academics, teachers and students. Recently a British scientist was expelled from the Royal Society for his unorthodox approach to dissenters.

Now, with Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday just around the corner, science journals are praising the man and his achievements while keeping silent on the weaknesses and consequences of his theory.

However, dissent against Darwin has by no means become extinct. Discovery Institute, for instance, is scheduling its Academic Freedom Day on Darwin’s birthday (February 12). The celebrations will include a video and essay contest for high school and college students.

Darwin once stated, "A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question."

His supporters have obviously forgotten the advice he gave. Thus the need for Academic Freedom Day. For more details, go to Academic Freedom Day. com .