Darwin Day, February 12, is just two days away. Up here in Traverse City, MI, an otherwise seemingly liberal community, no celebration is planned. For a while now, I have been attempting to contact STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) promoters and other teachers to see how I may help with Darwin Day. The responses; nothing, nichts, nada.
And, I thought that Evolutionary Biology is science. Not just the washing-machine-programming type of robotics STEM is so fascinated with, but SCIENCE writ large as a fundamental organizing principle.
I just need to rant.
February 12 commemorates the birth of Charles Darwin and by reflection, the fact of Evolution and the Theory of Natural Selection. We recognize on this day that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. Yet, local STEM proponents are eerily silent about this fundamental idea.
From Penn State: 60 percent of high school teachers completely avoid the subject of evolution and only 28 percent present evidence for evolution. Shamefully, 13 percent teach creationism in a favorable way. A well educated population positively impacts the quality of life and failure to teach a fundamental concept in science creates people gullible to the appeals of anti-science charlatans.
Much of this hesitation is due to attacks upon science. An example are 10 anti-evolution bills introduced in states over the last year. Similar are the appeals to deny adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards as well as the orwellian Environmental Literacy Improvement Act from ALEC. Why the push to defend ignorance? Beats me, but if you can sell self imposed ignorance then we have the makings of an incurious "boobocracy" [H.L. Menken's word], unable to question but desirable as consumers.
Just like ALEC legislation, and knowing that teaching evolution in science cannot be stopped, those anti-evolution bills contain the catchphrase ". . . to help students develop critical thinking skills . . ." The ALEC-like language in creationist bills. disguises, under an appeal to fairness, a biased message that fails what is known about learning and mental development and the little fact that science is not fair, just ultimately honest. And, letting the gullible minds of k-12 students decide an issue in which they have no training is utter nonsense. As Judge Jones in Kitzmiller v Dover said " . . . ID's backers have sought to avoid the scientific scrutiny which we have now determined that it cannot withstand by advocating that the controversy, but not ID itself should be taught in science class. This tactic is at best disingenuous and at worst a canard. The goal of the IDM (Intelligent Design Movement) is not to encourage critical thought. . ."
Teaching the fact of evolution inoculates children against anti-science and promotes a curiosity about our natural history. It is the start of a bolony-detection tool kit that is more fundamental than critical thinking. After all, when "critical thinking" adopts the false notion that scientific views of our world are subject to debate rather than actual scientific skepticism, then "critical thinking" loses all value in promoting habits of scientific thought. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that students appreciate factual science by encouraging the study of evolutionary biology within STEM disciplines. Celebrating evolution also demonstrates to teachers that engaging in proper instruction is not controversial and the lessons can be filled with wonder.
After all there is profound wonder in understanding the history of life of earth. As said by Darwin himself; “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” What an amazing perspective that we can celebrate on Darwin Day!
Perhaps the STEM people will decide to celebrate Darwin Day next year, but I'm not holding my breath. I actually wonder if they promote science at all?