On Jan 14, 2005, our local paper reported that a US District Court ruled that a disclaimer in science textbooks in Cobb County, Georgia violated the US constitution.

The stickers read: “This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.”

My initial reaction was along the lines of, “I can’t believe that there are school boards that still think there’s any debate about evolution”. I then learned that in my home state of Alababa, a similar disclaimer has been in science textbooks since 1995.

In 2001 (AD), the Alabama State School Board revised its own version of the “Watch out – Evolution is just a theory disclaimer”, The Alabama Course of Study: Science (ACOSS) Disclaimer currently reads:

The word “theory” has many meanings. Theories are defined as systematically organized knowledge, abstract reasoning, a speculative idea or plan, or a systematic statement of principles. Scientific theories are based on both observations of the natural world and assumptions about the natural world. They are always subject to change in view of new and confirmed observations.

Many scientific theories have been developed over time. The value of scientific work is not only the development of theories but also what is learned from the development process. The Alabama Course of Study: Science includes many theories and studies of scientists’ work. The work of Copernicus, Newton, and Einstein, to name a few, has provided a basis of our knowledge of the world today.

The theory of evolution by natural selection is a controversial theory that is included in this textbook. It is controversial because it states that natural selection provides the basis for the modern scientific explanation for the diversity of living things. Since natural selection has been observed to play a role in influencing small changes in a population, it is assumed that it produces large changes, even though this has not been directly observed. Because of its importance and implication, students should understand the nature of evolutionary theories. They should learn to make distinctions between the multiple meanings of evolution, to distinguish between observations and assumptions used to draw conclusions, and to wrestle with the unanswered questions and unresolved problems still faced by evolutionary theory.

There are many unanswered questions about the origin of life.With the explosion of new scientific knowledge in biochemical and molecular biology and exciting new fossil discoveries, Alabama students may be among those who use their understanding and skills to contribute to knowledge and to answer many unanswered questions. Instructional materials associated with controversy should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered. “

I thought that, if we have to be ruled by a bunch of bible-toting theocrats, at least the disclaimer they forged for the schoolchildren of Alabama advocated a degree of skepticism, even if it is misleading in many respects.

In the same newspaper there was a reasonably well written editorial by Thomas Sowell, with whom I often disagree, about the importance of critical thinking, and how our public schools don’t do a very good job at producing graduates with sound critical thinking skills.

It then struck me that the idea of a disclaimer isn’t a de facto mistake. Rather, the state should require more disclaimers of this sort. Indeed, if there’s one thing that could help the people of Alabama pull our public schools out of the national cellar it has called home for so very long, it would be more skepticism.

Critical thinking begins with the assumption that what someone says may not be the complete truth, that there is always the potential for bias and mistakes. For example, by now, you had better realize that my words are often laced with distortions and misconceptions. The point is that I’m not alone – the same can be said about, well, everything another person communicates to you, whether it’s through verbal or written form.

Such skepticism should be clearly be extended to claims made in science texts. Additionally, you’re harming yourself if you’re not at least a tiny bit skeptical about claims made in the various versions of The Bible, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, on the news and popular media, and through advertisment.

It’s good to be skeptical, it’s the only way we can sort the intellectual wheat from the mountains of chaff that we produce as an evolving species.

Note: Everything Kirk says is a lie. Everything you read in a book might be as well.

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