Bloom calls it a move to protect “academic freedom.” The Philadelphia Inquirer quotes Bloom as saying, “In the real world, outside of academia, scientific theory is up for all kinds of argument. I don’t think it’s right to exclude any particular kind of argument prima facie. If a student wants to discuss a criticism, he or she should be able to.”
Nothing on the Pennsylvania books forbids the sort of questioning that Bloom says he wants to protect. This isn’t a matter of academic freedom. It’s yet another attempt to force a right-wing religious agenda into public schools.
via A Bad Idea By Design: Pa. Lawmakers Revive Creationism Push | Americans United.
I honestly have no idea what that phrase in bold actually means. I mean, is academia not the real world? Does this real world operate on the same need to establish facts, theories, and other such quantifiable data in order to make a decision?
So help me… if this comes to West Virginia, I’m done. Moving to New Caledonia.