In the Dallas Morning news from Tuesday, we have an interesting editorial from Daniel Foster, physician and professor. Daniel points out that
Six thousand years and 13.7 billion years can not be brought together. What is the child to believe?…The first rule of all ethics is, “Do no harm.” I believe it is harmful, and therefore unethical, to confront our children with two disparate truths considered by anti-evolutionists to be equally true.
I think Daniel hit the nail on the head with this comment. There is no scientific reason to teach, in a science class, that there is evidence for a 6000-10,000 year old earth. If a student brings it up in class, should the teacher address it? Sure. But to promote such discussion about unscientific ideas about origins as part of the state’s standards is ludicrous.
These ridiculous standards have the potential to make Texas a laughing-stock in several respects. Foster states, for example:
If Texas appears to the nation and the world uncommitted to science, we confuse outsiders about whether we mean what we say about improving the quality of the education we offer our youth and about our research aspirations.
Texas’ overall high school graduation rate is among the lowest in the nation. Of Texas high school graduates, only 41 percent are ready for college-level math and only 24 percent are ready for college-level science. Many of our most qualified students now leave the state to go to college, creating a “brain drain.” We claim as a state that we mean to improve, but what message does the proposed action regarding our textbooks convey?
Despite our poor high school graduation rates, Texas actually has several great research universities and top-notch medical centers. It would be a shame for the reputation of these institutions to be damaged as a result of unscientific standards being included in the TEKS.
You can read the rest of the editorial here.
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