Astroblog: Science Academy endorses statement on teaching evolution

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.