Shadowy threats
Ever feel like we're slipping into some new dark ages, what with creationism replacing science in schools, rapidly increasing income inequality and our use of violence as a first resort?
Well I clearly do, and I often ponder at why we might be backsliding so. This post by Kos gives a look at some who are the architects of our feudal future. Serfdom, here we come.
Well I clearly do, and I often ponder at why we might be backsliding so. This post by Kos gives a look at some who are the architects of our feudal future. Serfdom, here we come.
posted by onlooker at 2:09 AM
4 Comments:
I have to disagree that creationism is in any way going to REPLACE science in schools. My mother agrees with you, but even the creationists' own position is that they want it covered side by side with evolutionary theory. Since everyone's talking about it anyways (at least in the media and the bible belt), I see no problem in teaching the controversy in schools and showing creationism/intelligent design for what it is, a philosophy that cannot be scientifically tested. In my experience (in the state of Utah no less) creation recieved about half a period in a week-long evolution unit, and was portrayed by my science teacher as total bunk, but an important part of the history of science (again, the controversy when Darwinism first erupted). What is wrong with that?
what's wrong is that, while the stated goals of the current batch of ID proponents may include "teaching the controversy," these folks don't want to do that with the same purpose that you or I have in mind. I'm generally not against talking about creationism and intelligent design in science class so long as there is criticism of those schools of thought as being unscientific. I'm all for letting science teachers kick the crap out of antiquated or weak-minded ideas. What i fear is the unstated goals of the ID crowd, many of whom are the same people who, embittered by the Supreme Court decision that creationism wasn't suitable for public schools, have waged a long battle against the teaching of evolution. We have these people to blame for the whole Kansas fiasco, idiotic stickers in textbooks warning children that evolution is "just a theory" and general buffoonery on boards of education in many states.
But this isn't just a nuisance. These folks are after undermining the naturalistic explanations of science. If we permit teachers to talk about ID as if it were science, we'll be doing a great disservice, both to all the unlucky students, and to our country, already falling behind in science education. Further, if they win on ID, I'm not sure they'll stop there.
Most science teachers are smart enough to know that ID isn't real science, and I am hard pressed to believe that you could ever pass a law making them talk about it as if it were. Because it's not. It just won't hold water, and though I agree that many ID proponents are trying to undermine evolution, it's a losing battle in my mind. I mean, science vs. non science, who's going to win? So I guess you could say I fall halfway between the two extremes: I support teaching the controversy only. I believe in evolution and I believe the question of an overall intelligence in the universe (and it's possible effects on the universe) is an interesting one that should be explored, but perhaps not in high school biology classes.
And by the way, most of the things in science that we accept as fact, like the structure of atoms or all of quantum theory for instance, is technically relegated to the area of "just a theory" because there are so many things we can't see, can't repeat, and can't really truly prove. They're just very very good theories backed up with a lot of empirical evidence, like evolution.
Maybe I'm being a bit alarmist. But I think not all teachers are on top of the whole science thing (one of my brother's teachers once insisted that the sun is a planet), and some teachers are the same sort of fundamentalist ideologues that are pushing ID. In the hands of a good science teacher, I'm sure ID will be trashed and evolution will be taught well. It's the not-so-good teachers I worry about.
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