creationism
My legend avatar Boris and UK creationism
My legend avatar, Boris the Creation Dinosaur, was in G2 yesterday in The Guardian. Even his cousin, Denver the Last Dinosaur, didn't get in G2.
Boris the Creation Dinosaur gets a full page devoted to himself (p.6) in the 6-page feature on creationism in the UK in yesterday's Guardian G2 article Defying Darwin. Unfortunately he isn't on the web version of said article.
Revisiting the Scopes 'Monkey Trial' - radio feature
In 1925, teacher John T. Scopes was tried in Dayton, Tennessee, for teaching evolution in a science classroom. Stephen Jay Gould pointed out a number of misconceptions relating to the trial, and radio feature this week revisited the small town that became known for one of the most famous trials in US history.
In 2008, the year that marked the 150th anniversary of Darwin and Wallace's ideas on evolution by natural selection first being presented, at least seven US states experienced legal challenges to evolution (most of which died) being taught in the science classroom, and in the past decade, many more states have seen teachers subjected to the whims of creationist lobbyists on school boards.
The Creation/Evolution Continuum
Physical anthropologist Eugenie Scott of the National Centre for Science Education explains the variety of beliefs relating to the origin of life and present such views as part of a continuum. Scott's work unfortunately has an over-reliance on Gould's principle of 'Non-Overlapping Magesteria' (NOMA) and typically refrains from outright criticism of non-materialist worldviews, although she is herself an atheist. This NOMA principle is used in much of the NCSE literature as an attempt to persuade religious believers than evolution poses no threat to their religious faith.
Many — if not most — Americans think of the creation and evolution controversy as a dichotomy with "creationists" on one side, and "evolutionists" on the other. This assumption all too often leads to the unfortunate conclusion that because creationists are believers in God, that evolutionists must be atheists.
Creationism in the science classroom - 29% of science teachers say 'yes'
More than a quarter of science teachers polled by Ipsos MORI think creationism should be taught in the science classroom.
Ipsos MORI reports 'Teachers Dismiss Calls For Creationism To Be Taught In School Science Lessons'.
