At the annual business meeting of the KAS, on November 11, 2005, the KAS reviewed and reaffirmed past resolutions in support of the teaching of Evolution and unanimously endorsed the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences's "Resolution on Intelligent Design Theory".
The following resolution, already adopted by the Kentucky Academy of Science at the annual business meeting on November 12, 1983, was unanimously approved again at its annual business meeting on November 11, 2005:
Resolution In Support of Evolution
The Kentucky Academy of Science is opposed 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 manifold aspects of the biological and material world. It is abased upon testable theories which may change with new data; it cannot include interpretations based on faith or religious dogma. As scientists, we object to attempts to equate "scientific creationism" or "intelligent design" with evolution as scientific 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 design" 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 understanding of the processes underlying evolution has provided the foundation upon which many of the tremendous advances in agriculture and medicine and theoretical biology have been built. Differences among scientists over questions of how evolution was accomplished do not obscure the basic agreement that evolution has occurred.
Most people who subscribe to religious views have developed belief systems that are compatible with evolution. There is a widespread consensus among theologians that biblical accounts of creation are misunderstood if they are treated as literal scientific explanations. We fully respect the religious views of all person but we object to attempts to require any religious teachings as science.
We join the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement 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 "intelligent design" as a scientific theory.
It is further recommended that the Kentucky 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 concepts in the science classroom.
Passed KAS Annual Business Meeting, 14 November 1981.
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 Science, founded in 1914, is an organization that encompasses all of the accepted scientific fields, and
Whereas the Scientific Method exemplifies that search for Scientific Understanding, and
Whereas this methodology has consistently provided the means of questioning dogma, authoritarianism, and deliberate deception, by championing the spirit of inquiry based on testing, analysis, honest review, criticism and counter criticism and designs for further testing, and
Whereas the advancements of our understanding of the interconnection of the physical properties of our universe coupled with the life forms which together compose our biosphere clearly support that the evolutionary process has functioned and does function in the development, control, and survival of the earth's living beings, and
Whereas to deny the concepts of the known theoretical basis of the evolutionary process to the education arena of our public schools by avoiding or eliminating from the science curriculum any mention of the term evolution and evolutionary concepts would be an affront to an objective inquiry and the understanding of science,
Thereby be it resolved that the Kentucky Academy of Science, in the strongest and most determined ways possible deplores the decision to substitute "change over time" for "evolution" in the state teaching standards, urges that the original working be reinstated, and decries any attempt to remove the teaching of basic evolutionary theory or any scientific concept that may be test and examined in concert with the basic scientific laws an principles that comprise the Scientific Method, and further more be it resolved that the public supported education systems of the Commonwealth be enhanced with complete support of seeking knowledge by every means possible commensurate with known principles of scientific theory, fact, and understanding.
Adopted by the KAS Governing Board November 6, 1999.
Passed unanimously by KAS membership November 6, 1999.