"No Politics In Science Class Louisiana", 75 Nobelists Plead

As a general rule, scientists prefer to stay out of politics. Again, I say, it’s a general rule. It may not even be generally true anymore, though it was pretty rare even ten years ago for any group of scientists to endorse almost any political position beyond “fund my field of research,” a very limited sort of lobbying usually limited to grant applications.

But Louisiana’s recent “Science Education Act” is so frankly awful that 75 Nobel Laureates have committed their names to the cause of getting it repealed. Senator Karen Carter Peters’ Senate Bill 374 is intended to do just that. According to their press release, which is found on the Repeal Creationism website, these scientists actually represent some 40 percent of living Nobel Prize winners in the sciences (i.e., from the categories physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine).

The Louisiana Science Education Act was widely criticized by both educators and working scientists when it was first introduced in 2008, but passed anyway. Critics say one of its major offenses towards state science standards has been its attempts to undermine evolutionary theory in favour of coddling creationist thinking and fundamentalist religious sensibilities.

Though the scientific explanation for the history and origins of life on Earth is a sore point for some people, the simple, observed fact of inherited genetic change in populations cannot be considered a matter of political orientation or opinion. As just one example, rapid evolutionary change in bacteria and viruses, due to their short generation times, is highly relevant to epedemiology and human health, and an inability for doctors, scientists, and health experts to understand the process could be incredibly dangerous.

Besides the aforementioned signees, several other individuals and organizations have endorsed Bill 374. They include the city of New Orleans (their city council voted unanimously for the repeal), several Louisiana science and biology teachers’ organizations, and more than a half dozen national science organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Furthermore, the Clergy Letter Project, an organization of religious leaders and scientists with over 14,000 members, has supported the bill to repeal the Science Education Act. These individuals want legislators and their fellow citizens to know that their faith is not at odds with science, and anti-science politicos who cite religious conviction as a rationalization for attacks on science education do not speak for them.

The bill should be open for debate at the legislative session opening on Monday. This will be the second attempt to repeal the bill after a 2011 effort failed.

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Photo credit: Eugene van der Pijll via Wikimedia Commons

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Winn A.

11:49AM PDT on Apr 7, 2013

I'm glad so many scientist are getting involved in this fight. Louisiana has to come out of the dark ages for the sake of the next generation.

April 7
send a green star

Christine S.

5:50PM PDT on Sep 30, 2012

Schools should stick to science- let church babble about creationism all they want.

September 30
send a green star

Dorothy N.

5:45PM PDT on Sep 30, 2012

Whoops, spoke too soon and just looked down the thread, lol.

Never mind!

5:44PM PDT on Sep 30, 2012

Lol, Pam W., I think Frank was being facetious.

A religious nut would NEVER want OTHER religions having equal time, just whatever their particular 'right' version was.

pam w.

3:15PM PDT on Mar 15, 2012

Frank...have you actually READ this thread? We're talking about science classes here...

S C I E N C E....not religious mythology.

Kids don't get to "decide" which scientific theories they like or don't like. Do you not see that?

If someone wants to offer comparative religion to a college curriculum....that's different. But nobody should EVER attempt to insert their religious myths into a SCIENCE class.

No WONDER we're lagging behind the rest of the world! What's next? MITHRA? ZEUS? HATHOR? And how they created the world?

March 15
send a green star

Frank H.

10:43AM PDT on Mar 15, 2012

@ Pam W: Hell yes, let's teach creationism and let the kids decide. Teach ALL the different versions from all the different religions and let the kids decide which religion's creation and probably which religion is the best!

10:40AM PDT on Mar 15, 2012

@ Sherrie B: "There are already plenty of scientists and religious scholars out there doing that very thing"

Really? can you tell us who they are and what peer reviewed papers they've published? Before you go and tell me there's a thing against evangelicals and publishing research, Let me introduce you to several doctors:

Dr. Ken Miller

Dr. Francis Collins

They are religious and they get tons published

"Paul Davies has some wonderful books on the subject of intelligent design"

And Erich Van Daniken has really good books on alien life, advanced ET, in "Chariot's of the Gods" and others have books like "Communion". Books mean squat, research and peer reviewed papers are what real science uses

2:07PM PDT on Mar 13, 2012

Diana E.F...."Let them teach creationism all they like - the facts are out there.

+++++++++++++++++++ HELL, NO! Keep their religious magical stories out of my children's science classes! If they want to insist on mythology in science class...let's talk about Zeus, Hera and Mithra! Oh...and don't forget the Ainu giant sea turtle..

Imagine it? We live in a nation where people want to make their children more stupid!