Friday, April 1, 2016

#1634: Sandra Gade

More bullshit dredged up from the Discovery Institute’s petition A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism. Sandra Gade, a signatory, is an Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, though I have been unable to locate any research in her name. Nor does she have any expertise in any area related to evolution, of course, and there is ample evidence that she doesn’t have much of a clue about what evolution (or science in general) involves.

Gade received a little bit of attention in 2006, when she started a petition to ask the Oshkosh school board for an “advisory referendum” requesting that students learn evidence for and against evolution, in the manner recommended by the Discovery Institute. Of course, the alleged evidence against evolution is not evidence against evolution, but creationist ravings based mostly on misunderstandings, motivated reasoning and poorly developed critical thinking skills (there is a comprehensive selection of PRATTs at her webside (cached)). Nor was Gade really particularly interested in the research- or science part of evolution teaching. Gade was concerned about Jesus. “The way evolution is being taught is antagonistic to students’ religious beliefs,” said Gade, and therefore a apparently a violation of the First Amendment. She also asserted that Wisconsin students are being brainwashed because what Wisconsin students are (ideally) taught is science and fact rather than what Gade wants them to believe, which is not based on science and fact.

At least the schoolboard does not seem to have been impressed.


Diagnosis: Stock denialist, motivated by very typical, fundamentalist reasons. Probably harmless – more village-idiot than David-Barton material.

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