| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Fredric L. Rice" |
| Date: |
06 Aug 2005 10:10:18 PM |
| Object: |
Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists |
PUBLISHED: Friday, August 5, 2005
Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists
By ERIC BAERREN
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/080505/loc_column001.shtml
Right after Sept. 11, folks tut-tutted over how the Arab world had fallen.
Muslims had a beautiful civilization, they said. They cherished art,
women's rights and science and mathematics. Then they got religion and the
whole thing fell apart.
We're rather better off than that, but, the president this week let us know
which direction we're headed.
Responding to questions, he said that Intelligent Design - warmed-over
creationism - should be taught in science classes alongside evolution.
His reasoning, if you know nothing about the issue, might sound reasonable:
Give kids a chance to weigh both options and let them make up their minds.
As if science classes are the right place for popularity contests.
Unfortunately, Intelligent Design has benefited from its framing as just
another issue pitting religion versus the secular. The truth is far
different.
It isn't conservative-liberal politics. Prominent conservatives have
harshly criticized Intelligent Design. Uberhawk Charles Krauthammer
condemned it in a Time Magazine column earlier this week, adding that any
creationism-based ridicule heaped upon religion wasn't just expected, but
earned.
It's also not a traditional conflict between the godless and the religious.
Scientists of all disciplines and all faiths jibe beliefs in creation and
scientific fact. Only those who exist on the fringe, for whom ignorance is
the ratification of belief, genuinely see this as a conflict of faith and
secularism - the same kind of fear of knowledge credited for the Arab
world's fall from glory.
No, this really is an issue of fruit.
In one hand, you've got an orange (evolution). In the other, you've got an
apple (Intelligent Design).
If you engage in a broad discussion about fruit (why we exist), it's proper
to weigh the two. If you're talking about citrus fruits (science), you
steer clear of apples.
Why? The apple isn't a citrus fruit. It's a fine fruit - it's kept many a
doctor away, and knowledge of how to pie it made mom all-American - it's
just not a member of the citrus family.
The president, however, looked at both and said, "I think this apple just
might be citrus fruit."
Further muddling the issue is that creationists have recently reframed the
issue as evolution's holes and unanswered questions. The point of science
is to fill those holes and answer those questions, however, and 150 years
of discovery since Darwin have given us far more to support evolution than
discredit it.
Regular people can be forgiven if they've bought into the Intelligent
Design dog and pony show, because mainstream reporting on the topic is
nothing more than a game of dueling quotes. Particularly bad was a Detroit
News report last month that concluded with this quote from one of the
quacks at the pro-creationist Discovery Institute:
"The scientific evidence is what will lead the way," (Seth) Cooper said.
"It won't be political maneuvering."
Indeed. The Discovery Institute likes to say that Intelligent Design is
science, even as the same report quoted an e-mail from a high school
student five paragraphs above that said this:
"I'm not sure how connected it is, but next fall (the high school) will be
offering a Bible as Literature class," the student wrote. "Also, I took
(advanced placement) biology this past school year and the program was
already more sensitive to treating evolution as a theory and not a fact. I
believe publicity like this is another way God is getting his truth out."
Of course evolution is a theory. Scientific theories are carefully built on
hypothesis, testing, observation, and coming to a conclusion best fitting
the facts. They also get reviewed by peers, many times over. Theories are
explanations of facts, and it takes longer than a morning cup of coffee to
produce one. Intelligent Design can't be tested in the lab, so it's not
even a hypothesis.
Reportage by dueling quotes, however, means not having to sort out what
they mean, or if they contradict. Ironically, the News provided a better
insight into Intelligent Design in a pro-creationist column published in
2003. The religious overtones are very obvious.
Poor reporting makes it easy to see why folks might wonder whether an apple
just might be a citrus fruit.
If the president really thinks Intelligent Design is science, however, he's
a buffoon. His own science adviser panned the idea earlier this year, and
the president could get the world's top scientific minds on the phone if he
wanted a second opinion. The president's word carries a lot of weight, and
it's reasonable to expect that he'd educate himself a little before
throwing his weight behind an issue.
If not, it was pure cynicism, a bone of poor policy thrown to his base.
But, we all lose.
How's that?
Although this kind of announcement might have generated genuine outrage, it
isn't the first time the president has said this kind of thing. So, it only
generated some lazy anger, perhaps best summed up by The Editors at
Thepoorman.net, with this:
"The silver lining is that school is going to be a lot less stressful when
the answer to every question on the midterm is 'because it is God's will.'
So there is that."
Eric Baerren is the Sun news editor. His columns appear Fridays.
---
http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
http://www.rightard.org/ http://www.thedarkwind.org/
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| User: "Atheist Plunder" |
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| Title: Re: Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists |
06 Aug 2005 10:32:29 PM |
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"Fredric L. Rice" <FRice@SkepticTank.ORG> wrote in message
news:11faveh7uc7p086@corp.supernews.com...
PUBLISHED: Friday, August 5, 2005
Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists
By ERIC BAERREN
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/080505/loc_column001.shtml
Right after Sept. 11, folks tut-tutted over how the Arab world had fallen.
