Happy Atheist Forum

Religion => Creationism/Intelligent Design => Topic started by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 02:16:21 PM

Title: Apologia Biology
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 02:16:21 PM
So. In my daily perusal of freelance writing ads, I came across a call for a writer to create content for a biology course. Upon further inspection, the ad stipulated that it be a "Apologia" based biology course. I had never heard of this before, so I did some Googling. Turns out, it's a creationist textbook.

Here's one module.
(https://apologia.securesites.net/pdfs/sample/biologysample.pdf?zenAdminID=093e159a177f2b912c96e9391facf4dc&zenAdminID=3cf93174c142e6bdb576c86c5f593099&zenAdminID=5fca27dad29c9af73f922b4045074cfe&zenAdminID=e6d1442c5dff3f9eda83970747ce26e2&zenAdminID=e6d1442c5dff3f9eda83970747ce26e2&zenAdminID=e6d1442c5dff3f9eda83970747ce26e2&zenAdminID=e6d1442c5dff3f9eda83970747ce26e2&zenAdminID=af52569ab07ef9d027b144a8cd97a0f7&zenAdminID=7272e4ded36c9947ef54cd5ce2fb5fac)

Now, I have to say that I've never examined creationist material at any length, but I found it pretty surreal to go through this chapter. I found it particularly interesting (distressing?) how they emphasize the distinction between "theory" and "natural law". They make it sound as though, after something "sciencey" has been "proven" a big committee of lab coats rubber stamps the idea into "law". Which is, of course, absurd. This is obviously set up so that they can later make the distinction that evolution is a "theory" and not a "law".

Anyhoo, I thought it might be an interesting case study. I've heard a lot of Creationist arguments before, but I've never really taken a close look at their teaching material.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Tank on May 04, 2012, 02:31:03 PM
I admire your tenacity. I read a couple of pages and started feeling nauseas. 
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Siz on May 04, 2012, 02:54:32 PM
Here's the rub...:

Quote
You see, life is more than a collection of chemicals and information. There is something more.
Scientists have tried to understand what that "something more" is, but to no avail. The secret
ingredient that separates life from nonlife is still a mystery to modern science. Of course, to believers,
that secret ingredient is rather easy to identify. It is the creative power of God. In Genesis 1:20-27,
the Bible tells us that God created all creatures, and then He created man in His own image. Think
about it this way. Suppose you had a bunch of engine and metal parts and you also had instructions
that led you through all of the steps necessary to take those parts and make a working motorcycle.
Could you just throw the parts and the instructions into a pile and make a motorcycle? Of course not.

Even if you had all of the necessary parts as well as all of the instructions, you would still need to
exercise some of your own creative power to follow those instructions and make the motorcycle.
If we were talking about a living organism instead of a motorcycle, we could say that chemicals
are the "parts" that make up the organism and DNA is the instruction set that contains the information
necessary to assemble the parts properly. Nevertheless, if you just threw the chemicals and the DNA
into a big pot, you would not make a life. Some creative power must be exercised in order to take
lifeless chemicals and use the information in DNA to make a living organism. Of course, only God
has such creative power, and that is why all life comes from Him.

Stunning!

Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Tank on May 04, 2012, 02:56:40 PM
^^^ Please tell me you didn't read it all just to find that?
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Siz on May 04, 2012, 03:35:33 PM
Like DJ, I'd never really examined Creationist texts, so I saw this as an opportunity.

Beats working...!  ;D
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Ali on May 04, 2012, 04:25:52 PM
DJ - Did it happen to say what age group this text is geared towards?  The reason that I ask is that on one hand, I would assume that it is aimed at someone who is young, as they sort of talk to them like they are insensible, and assume that they have never studied the natural sciences before.  On the other hand, they use some words that might be difficult for a young elementary school aged child.  Point being, they assume that the reader of this text has the reading skills and comprehension to read and understand the word (for example) "metabolism", but is completely new to science.  What age group would that be?
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 04:42:53 PM
Quote from: Ali on May 04, 2012, 04:25:52 PM
DJ - Did it happen to say what age group this text is geared towards?  The reason that I ask is that on one hand, I would assume that it is aimed at someone who is young, as they sort of talk to them like they are insensible, and assume that they have never studied the natural sciences before.  On the other hand, they use some words that might be difficult for a young elementary school aged child.  Point being, they assume that the reader of this text has the reading skills and comprehension to read and understand the word (for example) "metabolism", but is completely new to science.  What age group would that be?

