British Centre for Science Education
Encyclopedia
The British Centre for Science Education (BCSE) is a volunteer-run organization in the United Kingdom
that has the goal of "countering creationism within the UK" and was formed to campaign against the teaching of creationism
in schools.
National Center for Science Education
in a news article on November 2, 2006.
The BCSE protested when the prominent intelligent design
group Truth in Science
sent information packs to every UK secondary school in September, 2006. BCSE estimated that TiS had, at that point, spent around £116,000, including employment of a full-time administrator. In a letter to the editor
, published in the Financial Times
, Ian Lowe of BCSE expressed concern that creationism
could possibly flourish even in Britain; while Mike Brass, then chairman of BCSE, said in a letter to The Guardian
, "intelligent design (ID) is creationism dressed up in a tux to sneak into our science classrooms." They were even mentioned in an "Early Daily Motion" in Parliament introduced by MP Graham Stringer
.
The BCSE features a website on which it tracks leading creationists and creationist organizations, particularly those active in the United Kingdom
. Short descriptive articles appear on each. Essays, news and reports of pro-evolution government lobbying are also featured on the website.
, the Discovery Institute
. In particular, Discovery Institute fellow William Dembski has written disparagingly of the BCSE on his blog, "Uncommon Descent".
A website was started to specifically attack the credibility of the BCSE, called BCSE Revealed.
In turn BCSE devoted a page to responding to David Anderson and his criticisms.
Also, the Discovery Institute website's news feature, Evolution News and Views suggests that the BCSE is closely associated with the National Center for Science Education
and the British Humanist Association
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that has the goal of "countering creationism within the UK" and was formed to campaign against the teaching of creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
in schools.
Activities
The BCSE has been operating since the summer of 2006. Its appearance was noted by the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Center for Science Education
National Center for Science Education
The National Center for Science Education is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is the United States' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes...
in a news article on November 2, 2006.
The BCSE protested when the prominent intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
group Truth in Science
Truth in Science
Truth in Science is a United Kingdom-based creationist organization which promotes the Discovery Institute's "Teach the Controversy" campaign. It uses this strategy to try to get intelligent design taught alongside evolution in school science lessons...
sent information packs to every UK secondary school in September, 2006. BCSE estimated that TiS had, at that point, spent around £116,000, including employment of a full-time administrator. In a letter to the editor
Letter to the editor
A letter to the editor is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern from its readers. Usually, letters are intended for publication...
, published in the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, Ian Lowe of BCSE expressed concern that creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
could possibly flourish even in Britain; while Mike Brass, then chairman of BCSE, said in a letter to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, "intelligent design (ID) is creationism dressed up in a tux to sneak into our science classrooms." They were even mentioned in an "Early Daily Motion" in Parliament introduced by MP Graham Stringer
Graham Stringer
Graham Eric Stringer is a British Labour Party politician who is the current Member of Parliament for Blackley and Broughton having previously represented Manchester Blackley from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
.
The BCSE features a website on which it tracks leading creationists and creationist organizations, particularly those active in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Short descriptive articles appear on each. Essays, news and reports of pro-evolution government lobbying are also featured on the website.
Criticism and controversy
The appearance of the BCSE has been met with hostility by the main promoter of intelligent designIntelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
, the Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute
The Discovery Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design...
. In particular, Discovery Institute fellow William Dembski has written disparagingly of the BCSE on his blog, "Uncommon Descent".
A website was started to specifically attack the credibility of the BCSE, called BCSE Revealed.
In turn BCSE devoted a page to responding to David Anderson and his criticisms.
Also, the Discovery Institute website's news feature, Evolution News and Views suggests that the BCSE is closely associated with the National Center for Science Education
National Center for Science Education
The National Center for Science Education is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is the United States' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes...
and the British Humanist Association
British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...