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Teach the Controversy

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The Teach the Controversy movement proposes an education policy for the public schools that entails presenting to students the actual scientific evidence for and against evolution, and then encouraging students to evaluate the evidence themselves. It is supported by the Discovery Institute, a US pressure group committed to intelligent design, and lawyer Phillip E. Johnson, one of the founders of the intelligent design movement and author of the wedge strategy . In support of this idea proponents point to popular misconceptions on the evidence and alleged factual errors and misrepresentations in current textbooks.

Some opponents regard the movement as a ploy to introduce creationism into the science curriculum and claim that it and the closely allied intelligent design movement are based on philosophical and a priori arguments rather than the scientific evidence for evolution by natural selection. Proponents view such accusations as baseless and conspiracy theory paranoia aimed at stifling debate on the scientific evidence. They claim to find it remarkable that any serious scientist would favor teaching students only evidence that supports macroevolution and believe firmly that there is evidence against it. They suggest that the scientific and educational communities should review their policy and proposed teaching aids, which are quite specific and puportedly nothing to do with creation science.

External links

  • Wired magazine article on Intelligent Design movement:

http://wired-vig.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/evolution.html The Crusade Against Evolution

  • Discovery Institute critique of Wired article and list of alleged misrepresentations:

http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2251

  • Reprint of Washington Post OpEd piece approving of teaching the controversy:

http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2473

  • Discovery Institute's educational position and links:

http://www.discovery.org/csc/scienceEducation/

  • Discovery Institutes's fact sheet discussing the controversy regarding the Cambrian Explosion:

http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/filesDB-download.php?id=119

  • Discovery Institute's fact sheet discussing the controversy regarding whether microevolution can explain macroevolution:

http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/filesDB-download.php?id=118