• You know the ID folk are winning when ... exhibit is "consciously avoiding" intelligent design

    Regarding an evolution exhibit on evolution at the Penn Museum, a key review states,

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    The exhibition promises to break new ground as the first of its kind to address aspects of human evolution in the broad context of mammals, and will be thought-provoking and insightful. It offers the framework and materials to address misconceptions. The [Museum] has the collections and intellectual resources to develop the exhibit. Although consciously avoiding 'intelligent design’ in the exhibit, the ‘future visions’ section creates a forum for addressing controversial themes (cloning). The exhibit could become a lightning rod for anti-evolutionists . . . .”
    —National Science Foundation, Review Panel Summary, November 13, 2003
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    Here's more from the "Surviving: the body of evidence" exhibit promo:

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    If the exhibit succeeds, our visitors will leave knowing that humans are part of the natural world—one species among the many mammals and primates all descended from a common ancestor—and that we are the product of the process of evolution, which has made us functional through a series of compromises, but not perfect, as can be seen in certain human ailments that may be the consequence of our evolution. Our visitors will appreciate the many ways in which our evolutionary past defines our bodies, our minds, our culture, and our destiny. They will understand that human societies and cultures have developed in different ways in response to specific environments around the world, but also in similar ways in response to the same basic human needs. They will have seen that scientists are constantly searching for, finding, and interpreting evidence of the evolutionary process, and they will begin to imagine the impact of future medical and biological developments on human evolution as they join us in exploring our shared history and potential future as human animals. ("Benchmarks", University of Pennsylvania Almanac, April 22, 2008)
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    Wow! One species among many. Peter Singer would love it! I expect anti-evolutionists may not be the only people who have "issues" with that, but we shall see. The problem is that most people will not be able to get past the thick-as-pack-ice political correctness that would prevent the asking of obvious questions, like the origin of the human mind, the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics, the ideal position of the Earth for science discovery ...

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    Submitted by oleary on Wed, 2008-04-30 19:07.