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Re: text of new Tenn anti-evol. bill
Ralph L Holloway (rlh2@COLUMBIA.EDU)
Sun, 3 Mar 1996 12:59:07 -0500
On Sun, 3 Mar 1996, Christopher King wrote:
> So Tennessee law will state that evolution must be taught as theory and
> not stated fact. For me this is a nonsense bill since evolution is only
> a theory. Whether someone believes the theory to be fact is another
> issue. All the teacher is supposed to do is give the evidence in an
> objective manner so that the students can decide for themselves. The
> teacher does not in any way have to profess his/her beliefs.
I take this proposed legislation as anything but nonsense. It's a fine
line of interpretation sometimes between "facts" and "theories", and as I
read this bill, it would not be too damn difficult to mistake one for the
other, or to concoct charges of "insubordination" against someone
teaching about human evolution (or any evolution for that matter). At
the very least, the proposed legislation will have a repressive
inhibiting effect
on thought and inquiry, and presentation of subject matter. Consider: if
I say that the "facts" support the "theory" that humans evolved from
Dryopithecine apes (i.e, the facts being the fossil evidence for shared and
derived
anatomical features, homology, potassium-argon dating, faunal correlates,
successions of geological strata or other data), each of those "facts"
can be interpreted as theoretical, and there is the possibility of an
endless spiral as to what is "fact" and what is merely "interpretation".
This is dreadful, outright reactionary legislation.
Ralph Holloway
>
> On Sat, 2 Mar 1996, John Cole. wrote:
>
> > Filed for intro on 01/31/96
> >
> > SENATE BILL 3229
> > By Burks
> > AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
> > 49-5-501 and Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 10, relative to the
> > teaching of the theory of evolution.
> > BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF
> > TENNESSEE:
> > SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter
> > 6, Part 10, is amended by adding the foIlowing new section
> > thereto:
> > >>>> Section 49-6-1012. No teacher or administrator in a
> > local education agency shall teach the theory of evolution
> > except as a scientific theory. Any teacher or administrator
> > teaching such theory as fact commits insubordination, as
> > defined in Section 49-5-501(a)(6), and
> > shall be dismissed or suspended as provided in Section 49-5-511.
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section
> > 49-5-501(a)(6), is amended by redesignating subdivisions (C)
> > and (D) to be subdivisions (D) and (E) and by adding a new
> > subdivision (C), as follows:
> > (C) Violation of the provisions of Section 49-6-1012,
> > relative to the teaching of evolution;
> > SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
> > law, the public welfare requiring it.
> >
> >
> > *****
> > Expected to pass nearly unanimouasly by mid-March
> >
> >
> > --Cheers,
> > John R. Cole
> > (more info from NCSE@crl.com or its pubs......) Sign up--the fight did not
> > end in 1925 or 1987 court rooms!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --Boundary (ID McKcFujw+X6K8eE6gOdmgQ)--
> >
>
>
>
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