Oklahoma is considering a law that protects students from penalty if they argue against established scientific theories:
"...but no student in any public school or institution shall be penalized in any way because the student may subscribe to a particular position on scientific theories," reads the bill [PDF].
The intent is to undermine the teaching of evolution by, apparently, preventing students being penalised if they answer exam questions using their personal religious beliefs instead of accepted scientific truth. Quite why America's religious right is so keen to retard the education of its youth and exactly what they hope thereby to gain remains unclear but if laws like this are passed Oklahoma will become a more dangerous place to live, unable to train medical staff and scientists with the skills necessary to provide proper care or conduct effective research.
It is entirely reasonable to expect students, of all levels, to have their beliefs questioned, challenged and overturned. After all, if they know everything when they arrive at school, what's the point of trying to teach them? The fact is that almost nobody knows everything and allowing students to avoid learning rather seems to defeat the object of the exercise, namely to acquire new knowledge. Students might choose not to take a course that includes content they find objectionable but schools would be failing in their duties if they allowed students to believe and regurgitate nonsense and still to pass their exams.
Final point. Would you want to be treated by an Oklahoma-trained doctor who might, as a result of this legislation, have achieved their qualification whilst maintaining a complete detachment from reality? Neither would I.
