Texas: 19 Out of 20 Science Professors Prefer Science

Dr. Raymond Eve of the University of Texas at Arlington conducted a survey of Texas science professors on whether evolutionary science should be taught or evolutionary science and “intelligent design” both should be taught, and the Dallas Morning News reports that 95% responded that evolutionary science should be taught.

Of course, most science professors should, when asked whether both science and anti-science should be taught together, ought to prefer that science is what students should be taught. It is really quite simple: Texas ought to teach as science those things that have scientific accountability, and refrain from teaching things that are either simple misrepresentations of science or things long known to be bogus religious antievolution objections to science. When one examines what are offered as “weaknesses” by the antievolution crowd, they inevitably are entirely comprised of those two categories of argument, none of which does any student any good to be taught as if they had scientific accountability.

New science standards are expected to be approved early next year by the education board, where a majority of members have voiced support for retaining the current mandate to cover both strengths and weaknesses of major scientific theories, notably evolution, in science courses.

“This is something we’ve been doing for over 20 years in Texas, and we should keep doing it,” said board chairman Don McLeroy, R-College Station.

The same sort of thing was said about slavery and then racial segregation. McLeroy apparently knows his preferred ensemble of religious antievolution objections can’t pass muster for having scientific accountability.

It’s actually pretty good news that the not-thinking-clearly contingent of Texas science professors is as little as 5%. I would have estimated something higher myself.