The ad said it was for an online High School education program. It's probably safe to assume that it'd be material used for home schooling.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Ali on May 04, 2012, 04:46:59 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 04:42:53 PM
Quote from: Ali on May 04, 2012, 04:25:52 PM
DJ - Did it happen to say what age group this text is geared towards?  The reason that I ask is that on one hand, I would assume that it is aimed at someone who is young, as they sort of talk to them like they are insensible, and assume that they have never studied the natural sciences before.  On the other hand, they use some words that might be difficult for a young elementary school aged child.  Point being, they assume that the reader of this text has the reading skills and comprehension to read and understand the word (for example) "metabolism", but is completely new to science.  What age group would that be?

The ad said it was for an online High School education program. It's probably safe to assume that it'd be material used for home schooling.

Aaahhhhhhh.   So it actually is safe to assume that some of them will have been "protected" from studying actual science up to that point.  Got it.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 04:51:51 PM
FYI: I found it on oDesk (http://www.odesk.com), which is a freelance site. Clients post projects and contractors bid on them. Beyond the Creationist thing, I find it  disturbing that they'd have contractors bid on this sort of work. Do you really want to leave your high school material plan in the hands of the lowest bidder? Their budget for 32 lesson plans (complete with 1 hour presentations for each lesson) is $150. I can tell you right now that no writer or content creator worth their salt would even consider touching it for that amount of money. I shudder to think what those poor kids are going to end up with.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Tank on May 04, 2012, 04:55:03 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 04:51:51 PM
FYI: I found it on oDesk (http://www.odesk.com), which is a freelance site. Clients post projects and contractors bid on them. Beyond the Creationist thing, I find it  disturbing that they'd have contractors bid on this sort of work. Do you really want to leave your high school material plan in the hands of the lowest bidder? Their budget for 32 lesson plans (complete with 1 hour presentations for each lesson) is $150. I can tell you right now that no writer or content creator worth their salt would even consider touching it for that amount of money. I shudder to think what those poor kids are going to end up with.
$150/32 =$4.28! per hour of presentation!
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 05:04:46 PM
Quote from: Tank on May 04, 2012, 04:55:03 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 04:51:51 PM
FYI: I found it on oDesk (http://www.odesk.com), which is a freelance site. Clients post projects and contractors bid on them. Beyond the Creationist thing, I find it  disturbing that they'd have contractors bid on this sort of work. Do you really want to leave your high school material plan in the hands of the lowest bidder? Their budget for 32 lesson plans (complete with 1 hour presentations for each lesson) is $150. I can tell you right now that no writer or content creator worth their salt would even consider touching it for that amount of money. I shudder to think what those poor kids are going to end up with.
$150/32 =$4.28! per hour of presentation!

The presentations should be an hour, but I can guarantee you that it'd take much longer to create those presentations. I recently created a 20 minute presentation and I'm sure it took me 5 hours in total to create something that was properly sourced and actually looked appealing (though, I guess if you only use one source, that'll help cut down your time?)

And, in all fairness, there are contractors in India or other countries who can make a decent living at $4/hour. The only trouble is, when it comes to a job that is all about being able to communicate in English effectively (as opposed to doing code work, or something like that), a lot of them really struggle and the work ends up being sub-par. It's why I'm able to charge much more and still get clients. You really do get what you pay for in these cases. I've been hired to go back and edit some of the "cheapie" writing and it's really horrendous sometimes.

It's why I'm afraid the kids who get this lesson are doomed in more way than one.  :(
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Siz on May 04, 2012, 05:05:19 PM
Quote from: Ali on May 04, 2012, 04:25:52 PM
DJ - Did it happen to say what age group this text is geared towards?  The reason that I ask is that on one hand, I would assume that it is aimed at someone who is young, as they sort of talk to them like they are insensible, and assume that they have never studied the natural sciences before.  On the other hand, they use some words that might be difficult for a young elementary school aged child.  Point being, they assume that the reader of this text has the reading skills and comprehension to read and understand the word (for example) "metabolism", but is completely new to science.  What age group would that be?

