Re: Dan Laitsch & Creationism in Minnesota

[Scott Hays <shays@telis.org>]

I will not cite your message, Dan.  Thank you for the insightful addendum
to my comments.  I agree -- making an effort to educate the general public
regarding the "nature of science" is critical.  Discussions in California
often hinged on the importance of including an essay on the nature of
science in frameworks and standards.  There were powerful voices suggesting
that it wasn't necessary (too polemic).  Fortunately, in the current
Framework, such a discussion is included.  However, it does not hold a
candle to the 1990 California Science Framework (a document that I
fervently hope many will turn back to when this neo-conservative grip has
had its day).  In that document, an entire chapter was devoted to
explaining what science is (and isn't).

The professional science organizations have testified before the
policy-making bodies of state after state.  Fourteen professional science
societies presented their case against the California Science Content
Standards in 1998 ... and they were not so politely ignored ("That's just
the leadership expressing their personal points of view" ... or something
like it ... was the argument used to dismiss them).  Their perspective has
had varying degrees of success.  Yes ... most science professionals, and
professional science organizations, are fully cognizant of the debate
taking place.

Scott Hays