Author urges Kansas voters to consider science
By DAWNE LEIKER
With just five days to go before Kansas voters head to the polls for primary elections, Brown University biology professor Ken Miller urged Science Cafe participants to consider candidates' positions on science issues as they prepare to vote.
Thursday night's Science Cafe at Cafe Semolino, 110 W. 11th, brought more than 75 people, from scientists and educators to pastors and lay people, together to hear Miller's often humorous and always pointed perspective on what many consider to be irreconcilable differences between science and religion.
Miller, author of "Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God & Evolution," "Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul" and several high school biology textbooks, pointed out the victories of Kansas pro-science candidates in 2000, after he had stumped the state urging voters to support them.
However, in 2004, new members of the Kansas Board of Education set about the task of redefining the word "science."
"One of the members of the board explained that they thought science was biased against non-naturalistic explanations, and they wanted to make science open to non-naturalistic explanations," he said. "I never was sure what that could be unless it was a supernatural explanation, and, lo and behold, that's what the board meant."
The pro-science majority in the Kansas Board of Education increased slightly in 2008, Miller said. The upcoming election will once again put that majority at stake.
"To my colleagues in education who sometimes get impatient with democracy and say the voters just don't understand ... If we in science and education get out of the laboratory and make our case to the American people in plain English for why they should choose science, Americans are going to pick science every time."
Miller said he sees Kansas as a "bellwether of American values" and pointed out the special position Kansas holds in the American psyche.
"No one has ever written a book called 'What's the Matter with Delaware,' " he said drawing a laugh from the crowd.
The Kansas Board of Education elicits national attention, Miller said, "so what happens here matters."
"Ultimately when it comes to electing candidates to the state board, Kansas will decide whether it wants its State Board of Education to focus on culture wars or simply on quality education and quality science education in particular."
President of Kansas Citizens for Science Harry McDonald has been escorting Miller to events across the state, and praised organizers of Hays' Science Cafe for two successful years hosting a variety of speakers.
"Congratulations on being the first Science Cafe in the state," he said. "With the inspiration we have gotten from your community, as of last night, we now sponsor three other Science Cafes in Kansas."
Although Kansas Citizens for Science doesn't endorse political candidates, they have asked each candidate for Kansas School Board to fill out a short questionnaire on science-related issues.
Results of those questionnaires are available at kcfs.org.