US school's new challenge to Darwin

[rodeodance]

US school's new challenge to Darwin
By Ian Pannell
BBC News, Washington
Wednesday, 9 February, 2005, 15:28 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4248679.stm



They call this "Dutch country", the soft hills and open dales of South Pennsylvania, settled by European migrants three centuries ago.

Map of Pennsylvania
It is a conservative part of the country, overwhelmingly white and Christian, where the old world and the new live side-by-side.

It is an unlikely place for a revolution.

Yet the small town of Dover in York County is at the centre of an argument on the origins of mankind.

The local high school has just become the first in the country to discuss an alternative Darwin's theory of evolution in class, called Intelligent Design..........

[ixion]

1. okay, once again, religion in the guise of psuedo science

cannot be a competitor for scientific theory.

Tell me how they intend to apply scientific method to the this so called 'Intelligent Design'.

Even the name is incorrect. Nature is a genius, but does not necessarily use what we understand as intelligence, so this theory is defunct by default.

But I'm not a rabid fundamentalist xian, so what do I know. :eyes:

[no_hypocrisy]

2. This issue goes far beyond the debate of evolution and creationism.

This is a battle for teaching how to students should think.

Evolution is based upon the principles of science where a theory is created, challenged through tests, results then observed and analyzed, later recorded, and a conclusion reached. That is then recognized as a fact. In other words, doubt is the guiding factor which eventually leads to certainty. Critical thinking is the key.

Creationism is a concept based on faith and belief. You either accept it or you don't. It is immune from challenge by physical observation and testing its premises. One must accept the conclusion of truth without any doubt or suspicion of fallacy.

Therefore, what the fundamentalists, not to mention the neocons, eventually want is a citzenry that will use the principles of creationism in other aspects of their lives, such as accepting as gospel (no pun intended) whatever a lawmaker or leader tells them without being able to doubt his/her veracity. If s/he said it, it must be true. No skepticism, no critical thinking, just a flock of sheep that bends to the will of the powerful.

[atommom]

4. Exactly! This is what I fear they want to do to our schools.

The ID/evolution debate is still going on in Kansas, and our RW AG just said he'd support putting stickers in biology textbooks informing kids that evolution is "just a theory." They really do want to do away with critical thinking, and that scares the hell out of me.

[McKenzie]

3. Wait for the college degrees in ID...

BA(Hons)Intelligent Design...a natural progression for the sort of student who already holds a Diploma in Basket Weaving...well there are already degrees in Divinity so why not develop the silliness even further?

[kypper]

5. Religion is a form of history

Don't demean people who get degrees in religion. It is a very relevent study on mass control as well as a loose interpretation of historical events.

It's similar to getting a degree in ancient roman history; useless for anything but teaching, but a wonderful intellectual pursuit (which is more than I can say for those who get degrees just for getting a job).

[sarcasmo]

6. Religion is a form of Mythology not History.

[kypper]

7. One in the same

It's all in the interpretation.

[sarcasmo]

8. Not one in the same.

Mythology
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -gies
Etymology: French or Late Latin; French mythologie, from Late Latin mythologia interpretation of myths, from Greek, legend, myth, from mythologein to relate myths, from mythos + logos speech —more at LEGEND
Date: 1603
1 : an allegorical narrative
2 : a body of myths: as a : the myths dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people b : MYTHOS 2 <cold war mythology>
3 : a branch of knowledge that deals with myth
4 : a popular belief or assumption that has grown up around someone or something <defective mythologies that ignore masculine depth of feeling —Robert Bly>
- my·thol·o·ger /-j&r/ noun
- my·thol·o·gist /-jist/ noun

Pronunciation Key

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