http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2915082

Intelligent Design: Why limit equal time to biology class?

President Bush has thrown in with those who think that an idea called
"intelligent design" should be taught alongside evolution in the
nation's schools.

"I think that part of education is to expose people to different
schools of thought," the president told some visiting newspaper
reporters from his native Texas.

Evolution, the unifying explanation of all life processes on Earth,
is the approach taken by serious scientists as they examine how
everything works. But it is not a flawless explanation of absolutely
everything, and it is clearly troubling to some who are bothered by the
apparent meaninglessness of it all.

Thus the growing movement to have intelligent design - the idea that
it all had to have had some mindfulness behind it - included, as the
president says, as a different school of thought.

OK. But why stop there?

While the science teacher is at it, he might make the study of
astronomy more poetic by including the theory that the sun is not a
frighteningly impersonal thermonuclear furnace but actually the flaming
chariot of Phoebus Apollo streaking across the sky.

Or he might calm the students' fears of being adrift in a soulless
universe by casting aside all this Copernican nonsense and admitting
that, as any fool can see just by looking up, the Earth stands still and
the sun, moon and stars revolve around us, er, it.

And in civics class, why limit students to an understanding of
representative democracy, checks and balances and the rule of law? What
about equal time for fascism? It's clearly a less complicated, more
efficient system of government, one that dispenses with such bothersome
notions as elections, free speech and minority rights.

Or whatever happened to good old monarchy? It provides better
costumes, pageantry and music, and helps everyone remember to keep their
place.

History? Make sure all those open-minded students hear that we never
landed on the moon, President Kennedy was killed by the CIA and the
Nazis couldn't possibly have killed 6 million Jews.

Seriously, are all those alternative ideas to be banned from the
public consciousness? Of course not. They might even be discussed in
school, if there's time.

But given the limited time and resources of our schools, and the
sometimes minuscule attention span of our students, we need to make sure
we don't lose our focus.

In science class, focus on established science.

---
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http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
http://www.rightard.org/ http://www.thedarkwind.org/

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2915082

Intelligent Design: Why limit equal time to biology class?

President Bush has thrown in with those who think that an idea called
"intelligent design" should be taught alongside evolution in the
nation's schools.

"I think that part of education is to expose people to different
schools of thought," the president told some visiting newspaper
reporters from his native Texas.

Evolution, the unifying explanation of all life processes on Earth,
is the approach taken by serious scientists as they examine how
everything works. But it is not a flawless explanation of absolutely
everything, and it is clearly troubling to some who are bothered by the
apparent meaninglessness of it all.

Thus the growing movement to have intelligent design - the idea that
it all had to have had some mindfulness behind it - included, as the
president says, as a different school of thought.

OK. But why stop there?

While the science teacher is at it, he might make the study of
astronomy more poetic by including the theory that the sun is not a
frighteningly impersonal thermonuclear furnace but actually the flaming
chariot of Phoebus Apollo streaking across the sky.

Or he might calm the students' fears of being adrift in a soulless
universe by casting aside all this Copernican nonsense and admitting
that, as any fool can see just by looking up, the Earth stands still and
the sun, moon and stars revolve around us, er, it.

And in civics class, why limit students to an understanding of
representative democracy, checks and balances and the rule of law? What
about equal time for fascism? It's clearly a less complicated, more
efficient system of government, one that dispenses with such bothersome
notions as elections, free speech and minority rights.

Or whatever happened to good old monarchy? It provides better
costumes, pageantry and music, and helps everyone remember to keep their
place.

History? Make sure all those open-minded students hear that we never
landed on the moon, President Kennedy was killed by the CIA and the
Nazis couldn't possibly have killed 6 million Jews.

Seriously, are all those alternative ideas to be banned from the
public consciousness? Of course not. They might even be discussed in
school, if there's time.

But given the limited time and resources of our schools, and the
sometimes minuscule attention span of our students, we need to make sure
we don't lose our focus.

In science class, focus on established science.

---
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/