Letters to the Editor: What’s next at Stanford, a conference on flat-Eartherism?

To the editor: As Kellyanne Conway and other enablers of former President Trump claimed they had “alternative� facts to present, they were free to assert that these “facts� were just as good as the ones with evidence. (“Can Stanford tell the difference between scientific fact and fiction? Its pandemic conference raises doubts,� column, Oct. 15)

During my 50-year career as a biology teacher and professor, I was sometimes urged by students to have a debate between evolution and creationism. I turned them down decisively.

The theory of evolution is a scientific fact. On the other hand, creationism is a religious concept, not allowing nor demanding any peer-reviewed evidence to support it.

With that in mind, why Stanford’s president would even consider having a “conference� on the COVID-19 pandemic include fact-free conspiracy theorists and their ilk is beyond my comprehension. Perhaps the university should next host a conference discussing the pros and cons of the concept of a flat Earth.

Jerry Lasnik, Thousand Oaks