On Oct. 9, OU zoology professor Douglas Mock wrote in the Norman Transcript that “we must educate our citizens to think critically and question everything constructively.”
I wonder how many students in schools, colleges and universities would say they have the academic freedom to critique evolution in their science classes. There should be school district and state polls of high school and university students studying evolution asking, in this class:
1. Is evolution taught as fact, theory, or both fact and theory?
2. Do you have the academic freedom to critique evolution? The same questions should be asked of their instructors.
The following suggested “Origins of Life policy” is a realistic, practical and legal way for local and state school boards to achieve a win-win with regard to evolution teaching.
Even the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Center for Science Education and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State should find the policy acceptable:
“As no theory in science is immune from critical examination and evaluation, and recognizing that evolutionary theory is the only approved theory of origins that can be taught in the [school district/state] science curriculum: whenever evolutionary theory is taught, students and teachers are encouraged to discuss the scientific information that supports and questions evolution and its underlying assumptions, in order to promote the development of critical thinking skills.
“This discussion would include only the scientific evidence/information for and against evolutionary theory, as it seeks to explain the origin of the universe and the diversity of life.”
Never discussing scientific information that questions evolution is teaching evolution as dogma.
David Buckna, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
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Steven Zoeller 7 months, 1 week ago
"David Buckna is a public school teacher in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, and a prolific internet creationist. He has written anti-evolution pieces for TrueOrigins, the ICR, Revolution Against Evolution, and in 1995, even tried to have a piece 'debunking' the theropod origin of birds published in the Journal of Dinosaur Paleontology." -EvoWiki
I'd respect this sort of talk a great deal more if it wasn't motivated by fringe religious convictions, but by a sincere respect for the scientific method. Alas, Buckna's body of work has been thoroughly trashed by real scientists, and this letter, carefully worded as it is, can't disguise his flatly unscientific agenda.
oudaily99 7 months, 1 week ago
Does he honestly believe students don't have the freedom to critique evolution? I don't really understand why he puts it on such a high pedestal, as if it would be sacrilegious to question it. Also, I'm confused about why a letter from someone in Canada has been published in the OU daily?
braceyourself 7 months, 1 week ago
Because The OUDaily isn't xenophobic? I don't see how that's relevant in regards to this specific topic...
mythman 7 months, 1 week ago
I don't understand why we must single out evolution. EVERY scientific concept should be questioned to promote critical thinking skills, including plate tectonic theory, cell theory, germ theory, the theory of relativity, the theory of gravity, acoustic theory, circuit theory and the Kinetic theory of gases. Most, if not all, of these theories will certainly stand to an undergrad's questioning, but it's through critical thinking that students will learn just how and why these things work.
But why stop there? Theory in other non-scientific disciplines should be questioned and analyzed just as much! Literary theory, Film theory, Scoial theory, Critical pedagogy theory, Chess theory and Music theory are all "approved theories," and sometimes they dominate American schools without alternatives even getting mentioned. Challenge our instructors why Music theory only considers twelve notes, instead of twenty four (there's an answer, and a debate)!
oudaily99 7 months, 1 week ago
Xenophobia has nothing to do with my criticism. It's the "Oklahoma" Daily, an "independent student voice." It isn't a international newspaper, and it isn't a tool for people in other parts of the country or world to further their agendas. If those people have opinions, they are free to post comments to let them be known. Leave the authoring of articles to locals.
jkuehn 7 months, 1 week ago
"Leave the authoring of articles to locals."
Sometimes it seems as if the Daily could use some outside help to raise the quality of the journalism, but that's a subject for a different day.
David 7 months ago
The editors should assign a reporter to interview a number of local science teachers, as well as professors from the University of Oklahoma. The subject? Evolution.
Interview a biologist, biochemist, geneticist, zoologist, paleontologist, anthropologist, geologist, geophysicist, astronomer, philosophy of science professor, et al.
Have each educator pick one question from my article "Evolution: The Creation Myth of Our Culture" (www.trueorigin.org/evomyth01.asp) to answer. Publish their answers in a series of articles over the coming weeks.