All 'long' words are explained at some point in the text, so I imagine that it would be aimed at young teens.

Here are some study questions at the end:
Quote6. What is wrong with the following statement?
"Science has proven that energy must always be conserved."
7. Briefly explain the scientific method.
8. Why does the story of spontaneous generation illustrate the limitations of science?
9. Where does the wise person place his or her faith: science or the Bible?
10. Why is the theory of abiogenesis just another example of the idea of spontaneous generation?


And howsabout this little gem:
QuoteWell, if scientific laws are not 100% reliable, what is? The only thing in the universe that is
100% reliable is the Word of God. The Bible contains truths that will never be shown to be wrong,
because those truths come directly from the Creator of the universe.

How nauseous do you feel now?!

There are a full 8 pages given over to 'The Scientific Method' which contains all of the creationist propaganda. Remove these pages - and a few of the study questions- and you are left with what seems to me a fairly decent text.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Tank on May 04, 2012, 05:24:43 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 05:04:46 PM
Quote from: Tank on May 04, 2012, 04:55:03 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 04:51:51 PM
FYI: I found it on oDesk (http://www.odesk.com), which is a freelance site. Clients post projects and contractors bid on them. Beyond the Creationist thing, I find it  disturbing that they'd have contractors bid on this sort of work. Do you really want to leave your high school material plan in the hands of the lowest bidder? Their budget for 32 lesson plans (complete with 1 hour presentations for each lesson) is $150. I can tell you right now that no writer or content creator worth their salt would even consider touching it for that amount of money. I shudder to think what those poor kids are going to end up with.
$150/32 =$4.28! per hour of presentation!

The presentations should be an hour, but I can guarantee you that it'd take much longer to create those presentations. I recently created a 20 minute presentation and I'm sure it took me 5 hours in total to create something that was properly sourced and actually looked appealing (though, I guess if you only use one source, that'll help cut down your time?)

And, in all fairness, there are contractors in India or other countries who can make a decent living at $4/hour. The only trouble is, when it comes to a job that is all about being able to communicate in English effectively (as opposed to doing code work, or something like that), a lot of them really struggle and the work ends up being sub-par. It's why I'm able to charge much more and still get clients. You really do get what you pay for in these cases. I've been hired to go back and edit some of the "cheapie" writing and it's really horrendous sometimes.

It's why I'm afraid the kids who get this lesson are doomed in more way than one.  :(
I get the production ratio for presentations can be anything from 5:1 to 10:1, which makes matters even worse. And that is on top of the support material.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 05:41:08 PM
*nods* Crazy stuff.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: ThinkAnarchy on May 04, 2012, 07:02:52 PM
I had to stop reading. My scientific knowledge is not strong, so the last thing I need is to subconsciously remember some of what is in that pdf.

Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Ali on May 04, 2012, 08:08:41 PM
Quote from: ThinkAnarchy on May 04, 2012, 07:02:52 PM
I had to stop reading. My scientific knowledge is not strong, so the last thing I need is to subconsciously remember some of what is in that pdf.



Hahahahahaha.  True story.  I was talking to my dad about Antartica, and I started rambling about how I had seen this really interesting show about how Antartica used to be a tropical paradise with people and everything.  He was staring at me like I had two heads.  Then I remembered that the "show" I saw that on was actually Alien vs Predator.  Turns out you don't want to take your scientific/archeologic knowledge from that movie.  Whodathunkit?
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 08:18:48 PM
Quote from: Ali on May 04, 2012, 08:08:41 PM
Quote from: ThinkAnarchy on May 04, 2012, 07:02:52 PM
I had to stop reading. My scientific knowledge is not strong, so the last thing I need is to subconsciously remember some of what is in that pdf.



Hahahahahaha.  True story.  I was talking to my dad about Antartica, and I started rambling about how I had seen this really interesting show about how Antartica used to be a tropical paradise with people and everything.  He was staring at me like I had two heads.  Then I remembered that the "show" I saw that on was actually Alien vs Predator.  Turns out you don't want to take your scientific/archeologic knowledge from that movie.  Whodathunkit?

