Attacking Science: You Are Doing It Wrong

[rinue]

As usual, there is a fight in Texas to get science classrooms to stop teaching evolution. This is pretty much a constant. It's going before the school board again. Here is an excerpt from the NY Times. (Dr McLeroy is head of the school board).

Dr. McLeroy believes that Earth’s appearance is a recent geologic event — thousands of years old, not 4.5 billion. “I believe a lot of incredible things,” he said, “The most incredible thing I believe is the Christmas story. That little baby born in the manger was the god that created the universe.”

See, I understand that he's using that as a rallying cry, like "well this sounds crazy, but we all believe in that." It's like his killer serve. Only I read it and I think "man, you're right - that sounds pretty crazy" and start feeling like I shouldn't be involved with Christmas any more. NOT THE POINT YOU MEAN TO MAKE, DR MCLEROY.

Comments

[azzy23.livejournal.com]

I've created a new word. "Highrony." It's the conjunction of "High" and "Irony."

That said, technically, that little baby in the manger is *not* the God that created the universe.

[rinue.livejournal.com]

I noted that too, although I think there may be some Christian sects that interpret the doctrine of the trinity to mean that Jesus is the Creator is the Holy Spirit. It all seems very messy.

But that is what makes it a miracle.

Louisiana!

[bluezybunny.livejournal.com]

http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2008/LA/66_louisianas_latest_creationism_5_23_2008.asp

This started out in Louisiana and is spreading. It already looks like they might actually win there, and if they can win there, then Texas can win here.

It's as though the law completely fails to recognize the scientific advances associated with evolution. Evolution is a fact, as observed by variation between children and their parents. Natural selection is the theory.

-Quip

Re: Louisiana!

[rinue.livejournal.com]

Of course they can win here, are you joking? I remember 9th grade biology, and how terrified the (admittedly not great) science teacher was when she started talking about evolution, because everybody started yelling at her, including one idiot who kept saying "do I look like a monkey?" Answer: very much so, sir. And you smell like one too.

I think about half of it is religion and about half of it is a way to bully intellectuals and get away with it.

Re: Louisiana!

[bluezybunny.livejournal.com]

It's 100% religious. You won't find anyone who is not of an abrahamic religion and is also opposed to evolution. Perhaps the bullying is just icing on the cake. I do agree, so-called 'conservativism' these days seems to consist of bemoaning that science is going too fast for them to keep up, so rather than educating themselves, they prefer for us to slow science down. "Wah! I missed my stop at the dark ages! Turn around!"

I don't remember our science teacher ever having trouble with evolution in our school, which is ironic as he had no formal science education and was, in fact, our school's football coach. Which school did you go to? It doesn't suprise me, now, that such a thing would happen, but would probably have gotten me more interested in the subject if I'd known about it then.

-Quip

Re: Louisiana!

[rinue.livejournal.com]

I went to Arts Magnet. (I love that school.)

It's not that the teacher couldn't understand it, or even that she had trouble grasping the concept - although, seriously, she taught me absolutely nothing, and wasn't really cut out for what she was doing. Mostly, it's that because there is "debate" over evolution, lots of people in the class figured out that they didn't have to pay attention and could instead mess with the teacher all period. "Strengths and weaknesses in the theory" equals "I don't have to learn this" in much the same way as "office help" means "free period." I can see how a coach would step in and prevent this kind of hijink.

Re: Louisiana!

[bluezybunny.livejournal.com]

I think she could probably have shut them up much more easily if she had a better idea of what she was talking about:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Story?id=4895114&page=1

"The survey also showed that teachers who had taken more science courses themselves -- and especially those who had taken a course in evolutionary biology -- devoted more class time to evolution than teachers with weaker science backgrounds."

I found out recently that 90% of American science teachers don't possess a formal science education, which is apparently shocking to people in places like Europe where it's near impossible to become an educator without a formal education. Another part of the problem is that fundamentalist parents have been known to incite their children to revolt (or at least step out of the classroom) during evolutionary lectures, so I don't think it's the children alone who are to blame.

-Quip

[treehavn.livejournal.com]

The most incredible thing I believe is the Christmas story.

I know, even as a kid I thought that was kind of silly: "Where were the dinosaurs in the Bible, Miss?"