先週から話をしているテキサス州教育委員会の理科教育標準の改訂の件で、“sufficiency or insufficiency”という記述が入ったという話を3日前にした。tin-American States Manの報道で以下のようになっていたところについて：
However, the board later approved a motion by board Chairman Don McLeroy, R, College Station, to require students to evaluate the “sufficiency or insufficiency” of scientific theories about common ancestry of different species.これについて、修正のCOPYがネット上にでてきた：
しかし、その後でCollege Station選出の共和党Don McLeroy委員長による「異なる種の共通祖先についての科学理論の十分なところと不十分なところを生徒たちに評価することを義務付ける」動議は承認された。
(7) Science concepts. The student knows evolutionary theory is a scientific explanation for the unity and diversity of life. The student is expected to:"strengths and weaknesses"の代わりに、共通祖先ピンポイントで"sufficiency or insufficiency"が登場するとともに、米国の進化論教育を守るNational Center for Science Educationは"sudden appearance"の出現を指摘する：
A. identify how evidence of common ancestry among groups is provided by the fossil record, biogeography, and homologies including anatomical, molecular and development;
B. describe the sufficiency or insufficiency of common ancestry to explain the sudden appearance, stasis and sequential nature of groups in the fossil record;
化石記録のグループの突如の出現と均衡と順次的な性質を説明する共通祖先の十分性を不十分性を記述すること
C. recognize that natural selection produces change in populations, not individuals;
D. describe the elements of natural selection including inherited variation, the potential of a population to produce more offspring than can survive, and a finite supply of environmental resources resulting in defferential reproductive success;
E. recognize the relationship of natural selection to adaptation, and to the development of diversity in and among species; and
F. recognize the effects of other evolutionary mechanisms including genetic drift, gene flow, mutation and recombination.
[COPY]
It is significant that "sudden appearance" is a creationist catchphrase, associated in particular with young-earth creationist Wendell Bird. During oral arguments in Edwards v. Aguillard, for example, Jay Topkis observed, "those buzzwords come right out of Mr. Bird's lexicon. ... They're his.""Abrupt appearance"とか"sudden apperance"は1987年のEdwards v. Aguillard裁判で創造科学が理科教育に侵入できなくなったために、"Creation"の言い換えとして持ち出された用語である。ちなみに"Design", "Creation", "Abrupt/Sudden Appearance"という３つのステップのうち、インテリジェントデザインが"Design"ステップを、創造科学が"Creation"を、創造科学の緊急退避策が"Abrupt/Sudden Appearance"ステップを受け持つ形になる。
[Victory over "weaknesses" in Texas (2009/01/26) on National Center for Science Education]
"Abrupt Appearance"はCreationの言い換えとして有名だったので、さらに言い換えて"Sudden Appearance"になっているところが、創造論者なテキサス州教育委員長Don McLeroyの微妙な技というところか。
あと、もうひとつ修正があったのだが、こちらは特に問題はなさげに見える：
(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods and equipment during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:
A. know the definition of science and understand its limitations;
化学の定義を知り、限界の理解すること
B. know that hypotheses are tentative and testable statements that must be capable of being supported or not supported by observational evidence. Hypotheses of durable explanatory power which have been tested over a wide variety of conditions are incorporated into theories;
C. know scientific theories are based on natural and physical phenomena and are capable of being tested by multiple independent researchers. Unlike hypotheses, scientific theories are well-established and highly reliable explanations, but they may be subject to change as new areas or science and new technologies are developed;
D. distinguish between hypotheses and scientific theories;
[COPY]
