October 1, 2008

New Mexico Academy of Science

Statement Concerning Evolution

For more than 100 years the New Mexico Academy of Science has been a strong voice for the teaching of sound science, both in New Mexico's schools and to the general public. This specifically includes the understanding of what science is, and how science is used to learn about the natural world using natural causality. In this spirit, the Academy adopts the following resolution:

Whereas the Theory of Evolution is one of the most thoroughly tested and confirmed scientific theories in existence, and

Whereas the Theory of Evolution has been derived from sound experimental methods and discovery of natural data and is based on natural laws of causality, and

Whereas the process of science requires that only natural causality be considered in science, and

Whereas the natural mechanistic explanations incorporated into the Theory of Evolution are sufficient to explain the presence of the diversity of life on earth, both past and present, and

Whereas the Theory of Evolution has proven to be predictive and evolution, itself, is observed in both nature and in the laboratory, and

Whereas other explanations of the diversity of life known by such names as creationism, intelligent design, and further expressions such as evidence against evolution, alternate interpretations of the data, and so forth, are based not in science but rather in a belief in supernatural causality, unsupported by scientific data, and in opposition to the use of established scientific methods,

Therefore be it resolved that the New Mexico Academy of Science supports all state and national leaders and public officials in their efforts to stop any attempt at replacing or supplementing the teaching of the Theory of Evolution in public education science class venues with any of the above named unscientific beliefs of how life on earth has come to be as it is over several billions of years.

Furthermore be it known that the New Mexico Academy of Science does not present this resolution so as to oppose the practice or beliefs in any religion; the intent of this resolution is to assure that science teaching remains independent of religious, social, and political pressures.

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