Muslims had a beautiful civilization, they said. They cherished art,
women's rights and science and mathematics. Then they got religion and the
whole thing fell apart.
We're rather better off than that, but, the president this week let us
know
which direction we're headed.
Responding to questions, he said that Intelligent Design - warmed-over
creationism - should be taught in science classes alongside evolution.
His reasoning, if you know nothing about the issue, might sound
reasonable:
Give kids a chance to weigh both options and let them make up their minds.
As if science classes are the right place for popularity contests.
<Snip>
Don't you mean Science classes are a learning opportuinity?
The louder you communists squawk your blather and myopic one-sidedness,the
more momentum you give to Creation Science.
atheists are their own worst emeny you know :)
.
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| User: "Fredric L. Rice" |
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| Title: Re: Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists |
07 Aug 2005 11:00:36 AM |
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"Atheist Plunder" <Athiests@Fool.com> wrote:
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/080505/loc_column001.shtml
The louder you communists
<rofl!> You must be a Republidiot.
But then _someone_ needs to clean my toilets, dig my trenches and
serve up my Whoppers. So just run along and continue to deny
science, rightard.
---
http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
http://www.rightard.org/ http://www.thedarkwind.org/
.
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| User: "Fredric L. Rice" |
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| Title: Re: Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists |
07 Aug 2005 11:00:37 AM |
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"Atheist Plunder" <Athiests@Fool.com> wrote:
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/080505/loc_column001.shtml
The louder you communists
<rofl!> You must be a Republidiot.
But then _someone_ needs to clean my toilets, dig my trenches and
serve up my Whoppers. So just run along and continue to deny
science, rightard.
---
http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
http://www.rightard.org/ http://www.thedarkwind.org/
.
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| User: "Del" |
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| Title: Re: Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists |
07 Aug 2005 06:22:08 AM |
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Atheist Plunder wrote:
"Fredric L. Rice" <FRice@SkepticTank.ORG> wrote in message
news:11faveh7uc7p086@corp.supernews.com...
PUBLISHED: Friday, August 5, 2005
Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists
By ERIC BAERREN
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/080505/loc_column001.shtml
Right after Sept. 11, folks tut-tutted over how the Arab world had fallen.
Muslims had a beautiful civilization, they said. They cherished art,
women's rights and science and mathematics. Then they got religion and the
whole thing fell apart.
We're rather better off than that, but, the president this week let us
know
which direction we're headed.
Responding to questions, he said that Intelligent Design - warmed-over
creationism - should be taught in science classes alongside evolution.
His reasoning, if you know nothing about the issue, might sound
reasonable:
Give kids a chance to weigh both options and let them make up their minds.
As if science classes are the right place for popularity contests.
<Snip>
Don't you mean Science classes are a learning opportuinity?
The louder you communists squawk your blather and myopic one-sidedness,
Oh dear. Don't have a passing acquaintance with logic, do
you? I suggest you look up "question-begging epithets."
the
more momentum you give to Creation Science.
So what are you worried about then?
atheists are their own worst emeny you know :)
Not while there are so many rabid theists on-line.
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| User: "Fredric L. Rice" |
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| Title: Re: Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists |
07 Aug 2005 11:00:38 AM |
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"Del" <jfacts@earthlink.net> wrote:
Atheist Plunder wrote:
"Fredric L. Rice" <FRice@SkepticTank.ORG> wrote in message
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/080505/loc_column001.shtml
the more momentum you give to Creation Science.
So what are you worried about then?
The constant refrain... the more people expose the criminality or
stupidity of something, the more its remaining adhearants will try
to claim it only helps drive up their membership.
---
http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
http://www.rightard.org/ http://www.thedarkwind.org/
.
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| User: "James" |
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| Title: Re: Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists |
07 Aug 2005 12:55:39 AM |
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Atheist Plunder wrote:
"Fredric L. Rice" <FRice@SkepticTank.ORG> wrote in message
news:11faveh7uc7p086@corp.supernews.com...
PUBLISHED: Friday, August 5, 2005
Intelligent Design pushed by anti-science exremists
By ERIC BAERREN
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/080505/loc_column001.shtml
Right after Sept. 11, folks tut-tutted over how the Arab world had fallen.
Muslims had a beautiful civilization, they said. They cherished art,
women's rights and science and mathematics. Then they got religion and the
whole thing fell apart.
We're rather better off than that, but, the president this week let us
know
which direction we're headed.
Responding to questions, he said that Intelligent Design - warmed-over
creationism - should be taught in science classes alongside evolution.
His reasoning, if you know nothing about the issue, might sound
reasonable:
Give kids a chance to weigh both options and let them make up their minds.
As if science classes are the right place for popularity contests.
<Snip>
Don't you mean Science classes are a learning opportuinity?
The louder you communists squawk your blather and myopic one-sidedness,the
more momentum you give to Creation Science.
atheists are their own worst emeny you know :)
Creation Science is a contradiction in terms. Shouldn't you be going to
bed so that you can get up bright and early to pump my gas?
--
James B
aa #944
"A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence."
-David Hume
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