1. authorbio education: bioscience literacy in the classroom
Tim M. Berra, Separating Religious Fundamentalist "Science" from Science
Ph.D., is By Tim M. Berra
Professor An ActionBioscience.org original article
Emeritus in the
Department of
Evolution, articlehighlights
Ecology, and Evolution is attacked by religious fundamentalists, a small minority, who:
Organismal • refute scientific evidence using Scripture as their sole argument
Biology at Ohio • use political lobbying to force their beliefs on the general public
State University
in Mansfield. • promote confusion and science illiteracy to mask their intentions
He is a two-time
Fulbright ...
more on author
proponents of Intelligent Design and responses to their views by evolutionists, see the 4/02
Natural History article "Intelligent Design?" at
http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/nhmag.html]
Conclusion
Conclusion:
The scientific method is the most successful approach for discovering how the
Science and
natural world operates. Scientific hypotheses are continually tested and re-tested
religion should
before theories are presented to explain the workings of nature. Science does not
not be at odds
try to explain God or the supernatural. Such matters are outside the realm of
since each
science. Science's domain is the natural world and the scientific method has been
function in a
spectacularly successful at discovering knowledge about this world.
different realm.
© 2001, American Institute of Biological Sciences. This article incorporates
ideas from Evolution and the Myth of Creationism by Tim Berra (1990,
Stanford University Press). Educators have permission to reprint articles
for classroom use; other users, please contact editor for reprint permission.
See reprint policy.
About the author: Tim M. Berra, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in the
Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at Ohio State
University in Mansfield. He is a a two-time Fulbright Fellowship recipient
and the author of over 50 scientific papers and five books, most recently
Freshwater Fish Distribution (Academic Press). Dr. Berra received his
Ph.D. in biology from Tulane University in 1969.
http://www.mansfield.ohio-state.edu/~tberra/