Antievolution & Law and Politics & Media Austringer on 18 Feb 2008 12:28 pm
Florida: Anti-Science Via “Neutrality”
The Pensacola News Journal carried an article with the following quote:
Besides the theory issue, Stemberger said he has other problems with the standards including their reference to evolution as the fundamental underpinning of all biology.
“We’re looking for statements of scientific neutrality,” Stemberger said.
Hopefully, Stemberger will not be accommodated. Science is the antithesis of the sort of neutrality Stemberger appears to favor, where any notion, no matter how at odds with the evidence, may be considered a valid “alternative” viewpoint. Science is all about discriminating the things we can find out are false from the remainder of things that might yet be true. It does so based upon the evidence and upon the community of discourse that examines findings, criticizes conclusions, proposes mechanisms and tests, and conducts those tests.
As given, Stemberger’s statement is straightforward anti-science. Its only possible outcome would be to give students a wholly incorrect understanding of the aims and even the integrity of scientific research.
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on 18 Feb 2008 at 12:56 pm 1.Bob O'H said …
That’s, um, that statement literally made my mind go blank for a moment.
Bob
on 18 Feb 2008 at 2:02 pm 2.Reed A. Cartwright said …
Who is Stemberger?
on 18 Feb 2008 at 3:49 pm 3.Austringer said …
Background on Stemberger
He’s the “John Calvert” of Florida.
on 24 Feb 2008 at 1:40 pm 4.SteveG said …
This is the typical deceitful Orwellian newspeak that creationists use all the time. What Stemberger really means by “We’re looking for statements of scientific neutrality” is “We’re looking for statements against evolution from people with a religious agenda.”