Haha, if it makes you feel any better, that's a common trope for Antarctic fiction. Actually, that's (partly) what my husband is doing his Ph.D on.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Ali on May 04, 2012, 08:24:13 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 08:18:48 PM
Quote from: Ali on May 04, 2012, 08:08:41 PM
Quote from: ThinkAnarchy on May 04, 2012, 07:02:52 PM
I had to stop reading. My scientific knowledge is not strong, so the last thing I need is to subconsciously remember some of what is in that pdf.



Hahahahahaha.  True story.  I was talking to my dad about Antartica, and I started rambling about how I had seen this really interesting show about how Antartica used to be a tropical paradise with people and everything.  He was staring at me like I had two heads.  Then I remembered that the "show" I saw that on was actually Alien vs Predator.  Turns out you don't want to take your scientific/archeologic knowledge from that movie.  Whodathunkit?

Haha, if it makes you feel any better, that's a common trope for Antarctic fiction. Actually, that's (partly) what my husband is doing his Ph.D on.

Oh how interesting!  What is his PhD on?  Themes in literature or somethign?
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 08:32:14 PM
I'm never sure that I have the exact wording right, I think it's "How 20th-Century American Sci-fi texts reflect American cultural identity." I know there's a lot of "Utopia" references (with tropical paradises and whatnot). That's about all I know, though.  :P We'll have to get him over here to explain any further.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Tank on May 04, 2012, 08:37:41 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 08:32:14 PM
I'm never sure that I have the exact wording right, I think it's "How 20th-Century American Sci-fi texts reflect American cultural identity." I know there's a lot of "Utopia" references (with tropical paradises and whatnot). That's about all I know, though.  :P We'll have to get him over here to explain any further.
So how many times have you proof read the text of hubbies work? I read my wife's thesis 4 times in all.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 08:50:18 PM
Quote from: Tank on May 04, 2012, 08:37:41 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on May 04, 2012, 08:32:14 PM
I'm never sure that I have the exact wording right, I think it's "How 20th-Century American Sci-fi texts reflect American cultural identity." I know there's a lot of "Utopia" references (with tropical paradises and whatnot). That's about all I know, though.  :P We'll have to get him over here to explain any further.
So how many times have you proof read the text of hubbies work? I read my wife's thesis 4 times in all.

He just finished his coursework year, so he hasn't started writing his dissertation yet. He did have to come up with a pretty specific outline for his program/grant applications, so I guess it would have been more appropriate for me to say that it  *will* have utopia references. I've helped him with bits of his term papers, though! (erm, but there is a slight possibility that I never did get around to reading his MA thesis)
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: xSilverPhinx on May 05, 2012, 01:04:58 AM
I was able to get through two paragraphs. Where's my prize? ;D (I deserve a prize, don't I?) :-| 
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Squid on May 05, 2012, 01:15:08 AM
Sadly, I've actually read worse that was actually a "textbook" for highschool at a faith academy.  I think it's simply a complete and utter disservice to kids to feed them this crap regardless of one's religious alignment.  Once these kids leave high school and go into college it will be a huge barrier for them.  I remember taking a zoology class and one poor girl was having a very hard time with the population genetics portion which, of course, involved much reading in evolutionary biology.  I remember her sitting there telling me, "so everything I learned is wrong?!".  She was genuinely devastated.  She dropped the class after a a few weeks.  Poor girl was a biology major.  I wonder sometimes what happened to her.  I never saw her again.

I think it is crap like this that plays into the U.S. falling behind in science and mathematics.  It goes up a bit and the down a bit according to indicators but the overall trend has been down...drastically.  That's why I believe folks who were and are on the forefront of brining critical thinking and science literacy to the public are so very important.  It's often a thankless job but important nonetheless.  I personally cannot count the number of times I've lent out and recommended Carl Sagan's book "The Demon Haunted World".  And in every instance the person returned it or bought and read it and expressed how great they thought it was, how eye opening and interesting.  No one had ever taken scientific topics and presented it in a way that was easy to understand and engaging and most importantly, interesting. [/soapbox]

But yeah...that's pretty bad and a bit depressing to read.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Siz on May 05, 2012, 07:36:08 AM
Quote from: Squid on May 05, 2012, 01:15:08 AM
But yeah...that's pretty bad and a bit depressing to read.

