Field of Science

How to determine science textbook content in Texas

Just recently TPP wrote about efforts to alterscience textbooks in Texas.  Here’s a comment from one of the people, Karen Beathard, who was appointed to the panel to review the content of science textbooks.  "Creation science based on biblical principles should be incorporated into every biology book."  Well, that’s clear enough.  To Karen the Bible is authoritative, but in science?  Does she care to explain?  “Any statements made were my own personal beliefs.”  Now isn’t that the way to determine the content of science textbooks?  You can see what expertise Karen brings to the textbook panel discussion.  Dear Karen, what makes your own personal beliefs so extra special that they should be presented to every student in Texas?  Does everybody get to have their personal beliefs taught as science?  How about math?  Do you have any personal beliefs about the value of Pi?  The Bible does say that King Solomon had a vase whose circumference was exactly three times its diameter, so on biblical principles pi = 3.  Yes, it’s just an endless non-repeating set of decimals dropped off, so what does it matter?  Once again, like creationism, it just isn’t wrong, it’s useless. 

2 comments:

Bend said...

Let's be fair here, TPP. The biblical reference to Solomon's vase refers to the distance from "brim to brim," which would be the inside diameter. The circumference is described as being measured along the outside, so the ratio of 3 is not necessarily imprecise.

But... the science textbook thing... that is unambiguously disheartening.

Bend said...

Nope. Got the math backwards. The bible is even wronger when it comes to pi and solomon's vase.
Mea culpa.
I'm very sorry to have doubted your fairness.