Answering Diepenbrock's Challenge

By Jason Rosenhouse

George Diepenbrock is a reporter for the Southwest Daily Times, a newspaper in Kansas. At the conclusion of <a href=http://www.swdtimes.com/swdtimes/2005/021805/opinion.html>this recent article</a> about the latest evolution dust-up in Kansas, he offers the following challenge to those who wish to keep ID out of science classrooms:

This scares opponents to death because they are more worried about Kansas gaining criticism from national media as it did in 1999.

Instead opponents should come up with a good argument on why teaching only the evolution theory does not violate the state education science mission statement to make all students lifelong learners who can use science to make reasoned decisions.

Presenting only one life science theory in classes without alternatives breeds ignorance and violates the mission statement.

I have answered his challenge in <a href=http://evolutionblog.blogspot.com/2005/02/responding-to-diepenbrock.html>this blog entry</a> over at <a href=http://evolutionblog.blogspot.com>EvolutionBlog</a>. Whether I have answered successfully I will leave to others to decide.