J. Ky. Acad. Sci. 66(2):140-142. 2005. 



Press Release: 



Kentucky Academy of Sciences (KAS) 

 Resolution In Support of Evolution 



At the annual business meeting of the 

 KAS, on November 12, 2005, the KAS re- 

 viewed and reaffirmed past resolutions in 

 support of the teaching of Evolution and 

 unanimously endorsed the American As- 

 sociation for the Advancement of Scienc- 

 es's "Resolution on Intelligent Design 

 Theory" 



The following resolution, already adopted 

 by the Kentucky Academy of Science at the 

 annual business meeting on November 14, 

 1981, was unanimously approved again at its 

 annual business meeting on November 12, 

 2005: 



The Kentucky Academy of Science is op- 

 posed to any attempt by legislative bodies 

 to mandate specific content of science 

 courses. The content of science courses 

 should be determined by the standards of 

 the scientific community. Science involves a 

 continuing systematic inquiry into the man- 

 ifold aspects of the biological and material 

 world. It is based upon testable theories 

 which may change with new data; it cannot 

 include interpretations based on faith or re- 

 ligious dogma. As scientists, we object to at- 

 tempts to equate "scientific creationism" or 

 "intelligent design" with evolution as sci- 

 entific explanations of events. Teaching 

 faith-based models implies that these views 

 are equivalent alternatives among scientists; 

 doing so would be misleading to students. 

 "Scientific creationism" and "intelligent de- 

 sign" are not equivalent to evolution. There 

 is overwhelming acceptance by scientists of 

 all disciplines that evolution (the descent of 

 modern specifies of animals and plants from 

 different ancestors that lived millions of 

 years ago) is consistent with the weight of a 

 vast amount of evidence. The understand- 

 ing of the processes underlying evolution 

 has provided the foundation upon which 

 many of the tremendous advances in agri- 

 culture and medicine and theoretical biol- 

 ogy have been built. Differences among sci- 



entists over questions of how evolution was 

 accomplished do not obscure the basic 

 agreement that evolution has occurred. 



Most people who subscribe to refigious 

 views have developed belief systems that 

 are compatible with evolution. There is a 

 widespread consensus among theologians 

 that biblical accounts of creation are mis- 

 understood if they are treated as literal sci- 

 entific explanations. We fully respect the re- 

 figious views of all persons but we object to 

 attempts to require any religious teachings 

 as science. 



We join the National Academy of Scienc- 

 es, the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science, and the academies of 

 science in many other states in calling for 

 the rejection of attempts to require the 

 teaching of "scientific creationism" and "in- 

 telligent design" as a scientific theory. 



It is further recommended that the Ken- 

 tucky Academy of Science encourages its 

 members and other professional scientific 

 groups to give support and aid to those 

 classroom teachers who present the subject 

 matter of evolution fairly and encounter 

 community objection. We also encourage 

 administrators and individual teachers to 

 oppose the inclusion of nonscientific con- 

 cepts in the science classroom. 



Passed KAS Annual Business Meeting, No- 

 vember 12, 1983. 



And, 



"A Resolution of the Kentucky Academy of 

 Science In Regard to Omitting Evolution 

 Terminology and Teaching in the Public 

 Schools" (1999): 



Whereas the Kentucky Academy of Sci- 

 ence, founded in 1914, is an organization 

 that encompasses all of the accepted sci- 

 entific fields, and 



Whereas the Scientific Method exempli- 

 fies that search for Scientific Understand- 

 ing, and 



140 



