The Alligator threw a dart to the State Board of Education Friday regarding its decision to amend proposed state science standards to include the qualifier "scientific theory of" before the term evolution.
I feel obliged to point out that the original version of the proposed standards did not refer to evolution as a fact. In science, theories are never facts and do not become facts. Rather, theories are systems for understanding a set of facts and are judged by how well they provide such understanding. Those of us who opposed the last-minute addition to the standards did so not because we want evolution taught as "fact," but because it was clear those pushing for changes were religiously motivated. It should also be noted that the board rejected an "academic freedom proposal" that would likely have allowed non-scientific alternatives to evolution to be taught in the classroom.
Overall, the new science standards are a giant leap forward for Florida science students, and the State Board of Education, the framers committee and support organizations like the Florida Citizens for Science deserve congratulatory laurels for their efforts.
