Wednesday, September 4, 2002

I read two items of concern yesterday: Students in Georgia have the lowest SAT scores nationwide and Cal Thomas' comments about evolution and creationism. Both indicate a lack of educational excellence in Georgia.

Creationism shouldn't be taught in public or private schools because it is at best a mythology and at worse intellectual fraud. The Earth wasn't created in six days nor is the Earth only 6,000 years old as any elementary course in geology makes abundantly obvious. Creationism is a mere attempt to dress up a long-loved myth in scientific garb so it sounds scientific.

There is overwhelming independent evidence for evolution. Verification is provided by Mendel's classic work in genetics and the discovery of DNA and how it mutates. All of contemporary biology is based on its fundamental principles.

Cal Thomas is apparently clueless about the fundamental differences between a bona fide scientific theory and a mythology such as creationism or astrology. The former is based on verified rules of inference and validated data collection techniques and the latter is based upon fantasized connections and long-held personal beliefs.

Our constitution grants all of us the right to be as willfully ignorant as we wish, but this isn't the best basis for educational integrity.

Many claims made in the Bible about the physical world are patently wrong as any elementary course in physics and in astronomy shows. Creationism is a bogus attempt to conceal these errors of fact, and this is intellectually dishonest.

Popular superstitions the Earth is flat, the number 13 is bad and the bogus beliefs of creationists are rightfully omitted from educational curricula.

Peter Duran

Fayetteville

Back to Opinion Home Page | Back to the top of the page