Op-Ed: Anti-evolution resolution introduced in Oklahoma House
Rep. Todd Thomsen, has filed two resolutions in the Oklahoma House to oppose the teaching of the theory of evolution at the department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma and to oppose an invitation to Richard Dawkins to speak on Campus.
Sometimes, facts are stranger than fiction, and here are these facts:
HR 1014 − By Thomsen
A resolution disapproving certain actions of the University of Oklahoma regarding the
theory of evolution; distribution.
HR 1015 − By Thomsen
A resolution opposing the invitation to Richard Dawkins to speak at the University of
Oklahoma and encouraging certain discussion; distribution.
Both resolutions were filed on March 3, 2009. To the best of my knowledge, they have not been discussed or voted and they are not binding. It is truly remarkable however, that a politician is trying to tell a scientific institution that it cannot teach science, and that it cannot invite prominent scientists.
The danger here is great. The theory of evolution is not merely a funny story we tell our children to amuse them just before bed.
Not teaching evolution in zoology class, is comparable to not teaching arithmetic in maths class, or not teaching gravity in physics class. In other words, without it, there is simply no science to talk about, just a collection of loose, unrelated facts that make no sense.
The theory of evolution is the basis of biology. Without it, as Dobzhansky is reputed to have said, nothing in biology makes sense. Biology without the theory of evolution is as useless as physics without classical mechanics or relativity.
