Evolution in Kansas
Kieran Healey has a good post on the Creationism-Intelligent Design (ID)-Evolution going on in Kansas, as does PZ Myers. The whole affair is absurd, darkly humorous and discouraging. One bit that is especially odd is the use by the Christian Right team of a Turkish Islamic "expert" on Creationism-Evolution flown in at taxpayers' expense.
If it weren't (albeit darkly) humorous, I would worry very much about science education in the US and about things in the broader culture. I don't know how so-called Young Earth Creationists expect to be taken seriously.
ID doesn't worry me per se, though it is pure speculation rather than testable or demonstrable, and that is neither good nor science. It might count as "natural philosophy" in the Early Modern sense used by Galileo and Newton, but ID's method and substance are not what the stuff of modern science.
In the end, if rigorous science, higher maths, and foreign languages were taught intensely, consistently and early on (i.e., a massive, aggressive overall of the entire system of "science" education), well, then I would trade this for the teaching also of Intelligent Design, even in a science setting per se. I think ID is a problem scientifically, but it's not completely mad and at least an attempt is still made to ground thought on observation, critical thinking, and testability.
I don't think that I have to worry about making such a trade, but I would.
If it weren't (albeit darkly) humorous, I would worry very much about science education in the US and about things in the broader culture. I don't know how so-called Young Earth Creationists expect to be taken seriously.
ID doesn't worry me per se, though it is pure speculation rather than testable or demonstrable, and that is neither good nor science. It might count as "natural philosophy" in the Early Modern sense used by Galileo and Newton, but ID's method and substance are not what the stuff of modern science.
In the end, if rigorous science, higher maths, and foreign languages were taught intensely, consistently and early on (i.e., a massive, aggressive overall of the entire system of "science" education), well, then I would trade this for the teaching also of Intelligent Design, even in a science setting per se. I think ID is a problem scientifically, but it's not completely mad and at least an attempt is still made to ground thought on observation, critical thinking, and testability.
I don't think that I have to worry about making such a trade, but I would.
posted by Chicken Pax at 5/07/2005
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