Fellow Misanthrope Grubzilla sends us this development in the Kansas Board of Education debacle.
I think the 2 groups really hit the nail on the head with this:
In the statement, as well as in letters to the state board, the groups opposed the standards for singling out evolution as a controversial theory, and also for changing the definition of science itself so that it is not restricted to natural phenomena. (Emphasis added)
The proponents of "alternative" "theories" like Intelligent Design are faulting science for not explaining something it is not designed to explain. They love to point to the drastic changes in scientific knowledge over the years as evidence that evolution may turn out to be wrong altogether. But they are missing the point. Science is never saying, "This is truth." Science is saying, "This is a construct that is supported by and explains the observations of natural phenomena using the available techniques of the time."
Science and religion are not reconcilable, but not because there can't be a God. They are irreconcilable because the definition of faith (believing without having to see) is the direct opposite of the definition of science (trying to describe what can be seen). I wish we would stop wasting time pretending this isn't true.
These nutcases on Kansas Board of Education are battling a straw man that they have erected. In doing so, they are not only striking a blow against their children's ability to see good science, they are providing a terrible example of what folks used to call sophistry. Very depressing indeed.
Bravo to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Teachers Association for sticking it to them.
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5 comments:
Yes, truly unbelievable.
"Changing the definition of science itself so that it is not restricted to natural phenomena" is like... well... I don't know.
But it's unbelievable.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Talking about Intelligent Design in a science class is like talking about nudism in a sewing class. It may make for some interesting discussion, but it's just not relevant.
For a really good time, let's bring this up during tonight's rehearsal.
Wow. I really couldn't agree more with Dave’s take on the matter. Such agreement usually marks the beginning of an unbelievably boring comment. I apologize in advance.
Nonetheless, I will simply say that DC correctly points out that “revealed” truths cannot be interestingly pitted against scientific “truths,” given they are pretty much based on completely different conceptions of what constitutes knowledge.
What I find funny about the situation in Kansas is imagining what the rewriting process of the standards (to comply with the copyright issues) will be like, not to mention the potential implications for testing procedures. It would be great to be a student in Kansas, take the state version of the physics regents having skipped most of the classes throughout the year, get most of the answers “wrong” and then legitimately argue (according to the standards) that your personal and “supernatural” understanding of the laws of physics shows that your answers weren’t actually “wrong” at all. Gimme an A, please. How cool would that be?
Anyhow, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that this news is coming from Kansas. Just think about the fact that the State School Board on which Dr. Abrams (http://www.ksde.org/commiss/bdaddr.html) sits is composed of 10 persons. I wonder what would have happened if there were a tie instead of a 6-4 vote going in favor of the fanatics!? I guess they never thought about why the U.S. Supreme Court has an odd number of Justices. It simply leads me to conclude that much of what Kansas has going for it is chronicled in the TV Series Smallville.
Smallville is filmed in British Columbia, so they don't even have that going for them.
You could do use your argument to get an A, but I think it is easier just to poison your roommate. Smothering also works.
That way you get an A in EVERY class!
I want to change the definition of good looking so I can get laid more....
Dude, with the new 'hawk, you will be drowning in women on Sunday.
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