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Friday, June 23, 2006

 

Science Academy endorses statement on teaching evolution

I'm going to quote a large chunk of a press relase from the Australian Academy of Science, about a combined statement of national science academies on the importance of teaching evolution. A link to the actual statement is provided down the end.

The Australian Academy of Science and 66 other national science
academies endorsed a statement yesterday urging parents and teachers to
provide children with the facts about the origins and evolution of life
on Earth.

The statement was drafted by the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) and points out
that 'within science courses taught in certain public systems of
education, scientific evidence, data, and testable theories about the
origins and evolution of life on Earth are being concealed, denied, or
confused with theories not testable by science'.

It continues: 'We urge decision makers, teachers, and parents to educate
all children about the methods and discoveries of science and foster an
understanding of the science of nature. Knowledge of the natural world
in which they live empowers people to meet human needs and protect the
planet.'

Professor Philip Kuchel, Secretary of Science Policy for the Australian
Academy of Science, said: 'There is controversy in some parts of the
world about the teaching of evolution to pupils and students, so this is
a timely statement that makes clear the views of the scientific
community. I hope this statement will help those who are attempting to
uphold the rights of young people to have access to accurate scientific
knowledge about the origins and evolution of life on Earth.'

The IAP statement highlights that 'evidence-based facts about the
origins and evolution of the Earth and of life on this planet have been
established by numerous observations and independently derived
experimental results from a multitude of scientific disciplines', and
that 'even if there are still many open questions about the precise
details of evolutionary change, scientific evidence has never
contradicted these results'.

In listing the facts, the statement indicates that the Earth formed
approximately 4.5 billion years ago and that life appeared on the planet
at least 2.5 billion years ago.

On evolution, it states: 'Since its first appearance on Earth, life has
taken many forms, all of which continue to evolve, in ways which
palaeontology and the modern biological and biochemical sciences are
describing and independently confirming with increasing precision'. The
statement continues: 'Commonalities in the structure of the genetic code
of all organisms living today, including humans, clearly indicate their
common primordial origin'.

The statement acknowledges that 'human understanding of value and
purpose are outside of natural science's scope' and that 'a number of
components - scientific, social, philosophical, religious, cultural and
political - contribute to it'. It adds: 'These different fields owe each
other mutual consideration, while being fully aware of their own areas
of action and their limitations'.

The IAP statement is available on the Academy website at
www.science.org.au/reports/IAP-Evolution.pdf.

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