Printer Friendly
The Free Library
19,607,053 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

Creationism call divides Royal Society


Two Nobel prize winners Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
Year Recipient(s)
1969 Ragnar Frisch Jan Tinbergen
1970 Paul A. Samuelson
1971 Simon Kuznets
1972 Sir John R. Hicks Kenneth J.
 - Sir Harry Kroto and Sir Richard Roberts Richard Roberts may refer to:
  • Richard Roberts (engineer) (1789–1864), British engineer
  • Richard Roberts (evangelist), American
  • Richard Roberts (music), English music entrepreneur, Founded record label Too Pure
 - have demanded that the Royal Society sack its education director, Professor Michael Reiss Professor Michael Reiss (born 1960) is a British bioethicist, educator, Anglican priest and journalist.

He is Professor of Science Education at the Institute of Education, London and since 2006 is Director of Education at the Royal Society.
. The call, backed by other senior Royal Society fellows, follows Reiss's controversial claim last week that creationism creationism or creation science, belief in the biblical account of the creation of the world as described in Genesis, a characteristic especially of fundamentalist Protestantism (see fundamentalism).  be taught in schools' science classes.

Reiss, an ordained or·dain  
tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains
1.
a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on.

b. To authorize as a rabbi.

2.
 Church of England Church of England: see England, Church of.  minister, has since alleged he was misquoted. Nevertheless, several Royal Society fellows say his religious views make him an inappropriate choice for the post.

'I warned the president of the Royal Society The President of the Royal Society (PRS) is the elected head of the Royal Society of London. The position is now awarded to a member of the scientific community of the British Commonwealth for a period of five years, and is one of the highest honours that can be bestowed upon a  that his [Reiss] was a dangerous appointment a year ago. I did not realise just how dangerous it would turn out to be,' said Kroto, a Royal Society fellow, and winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize Nobel Prize, award given for outstanding achievement in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, peace, or literature. The awards were established by the will of Alfred Nobel, who left a fund to provide annual prizes in the five areas listed above.  for Chemistry.

Roberts, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Medicine for his work on gene-splicing, was equally angry. 'I think it is outrageous that this man is suggesting that creationism should be discussed in a science classroom. It is an incredible idea and I am drafting a letter to other Nobel laureates - which would be sent to the Royal Society - to ask that Reiss be made to stand down.'

Zoologist Richard Dawkins, a Royal Society fellow, said: 'A clergyman in charge of education for the country's leading scientific organisation - it's a Monty Python sketch.'

A spokesman for the Royal Society rejected the principle that it was inappropriate for a clergyman to hold a senior post at the organisation. 'Michael Reiss's views are completely in keeping with those of the Royal Society,' he said.

The row over Reiss's remarks is the second recent controversy over the society's stance on religion. Fellows, including cancer expert and Nobel Prize winner Sir Paul Nurse, complained about the financial links that had been established between the society and the Templeton Foundation, a conservative US organisation that seeks to establish links between science and religion. The latter funded a lecture course at the society.

Many fellows fear the society, the world's oldest scientific organisation, is failing to take a sufficiently robust stance against the spread of fundamental religions which oppose scientific teachings about the origins of the Earth and humanity. 'The thing the Royal Society does not appreciate is the true nature of the forces arrayed against it and the Enlightenment for which the Royal Society should be the last champion,' Kroto said.
Copyright 2008 guardian.co.uk
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright (c) Mochila, Inc.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:guardian.co.uk
Publication:guardian.co.uk
Date:Sep 14, 2008
Words:394
Previous Article:Humanists sue as exam agency blocks GCSE
Next Article:Mbeki fights for survival after Zuma showdown



Related Articles
Play recounts 1925 `Monkey Trial'.
Ohio public school teacher accused of proselytizing.
Terror or error: is humanity on the eve of destruction?
Fundamentalists 'threaten scientific progress'
Teachers should tackle creationism, says science education expert
Our scientists must nail the creationists
Michael Reiss resigns over call for creationism in science lessons
Testing the heavens

Terms of use | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles