For the first time, evolution has made it into Florida's science standards. In case you haven't been following, this comes at a time when several districts were trying to impose anti-evolution rhetoric into the standards with the old "just a theory" canard.
To placate these equivocators, the board decided to remind everyone that it is a scientific theory. Not a bad concession, but why not remind them that gravity is just a theory too?
Not too bad methinks. Students will have to be told what a scientific theory actually is. That can be compared with belief, which is just that.
ReplyDeleteNo, no according to my friend gravity is not a theory, it is a law according to her 8th grade text book (that she still has because she stole it), and Newton has never been proved wrong
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Anyway, I seen this story as well, although the article I cited in my blog seemed a bit slanted. I'm just hoping that a good definition of a scientific theory is provided. If I had a dollar every time someone said to me "It's just a theory...".
You mean aside from Newtonian gravity not being able to account for the motion of Mercury and Einstein fixing Newton's "laws"?
ReplyDeleteNo, no according to my friend gravity is not a theory, it is a law according to her 8th grade text book (that she still has because she stole it), and Newton has never been proved wrong
ReplyDelete...
Anyway, I seen this story as well, although the article I cited in my blog seemed a bit slanted. I'm just hoping that a good definition of a scientific theory is provided. If I had a dollar every time someone said to me "It's just a theory...".