RSSThe death of scientific discourse
Jun 08
This article is pretty extreme in it’s messaging, but I do think it brings up valid points. (While I personally don’t mind articles with such strong messaging on top of their discussion, I don’t think it helps promote debate among the opposing camps)
The valid point is that in today’s political climate in the US it’s becoming more and more “politically incorrect” for scientists to speak up. While creationism has many obvious holes from a scientific standpoint, scientists are unwilling to publically discuss this. It’s especially important right now as the “Intelligent Design” folks are pushing their faith-masked-as-facts into schools.
I’m not saying that Evolution doesn’t have holes, but those holes are debated in public to an extreme degree. Let’s give both the same treatment.
Jun 09, 2005 @ 10:02:18
The very discussion of creationism vs. evolution is a violation of church and state. By definition, creationists are ignorant of the scientific basis for evolution. Creationism has a only a religious basis, and thus should not even be up for debate. Therefore, before we can make progress, we have to reposition the debate where it belongs, between creationists and scientists. Make clear that one cannot pick and choose the laws of nature.
Intelligent Design has no basis in either science or religion. It’s a cop out, a bizarre unification between the willful ignorance of creationists and the politically correct agnosticism of scientists. What is there to teach? How do you dedicate equal time to a subject that has no science, religion, history, math or facts of any kind?
When I first heard of ID, I thought it was a tactic by the scientists to bring the creationists back into the discussion. The scientists get to teach modern biology to students as long as they concede that the process of evolution started at some mysterious point that could quite possibly be the result of divine intervention. I would be willing to send my kids to that school, because at least I could set them straight when they got home.