ATTN: DU Scientists: Petition - "A Scientific Support For Darwinism, And

[kath]

and For Public Schools To Not Teach "Intelligent Design" As Science"

http://shovelbums.org/component/option,com_mospetition/Itemid,506/

From the website:
This petition is in response to the Discovery Institute’s petition "A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism" signed, since 2001, by 400 scientists, as of July 2005. That petition is presented to the public as a scientific endorsement of the religion-based concept of Intelligent Design over Darwinism. Unfortunately, the majority, 83%, of these "scientists" are not schooled in the fields that utilize evolutionary theory in detail, nor even in science, and they are not qualified to present their ideas in a way other than personal opinion. We feel this petition is misleading the public, and we use this petition to show that:

"We, as scientists trained in fields that utilize evolutionary theory, do not believe Intelligent Design to be a fact-based science appropriate for teaching in public schools because it is theistic in nature, not empirical, and therefore does not pass the rigors of scientific hypothesis testing and theory development. As such, we petition that Intelligent Design not be presented in public schools as a viable science within the scientific curriculum."

This view does not represent an atheistic or exclusionary scientific school of thought, and we do not endorse Intelligent Design, or other religious subjects, being prohibited from discussion in the appropriate classroom setting. Indeed many of us belong to religious denominations, and we respect and support individuals’ rights to put evolution, the origins of the universe, and life, into a context that they understand as defined by their religion. Science, however, is not designed to explain or debunk religious concepts that are based in faith, and, as such, religion-based concepts should not be taught as science.

If you are a concerned scientist, anthropologist, archaeologist, etc., I appreciate you making the time to sign this petition.

Where will the petition go? After four days (as a metaphor for the four years it took for the Discovery Institute’s petition) I will print this off and be sending it to the judge of the Dover, PA ID case. If the case goes to the Supreme Court I will also be submitting it there. I am currently in the process of contacting media who are covering the Dover, PA case to let them know of this petitions existence. If you run a related web site you can help our by linking to this petition page.

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So, all you DU scientists, (especially biologists, anthropologists, archeologists, physicians, etc.) go to the site and sign up.
Signatures are coming in at the rate of several per minute right now, with 1275 so far. The petition was put up less than 51 hours ago. There are only 2 days left to go - act now.

[whistle]

1. Time to declare Darwin's laws of evolution...

...instead of Darwin's Theories of evolution

[HereSince1628]

2. Can we not make Darwinian and his ideas the focus of evolution?

No evolutionary scientist would want to refer to Darwin's laws of evolution.

MOreover, focusing on Darwin actually actually moves us backwards in time and knowledge. There is more to evolution than the production of variations (the origin and nature of which Darwin knew not) and natural selection.

You can have variations and natural selection on them until the cows come home, are milked, fed, put to bed, milked again and turned out to pasture and it is absolutely no guarantee that speciation will happen.

[Zynx]

11. It is very difficult to declare anything in science a "law".

[Salviati]

3. You may want to cross post this in the science forum as well...

It will likely stay on the first page of that forum for the next couple of days...

[Angry Girl]

4. LOL! yeah, not too many scientists around anymore

Particularly not in the U.S. *sigh*

[dretceterini]

6. there are plenty around

it's just that the vast majority have as much an agenda as do those behind teaching variations of theology in public schools.

Many scientists simply have no time nor any interest in getting into "political' battles...

[Angry Girl]

13. What I meant was that U.S. scientists are a dying breed

U.S. science is no longer No. 1. U.S. high school students are dropping was behind other nations in the sciences and the number of science grads has been dropping at a horrifying rate in the past couple of decades, particularly with the advanced degrees. Add to this the brain drain being experienced in the scientific fields. Stem cell studies are an example where many scientists are leaving for other countries to pursue their research.

[understandinglife]

5. Done.

Peace.

[kath]

8. Hey, understandinglife, is this petition circulating around your

institution yet? If not, maybe you could do so.

I Googled you the other day after you started your deal about Conyers - great idea, BTW. My hubby the C. Elegans biologist sent the petition to me - he has some connections to some of the genomics types at your fine institution. I asked if he knew you, but he doesn't.

[mzteris]

7. see this, too

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2122588&mesg_id=2122588

Petition......

[Sgent]

9. Someone

look up project Steve. I don't know the address, but they had thousands of scientists named Steve (or Stephanie) who had protested against this exact petition from the Discovery Inst.

[kath]

10. Project Steve is a hoot! Here's the link:

http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/3541_project_steve_2_16_2003.asp

[Old Mouse]

12. But... but...

Darwin thought evolution WAS intelligent design! They have distorted the meaning of the term and again forged a straw man fight!

Don't fight this way, take back the term "intelligent design" Fill the magazines with use of the term until it means evolution again. Otherwise you're just playing into a distracting, dividing political trick.

[kath]

14. kick for the Friday night crowd. Now has 6997 signatures.

petition closes at 200 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

[Iktomiwicasa]

15. It is my understanding

That in scientific terms, only a theory that can be expressed as a mathematical equation is termed a "law"

For example, the circulation of blood through the body is an undisputable, absolutely proven fact, yet it is a called "theory of circulation" because it cannot be expressed as a mathematical equation.

[lindisfarne]

16. Keep signing.My signature was about #1600-just 24 hours ago. Now 7000+ n/t