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Ohio's students need all the facts As the State Board of Education grapples with new science standards for our children, some comment from an industrial scientist who has been involved with the hiring process seems appropriate. Certain advocates of evolution are predicting "dire consequences" if Darwin's theory is not taught as fact. The Columbus Dispatch wrote, in an editorial, "As Ohio competes for eminence in scientific and technological pursuits, the last thing the state needs is to subject itself to ridicule." An article from the same paper quoted an evolutionist as saying, "Biotechnology firms will be the first 'science-dependent' industries to shun or flee Ohio." The most contentious portion of Darwin's theory of evolution (that is, the part suggesting there is evidence that molecules became man) is a small and unimportant fragment of the total science curriculum. To suggest that not teaching molecules-to-man as fact and exposing children to other valid theories (such as intelligent design) will somehow bankrupt Ohio's science and technology programs is absurd. There are numerous areas of science that have nothing to do with evolution, such as chemistry, physics, engineering, electronics and information science. There are no biotechnology firms that base their intellectual property estate on molecules-to-man evolution. The molecules-to-man portion of science is isolated within a small section of ivory-tower academia and is of no functional use in the real world. The critical subjects, including genetic manipulation, adaptation and variation within species, are considered fact by both sides of the debate. Don't be fooled: The argument is about the lack of evidence to support the complexity required to prove molecules-to-man evolution. The argument is not about whether gene mutations or adaptations result in variation and diversity of species over time. What seems absent from this quandary is the original reason for educating our children. The public school system is designed to educate and create citizens capable of independent, critical thinking. The future is built on the foundation that any citizen can be trusted in positions of authority, if the educational system prepares him to be a rational thinker. Certain aspects of education can be thought of as dictatorial - the scheduling of classes is one example. However, learning cannot be accomplished in a system that relies on the slogan, "it's my way because I say so." Public schools should graduate young people who can reason logically and determine answers to questions independently. If the evidence for evolution is so convincing, then allowing a teacher to expose students to the ample body of contrary evidence should serve only to strengthen the argument. Educational excellence is best achieved when foundational truths are presented with corresponding dissenting opinions and with an understanding of the knowledge that formed the ideas. The proposed Ohio sixth-grade life sciences standard No. 4 says, "Know that living cells can only come from other living cells." This statement is made because of the inadequacy of Darwinian evolution to elucidate any viable mechanism for life to originate from nonlife. Intelligent design purports to address this issue (among many others). Censoring the concept will only confuse students, and it will not accurately portray facts well recognized in the biomolecular sciences. Young, of Canal Winchester, has been a research chemist and materials scientist for more than 17 years. |
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