Critique

I recently made this comment on a classmate's blog, Anna's Political Page: Science Curriculum up for Debate.

I very much enjoyed Anna's post. If Anna can't believe that this debate has continued over the past eleven years, then she will be absolutely blown away to know that this debate goes back even farther! In America, this was a hot topic even in the 1920s, the time of the Scopes Monkey Trial. However at that time, creationism was favored over evolution. My first snag with Anna's argument came when I realized that she had not linked the article that inspired her to write this or any other sources that have shaped her view. It is hard for me to see how she arrived at her conclusion if I cannot walk the path she used to get there.

As far as the argument itself goes, I cannot see much support for it, at least in her post. Anna makes the bold statements that this debate is between,"...scientific fact against religious groups," and that children "...need to know what has been scientifically proven..." However, she gives no support for those statements. The argument would have been stronger had she made a small parenthetical note with a link for extra reading to support her statements. What evidence does support the theory of evolution? Beneficial mutations? A clear fossil record? An accurate dating method? Evolution requires just as much faith to grasp as any religious theory. Anna's wording portrays much more confidence then her supporting facts credit.

Anna also makes the statement, "They want the bible’s creation stories [put] into the books and not evolution." This is true; many do desire creationism to be taught as the only possibility. However, according to a poll posted by CBS, an even greater portion, in fact the majority of Americans, desire for creationism and evolution to be taught side by side as theories. This is the view I hold. It is often beneficial for one to understand another's opposing view.

If this is a question of teaching scientific fact, then let's not teach this subject. If it is a question of producing well rounded students, then lets give them all we've got. After, the students deserve to have access to the information and hold to the idea that they are convinced of.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/22/opinion/polls/main6570