State lawmakers prove to be anti-science - Northwest Missourian: Opinion

,,,It appears that Andrew Koenig (R- District 99) wants to redefine those long-held ideas along with several other Republican congressmen.

Last week, Koenig introduced House Bill 1587, the second anti-evolution bill presented in the state legislature in less than a year. The first tried to force the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution at all public schools, including introductory biology courses at colleges. I’ll spare you from much of the pseudo-science BS that occupies much of the text of this bill and focus on phrases that cause serious concern.

One section of the bill forces educational authorities to “...assist teachers in finding more effective ways to present science curriculum where it address scientific controversies.” Now in ordinary circumstances, this language is fairly innocuous. However, in the hands of a religious-minded politician, it’s a chance to inject creationist ideas into public schools. You see, evolution is not a controversy in the scientific community, no matter which way you look at it. As stated before, there is large consensus among professional men of science who have concluded its validity. Does that mean they aren’t open to ideas that are contrary to that evolution? Of course not. Science is founded upon the ability for one to refute and critique its theories by presenting a legitimate, scientific answer to them. If the counter-theory is valid and is consistent with the data, it gains credibility within the scientific community over time. The problem is that evolution has withstood endless scrutiny from all scientific circles for more than 150 years. If you formulated a theory that actually disproved evolution, you would likely win a Nobel Prize for your work,,,

State lawmakers prove to be anti-science - Northwest Missourian: Opinion