Posted on 10/14/2005 10:28:52 AM PDT by akdonn
It's odd there should be so much "science abuse" in popular discourse today, attacks based on the proposition that science might be wrong and should be "debated" with faith.
Science is the basis of our public education system; everything we teach in school is based on science, not on faith. The U.S. Constitution prohibits teaching based on faith, for the very good reason that in a democracy there's no way to choose which faith the education might be based on.
Rejecting what de Tocqueville called the "tyranny of the majority," i.e., majority rule, against which the Bill of Rights is our chief protection, science is the only possible basis for education, for it is neutral.
Science abuse abounds. Evolution and global warming are the two most prevalent examples, but there are many more, including stem cell research, relativity and even plate tectonics. The call for "debate" on these basic explanations of reality manifests a confusion regarding the nature of science and faith.
Faith is a phenomenon understood as truth based on the word of another. In the case of religion, the "other" is sacred scripture. Science, on the other hand, is phenomena understood as truth based on measured observation and rational analysis of the results. Science is empirical; faith is spiritual.
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
I don't know why this is so hard...
Science is the study of WHAT IS.
Religion, Philosophy, etc., is the study of WHY IT IS.
It not that difficult.
Remind the folks losing their homes in New England about their protection under the "Bill of Rights." Majority rule is still in effect with SCOTUS taking our rights away at a whim.
I have numerous rare textbooks dating back to 1790 and they give credit to God as chief scientist.
No kidding. I don't even see this as a subject worthy of a political forum...
There's even a religion based on Christ, the scientist.
Hey, the big G *was* chief scientist in the 1790; they had to believe something...
In my view both evolutionists and young earth proponents try to force science to fit their belief system. I feel that the evidence of ID is clear and compelling to anyone with a decent science background who will honestly look at the facts in light of recent discoveries in biology and astrophysics - among many other "hard" science fields.
"The U.S. Constitution prohibits teaching based on faith..."
Where is does it say that? Is it in the same Article that authorizes the creation of Dept of Ed?
Oh well, I guess I have an abridged version of the Constitution.
Science is *not* the basis of public schooling.
All curriculums are based on a philosophy of education.
Perhaps this man's misunderstanding is a reason "public schools" are in such trouble?
"Remind the folks losing their homes in New England about their protection under the "Bill of Rights." Majority rule is still in effect with SCOTUS taking our rights away at a whim."
Ok...so that means evolution should take a back seat to faith? Or, was that a red herring?
I'm on the side of science, but I have to disagree. It's semantics, but "truth" has no place in science. We do not say we have "the truth" as religions do. We can only say "This is how things work, to the best of our knowledge, using a proven process."
Hey, there has to be
something to fill the spaces
between Natalee
threads, immigration
threads, Harriet Miers threads
gay agenda threads,
euthanasia threads
and Bush-is-a-RINO threads.
Creation does fit . . .
"This article and all others like them are the product of gross ignorance or willful disinformation."
Oh my! Since *you* feel that way it must be absolutely, undeniably, true. Every scientist in the wide range of sciences over many years must ALL be wrong.
YOU! OUT OF THE GENE POOL!
Just mention Intelligent Design and you're branded a backwards, Bible thumping, toothless, blind fool who wants to throw away "separation of church and state" and plunge the populace into willful ignorance.
Quite right! The basis of public schooling is READING and parenthetically writing. Literacy opens everything else up. Math is the second necessity. Yet we continue to degrade and ignore the two/three most important functions of schooling and emphasize the extraneous. Science? Please. Does the study of science really begin at the beginning--with the unanswerable, the nondemonstrable? Hardly. That's like starting the study of math with vectors.
Where?
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