Oklahoma's Divisive Disclaimer on Evolution

[Peter Rauch]

More definitions and circumscription of "evolution", "fact",
"theory", ...     Peter

Linkname: Oklahoma's Divisive Disclaimer on Evolution
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-12/01/200l-120199-idx.html

[Excerpts follow]

   Oklahoma's Divisive Disclaimer on Evolution
   By Lois Romano
   Washington Post Staff Writer
   Wednesday, December 1, 1999; Page A03
...
   The brouhaha started last month when the Oklahoma State Textbook
   Committee mandated that publishers wishing to do business with the
   state place an unusual disclaimer on all new biology books, stating
   that evolution is a "controversial theory" that refers to the
   "unproven belief that random, undirected forces produced a world of
   living things."
...
   Keating said that he was not a party to the committee's decision, but
   he has publicly supported it. At a recent news conference, he
   proclaimed that he doesn't think he is descended from a baboon, which
   prompted the Tulsa World to bluntly call Keating an "ass" on its
   opinion page.
...
   Caveat for the Classroom

   ... Here is an excerpt:

   * This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory which some
   scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of
   living things, such as plants and humans.

   * No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any
   statement about life's origins should be considered theory, not fact.

   * The word "evolution" may refer to many types of change. Evolution
   describes changes that occur within a species. (White moths, for
   example, may "evolve" into gray moths.) This process is
   microevolution, which can be observed and described as fact. Evolution
   may also refer to the change of one living thing into another, such as
   reptiles into birds. This process, called macroevolution, has never
   been observed and should be considered a theory. Evolution also refers
   to the unproven belief that random, undirected forces produced a world
   of living things.

   © Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company