In the "Name" of Science
  by Steven Mahone

On February 16, 2003, Denver served as host to the annual convention for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Presentations and lectures were delivered by some of the most distinguished scientists in the nation which covered many of the recent discoveries and research being carried out in the physical sciences.

However, the biggest news of the convention came from 220 signatories of a statement concerning the teaching of evolution - it reads:

Evolution is a vital, well-supported, unifying principle of the biological sciences, and the scientific evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the idea that all living things share a common ancestry. Although there are legitimate scientific debates about the patterns and processes of evolution, there is no serious scientific doubt that evolution occurred or that natural selection is a major mechanism of evolution. It is scientifically inappropriate and pedagogically irresponsible for creationist pseudoscience, including but not limited to "intelligent design," to be introduced into the science curricula of the public schools.

It wasn't the content of this statement that caused a stir but the signers themselves -- all were named Steve or Stephanie (in deference to the late Stephen J. Gould who was an eminent author and science educator.) Out of the 220 signatories, nearly all hold PhD's in the sciences, two are Nobel Prize winners, and eight belong to the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, executive director of National Center for Science Education, explained the significance of the exercise. "Creationists are fond of amassing lists of PhD's who deny evolution to try to give the false impression that evolution is somehow on the verge of being rejected by the scientific community. Nothing could be farther from the truth." It turns out that scientists named Steve comprise about 1% of professionals in the field, whereas "professional" creationists (of any name!) number far less than even the Steve's. The statement comes in the wake of several recent attempts to undermine evolution education across the country, most notably in Kansas, Ohio, and Georgia.

Steven Weinberg, professor of physics at the University of Texas, Austin, and recipient of the 1977 Nobel Prize in physics, commented, "Of course science isn't decided by manifesto; this statement pokes fun at such efforts. If you want to know whether scientists accept evolution, you should look in the scientific literature. There you find that evolution is alive and well, as a central and unifying principle of science."

Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at MIT, added, "The 220 Steve's and Stephanie's who signed the statement aren't trying to stifle dissent, of course. Anyone who did produce solid scientific evidence against evolution would become an instant superstar. The point of the statement is to demonstrate how misleading it is to claim, on the basis of a handful of dissenters, that evolution is a 'theory in crisis.'"

Science and, just as importantly, science education must provide the best explanations we can derive from the data and evidence that stand before us. To dilute such endeavors with uncompromising dogmatic beliefs is to undermine the integrity of our knowledge. The physical laws that govern our universe will remain unchanged for this generation as well as for all the generations that follow. What will change, however, is our understanding of these truths and that will make all the difference in how we answer the beckon call of future discovery.

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