Europe Frightened By American Import
Europe has issued a resolution against an “evil American phenomenon”. It’s not pornography or violence in our Hollywood movies. Nor does it have to do with abortion or stem cells. On October 4, 2007, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution titled “The dangers of creationism in education.” The resolution includes twenty points but I think point 11 and 15 are the most important and elegant expressions of the reason why Humanists and others join in the fight to keep evolution taught in our schools:
11. Evolution is not simply a matter of the evolution of humans and of populations. Denying it could have serious consequences for the development of our societies. Advances in medical research with the aim of effectively combating infectious diseases such as AIDS are impossible if every principle of evolution is denied. One cannot be fully aware of the risks involved in the significant decline in biodiversity and climate change if the mechanisms of evolution are not understood.
15.The teaching of all phenomena concerning evolution as a fundamental scientific theory is therefore crucial to the future of our societies and our democracies. For that reason it must occupy a central position in the curriculum, and especially in the science syllabus, as long as, like any other theory, it is able to stand up to thorough scientific scrutiny. Evolution is present everywhere, from medical overprescription of antibiotics that encourages the emergence of resistant bacteria to agricultural overuse of pesticides that causes insect mutations on which pesticides no longer have any effect.
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Good for the Europeans. If the American right succeeds in its quest to send American science back to the dark ages, we will need Europe and the rest of the world to make scientific progress on our behalf.
That’s so sad. I’d love to see in the up coming elections if we could get a candidate to even endorse the two points or the European Resolution I quoted as far as science education in the US is concerned as far as his/her platform. Endorsing ven more of the platform would be outstanding.
Lisa
Thanks for the link to the resolution’s complete text. So refreshing to see a legislative body resolving to actually advance knowledge and protect the pursuit of it. I also appreciated the opening articles, which make clear that the agenda is not to attack belief, but that belief does not substitute for science. Nice.
In this case it’s America that needs a European import! Sad that so many of my countrymen would denounce it.
Yes I think it is important to make it clear that this resolution is not to attack belief but to to ensure that religious belief is not substituted for science. That is almost as important as protecting the sciences themselves. We really need for people to be clear that teaching evolution is not an attack on religion, it’s just good science.