There are plenty of candidates vying to become the Republican nominee for state superintendent of education in South Carolina — and if Tuesday’s debate was any indication, many of them don’t give a damn about science.
Candidate Sheri Few (below), in particular, supports a proposed state standard that would have students “construct scientific arguments that seem to support and scientific arguments that seem to discredit Darwinian natural selection.”
You can see her spouting her anti-evolution nonsense at 41:35 in the video below:
“Children are not receiving an objective education,” Few said during Tuesday’s debate.
“There was plenty of science and research behind the theory of intelligent design, and yet it is not allowed in the classroom. There is no reason why the scientific theory of intelligent design should not be taught in the classroom alongside the theory of evolution.
“And that way children would receive an objective education and also, for Christian children, could point to their God through the theory of intelligent design.“
Here’s a good reason it shouldn’t be taught in the classroom: It’s not science. It never has been. It’s biggest proponents couldn’t even defend the theory in a highly-publicized court battle. It’s nothing but selective religion.
(And what is she doing admitting that ID would support Christian mythology? She’s not supposed to give away the game plan!)
Several of the other candidates weren’t as openly anti-science, but they stressed the importance of un-teaching children science when they get home from school:
“As far as the state science standards, I believe that we have to teach accurate information to our students, and that involves factual texts, factual information,” said Molly Spearman, executive director of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators.
“As a Christian, I have taken the responsibility to teach my own children at home about our special beliefs and the creation of the world, and I think that is the responsibility of parents to do that in their own home on religious beliefs,” she said.
“Special beliefs” is a great euphemism for bullshit. But at least Spearman wants to do it at home and not in the schools.
What an awful set of Republican candidates to choose from… but what’s new? Go ahead. Pick your poison, South Carolina. If you actually care about the children, though, vote for a Democrat who actually supports strong science standards and opposes taxpayer-funded vouchers in the general election.