Following is the "final" version of the suggested biology textbook
insert which may be used in all of the states. Hopefully, this is a
statement with which scientists of all persuasions can agree, and
hopefully, all of the states will adopt it.
Thanks for the constructive comments which some of you offered in the
past couple of weeks. All of them were forwarded to a member of the
group working on this insert.
God bless!
Bill Payne
* * * * * * * * *
Suggested Textbook Insert November 24, 1997
ADOPTION OF INSERT TO CORRECT DEFICIENCIES IN CURRENT SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS
WHEREAS, one of the major purposes of science education is to teach the
skills of objective scientific inquiry; and
WHEREAS, in the areas of biological origins, most textbooks have failed
to
provide the correct and/or necessary information for students to assess
the
validity (strengths and weaknesses) of evolutionary theory; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the following corrective insert be pasted into the
inside front cover of all biology textbooks that deal with the question
of
biological origins:
A MESSAGE FROM THE _________________________________________________
This textbook discusses the controversial theory of evolution. As you
study
this material please keep the following in mind:
Although your textbook may give you the impression that scientists
understand
how complex biological molecules formed and evolved into cells, the
truth is
that the atmosphere of the early earth did not favor the formation of
such
molecules, and how they became organized into cells remains one of the
great
unsolved mysteries in science.
Although your textbook may suggest that all animals evolved gradually
from a
primitive ancestral form, the truth is that almost all basic animal
types
("phyla") appeared in the fossil record within a relatively brief
interval
known as the "Cambrian explosion," and that their presumed common
ancestors
have not been found.
Although your textbook may give you the impression that similarities
among
early embryos provide evidence for Darwin's theory, the truth is that
there
are significant differences among these embryos, especially at the
earliest
stages.
Although your textbook presents evidence that the Darwinian mechanism of
natural selection operating on random mutations has produced minor
changes
such as variations in the colors of moths and the sizes of finch beaks,
the
controversial question is whether the same mechanism can account for
major
innovations such as the origin of insects, birds, and scientific
observers in
the first place.
Study hard and keep an open mind. Someday you may contribute to
theories of
how living things appeared on earth.