Should evolution be taught in schools?

I actually support evolution... I just don't place blind faith in abiogenisis and stellar evolution.

Where have a breached the fossil record?

I believe in evolution but what created the universe is something I don't think we'll ever know. Maybe it was a God of some sort, it seems a bit odd to me. I mean, what's the universe inside of? What's beyond our universe. :spangled:

thats quite a handy explanation...

We witness the deteriation of stars constantly, from red giants to white dwarfs we've witnessed it all... yet theres no documentation of the birth of stars.

Do you have an explanation for cosmic evolution?

Quite right too - but don't confuse me with blind faith - I'm aware of the evidence so it's not 'blind' and that my opinion is based on the evidence means it isn't 'faith'.

But the actual mechanism by which abiogenesis occured isn't evolution at all, it's merely a prerequisite for evolution.

So, your problem with it is is that it is unlikely that simple self perpetuating chemicals could form and subsequently evolve, yeah?

I can't tell you how this happened - crystal propogation, primordial slime whatever - but I think it probably did - because if it didn't then we need to recourse to magic to explain origins on life, which I think is less probable than primordial soup.

thats cosmic evolution

I actually believe in evolution, I just think theres some fucking huge holes in the theory.

It should be taught as theory not fact.

I always thought it was the theory of evolution? Is it now considered scientific fact?

and what holes are there in this theory?

Disagree - I'm not aware of any significant holes in it that haven't been refuted, and crucially, I'm not aware of any better theory.

How the universe and the very earliest building blocks of life occurred is still subject to debate; suffice to say it could be something simple or something complex, and something simple is more probable. As soon as you've got self replicating chemicals though, you're into evolution and it can explain everything else.

I take it you utterly oppose the teaching of any religious ideas about the origin of life in faith schools as fact then? Because the C of E school I went to taught Adam and Eve as fact.

If you're going to teach something as fact, it may as well be the best theory.

No I'm utterly opposed to the teaching of religious theory as fact in public schools... faith schools are entitled to teach the curriculum of the parents choice.

And there are astronomical holes in evolution cosmic evolution, stellar evolution, abiogenisis, etc. are nothing but speculation...

The only evolution that one can support as fact is microevolution as it's something we've witnessed.... the others are nothing but theories - some are deeply speculative.

some evolution theories are taught as theory... but evolution is taught as fact.

haha are you serious? if it isn't primodial soup then its magic?

Who teaches you science?!?!? duality has no place in scientific experimentation

So teaching of theory as fact is OK provided it's what the parents believe? Doesn't that cripple children educationally if they're taught the world is 5000 years old? Imagine saying that at an interview for a place at a science degree at a Russel group university: you'd get laughed at! A school that teaches that Jews are inferior (read: homosexuals/women) is OK if it's what the parents believe??!!

I think all schools should have to teach both sides of creationism/evolution (properly), and in general children should be taught to question 'truths' and demand evidence before believing in anything. That's what I'll be teaching my children, any religion or political view or whatever is then up to them.

No mythological account of life or earth should be taught as fact at any point, and especially not in formative years where children will tend not to evaluate evidence.

Even if we can't document every step in the evolution of life...that doesn't mean the evolution didn't occur, it means the fossilisation process didn't occur at that particular period. It's not evidence against, it's just lack of evidence for, and it's more than cancelled out by the rest.

Any religious explanation requires magic.

No scientific explanation does; therefore they're all better.

Imagine kids were taught that dragons and such like were on earth during medievil times. It wouldn't happen, however it seems acceptable to teach kids about all this hocus pocus that's written in the bible.

It is a parents right to raise their children to their own beliefs and not your beliefs...

why shouldn't a parent be entitled to teach their children that dragons existed if thats their belief?

You believe that murder is wrong, you teach your children that... yet theres nothing in nature to support this belief.

Our intellect is moulded from the beliefs of our parents.

A parent can do that though, I'm on about schools forcing you to study religion. RE is part of the curriculum, and not going to school is against the law. So what is happening is children are being forced this upon them. It is very old fashioned to have RE as a compulsary subject considering most of the population arn't religious.

So, to clarify, it's OK for a fascist parent to start a BNP school for BNP children, and state money should be used to partially fund it?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Should evolution be taught in schools?

exactly.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Should evolution be taught in schools?

thats not what we're discussing though....

Evolution is taught as fact in schools... when there exists large no collosal holes in the theoy.