The New Anti-Science Assault on US Schools

These, anti-science GOPpers keep on going more than EverReady batteries!
Now it's not Creationism but Global Warming too!

http://richarddawkins.net/articles/644927-the-new-anti-science-assault-on-us-schools

 

Well I will ask you if its fair to teach that Evolution and Global Warming should be taught as fact and the only possible explanation which is the case right now.

Evolution is proving using science so that I will admit too but Global Warming, and the human causation of it, is still very hotly debated. Would it at least not be wise to add in a section where other sides of these two issues are presented?

It seems that the pro global warming and pro evolution people are just as adamant that their way be taught as are the pro creation people and I see very little difference between the two sides.

 

Your problem with teaching science today is that it directly repudiates what was being taught as "scientific fact" when I was in school, back in the 60s & 70s.

It's interesting to me how often science "changes its mind." It's like a fickle woman.

 

More research is done or new facts are discovered. If science wasn't changing on a daily basis i'd start to become worried myself. It wasn't until the 70's that we realized that Earth's continents moved on tectonic plates so we still have a lot to figure out.

 

Evolution is a theory. Global warming is a theory. Creationism is a theory. Which one trumps which? If you have an opinion that one does, then that's merely your opinion. You have no actual proof that you're correct.
So, to be fair and accurate, teach them for what they are, theories and someone's opinions...or don't teach any of them at all and extend the hours for teaching math. At least you can 'prove' math.

 

Actually evolution has been scientifically proven. This does not however mean that it can't exist alongside creation as two intertwined theories. Nowhere in the religious texts does it claim that evolution wasn't part of the process that led to us today.

 

Then good lord, have the INTEGRITY to teach things as SCIENTIFIC THEORY! But no, you folks can't do that, can you? You teach nebulous theories as established facts - then wonder why people don't take you seriously.

 

WHICH "theory of evolution" are you referring to? There are so many of them that it's hard to keep track. Are you talking about the theory of evolution that included the Nebraska Man, and other choice nonsense like that?

 

No, evolution has NOT been proven. It is still a theory. And there are many "missing links", pun intended.

Which "religious texts" do you speak of? If you want to believe in evolution that's fine, just don't blame the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for it.

 

More and more researchers are jumping on the ancient alien intervention theory. Maybe we should teach that. I mean, history channel has an entire show about it, so it must be real history.

 

Generally true, except for one thing. Evolution has not been proven and is still a theory. Adaptation has been proven. Adaptation has been confused with evolution for a very long time. Even classic Darwinism, which most people are referring to in their belief in 'evolution', is simply adaptation. Survival of the fittest is adaptation. Beginning as one species and evolving into another species by way of DNA transformation is evolution..that has not been 'proven' and remains a hypothesis', even in light of some rudimentary e coli discoveries.

 

There are still missing links along the monkey to human line of evolution. Personally, it's sort of hard for me to believe that none of these intermediate subspecies along the path to the perfect human were isolated somewhere along the line and survived.

Therefore, I offer the Sasquatch as evidence. And the fact that aliens injected DNA into primate species to create good workers to mine their gold.

 

Something is telling me that there is a debate here but I slept through most of my anthropology courses so I cannot argue from any position of expertise. I'll have to concede this fact to you.

 

Please don't think I have an agenda here...creationism goes unproven as well. Which brings me to my point. Teach both..for what they are. Theories, opinions and beliefs.

 

There ya go. Dispense with the relentless lies of science versus religion. Teach them all in "Theories of Origins" classes.

Unfortunately, we all know that's not going to happen, because to do so would require intellectual integrity - which is completely lacking in most people today.

 

Love it..."Theories of Origins". It would cover much more than where we came from or how we came about being. A lot of scientific theory relies on 'religious like' belief.

 

Ignorant comment of the day.

Creationism is religion not science. So you can't teach it in the science class.

And if you want to be fair, you should teach also the Spaguetti Monster theory of the creation, also the Islamic...

Learn a bit of science and come again.

You can prove evolution. You can't prove creationism.

The theory of gravity is just an opinion, too? The theory of relativity is just an opinion? The quantic theory is just an opinion?

So do you agree that should not be taught the theory of relativity neither the theory of gravity in school? According to your thesis none of these scientific can not be taught.

For good luck, you are not the one that have to decide what have to be taught in school or not. Because I think that in the schools we would have more fantasy than reality.

Evolution is proven.

And also do you know Occam's razor? Well then the simpler is the right. Evolution is simpler than creationism in first.

Creationism is wrong, for many reasons, and also does not accomplishes the criteria of Occam's razor and other problem it is not falseable while evolution is.

 

Someone should put you in charge.

 

We should not be taught anything other than how to sustain life at a lesser-primate level. Capitalism and progress must be destroyed. The environazis taught me that.

 

And always will be a theory. Forever. Like will be a theory relativity, gravity...

 

I agree with the capitalism. Also the progress should be more sustenaible that can be.

But what you've said is a nonsense trying to ridiculize something that you don't understand.

Except if you found some primitivitist that also I consider them ridiculous.

 

Ronmatt:

I'm starting to tire of this forum because it is filled with so much ignorance and stupidity. Ronmatts post, quoted above, is a classic case of it.

I guess Ron didn't do science at school. If he had, Ron would actually have learned what science is about.

Ron seems to think that science is : Theory = opinion

The reality is that science is: Observation + hypothesis + Experimental prediction + repeatability = Theory

So lots talk about evolution Ron. We'll start with Linnaeus (1707 - 1787) who observed that various plants seemed to be related in their physical characteristics and developed a system of Taxonomy that grouped plants, and later animals, according to them.

Charles Darwin then famously made more observations on his voyage around the world in the Beagle (1831-1836). He observed that certain finchs that belonged to the same species had slightly different characteristics although they were related.

Darwin speculated that these differences were a result of environmental pressures (for example different food types) and developed his theory of natural selection. Which you now call "Evolution". This was published in book form in 1859.

Ever since then Ron, scientists have been making observations of and studying living things of all kinds, as well as the fossil record, and have consistently found that their observations are in accordance with Darwins hypothesis.

To put that another way Ron, Evolution isn't just "opinion" it's settled fact, in the sense that we believe it to be true on the balance of probabilities because over a hundred years of detailed research and observation have failed to find any glaring flaws in it.


The "intelligent design" horsecrap on the other hand relies on the same "negative evidence" approach as the Obama Birth certificate scam. It's the "prove me wrong" argument. No Sunshine, you don't get away with "Prove me wrong", you have to prove yourself right by exactly the same process as Darwin and everyone else used - which of course creationists cannot do.

Teaching children that evolution is just "opinion" is as dangerous as telling them that its just some persons "opinion" that arsenic is poisonous.

By the way, your idea that you can "prove" maths is also flawed. Maths is a systemic construct. It is possible to create a mathematics where 2+2 really does equal 5.

Which reminds me about the old joke about the computer engineers: 1 + 01 = 3 (if my binary is right)

 

Better believe that many of the leaders of green groups have called to destroy capitalism. You want quotes?

I guess you could call some of them "primitivists." Thing is, I don't necessarily disagree with those people, but I find problems with "progress" at a different level than just earth destruction.

 

Idiotic comment of the day.

Science is more religion than most religions. The difference is that, unlike religion, science keeps changing its' doctrines.

 

Did you come from "Hilbert space"???