I don't think any of you who are apalled by this has read much of it at all.

OK, a naive young person who is not capable of discerning what is propaganda and what is science will be soaking in both equally. But the fact that the author has been unable to interweave the two allows for a total separation - a simple rip-along-the-dotted-line. So the religious message, presumably endorsed by the parents and teachers, is in no way interfering with the facts of biology, except the cleanly seperable denial of the theory of abiogenesis. And this, oddly, is housed within the only religious section quite obviously, and fairly jarringly, pasted in the middle. I acknowledge that this 'scientific method' section is pretty abhorrent, but the biology of the piece into which it was inserted is sound. This a lazy piece of creationist text.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: xSilverPhinx on May 05, 2012, 04:14:16 PM
Quote from: Scissorlegs on May 05, 2012, 07:36:08 AM
Quote from: Squid on May 05, 2012, 01:15:08 AM
But yeah...that's pretty bad and a bit depressing to read.

I don't think any of you who are apalled by this has read much of it at all.

OK, a naive young person who is not capable of discerning what is propaganda and what is science will be soaking in both equally. But the fact that the author has been unable to interweave the two allows for a total separation - a simple rip-along-the-dotted-line. So the religious message, presumably endorsed by the parents and teachers, is in no way interfering with the facts of biology, except the cleanly seperable denial of the theory of abiogenesis. And this, oddly, is housed within the only religious section quite obviously, and fairly jarringly, pasted in the middle. I acknowledge that this 'scientific method' section is pretty abhorrent, but the biology of the piece into which it was inserted is sound. This a lazy piece of creationist text.

I didn't read the whole thing (and don't intend to waste my time doing so), but the author left out that all living things evolve. If he's leaving out a known and well established larger context, then the rest of it can't really be as sound as a normal textbook, written by people who actually know what they're talking about.
Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Siz on May 05, 2012, 07:27:01 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on May 05, 2012, 04:14:16 PM
Quote from: Scissorlegs on May 05, 2012, 07:36:08 AM
Quote from: Squid on May 05, 2012, 01:15:08 AM
But yeah...that's pretty bad and a bit depressing to read.

I don't think any of you who are apalled by this has read much of it at all.

OK, a naive young person who is not capable of discerning what is propaganda and what is science will be soaking in both equally. But the fact that the author has been unable to interweave the two allows for a total separation - a simple rip-along-the-dotted-line. So the religious message, presumably endorsed by the parents and teachers, is in no way interfering with the facts of biology, except the cleanly seperable denial of the theory of abiogenesis. And this, oddly, is housed within the only religious section quite obviously, and fairly jarringly, pasted in the middle. I acknowledge that this 'scientific method' section is pretty abhorrent, but the biology of the piece into which it was inserted is sound. This a lazy piece of creationist text.

I didn't read the whole thing (and don't intend to waste my time doing so), but the author left out that all living things evolve. If he's leaving out a known and well established larger context, then the rest of it can't really be as sound as a normal textbook, written by people who actually know what they're talking about.

Actually, it does touch on Mutation, but says it'll be covered in more detail later in the course... so who knows what gems will be imparted then!?

...But I accept your point.

Title: Re: Apologia Biology
Post by: Squid on May 05, 2012, 08:19:51 PM
It actually starts off okay but then degrades from there.  Once it gets into the more philosphy of science section it takes a downward turn ending up in a discussion of how abiogenesis equates to spontaneous generation (it doesn't btw).  However, it gets better as they move into classification and more into ecology.

...and then it gets to evolution, the "hypothesis, all life on earth descended from one (or a few) 'simple' life form (or forms) that lived on earth billions of years ago and was (were) formed through abiogenesis"

Who can tell me what is wrong with that definition?

And then it spirals into baraminology...which I've written about here before.

So aside from some "solid" biology tidbits, the whole of the module is marred by the "here's what scientists think but they're wrong and here's something better" approach.