A story about me and my new book was published in the Daytona Beach News Journal today. The piece also features quotes from Florida Citizens for Science president Jonathan Smith and Florida Family Policy Council president John Stemberger.
John Stemberger, president of the Orlando-based Florida Family Policy Council, said he doesn’t want teachers to skip the theory, but he wants them to point out its weaknesses, including the lack of fossils that show the arch of evolution. Teachers also should balance evolution with other theories, like intelligent design or the idea that an asteroid brought life to earth, he said.
“Our position is that evolution is a leading scientific theory, but it is a flawed theory and it should be taught with a critical analysis,” Stemberger said.
I try to emphasize that even though I have a strong opinion about the controversy, the book is neutral.
He said he feels it’s crucial for teachers to cover evolution, but don’t expect him to chronicle the history of Florida’s science instruction from that point of view.
“I was very, very careful to tell the story from a neutral standpoint,” Haught said.
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“My book is about history, but it’s also about the present,” Haught said. “I think that’s very important for folks to get a feel for how it happened. This war is not over and it’s not going to be over for many years to come.”