Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: cornelis
One of the features of a true liberal education is an integrated understanding of all the sciences, including theology. Why the various sciences have to bunker and protect themselves from others appears to be more of a disease, than an liberal education. If science abandons metaphysics, not to mention relgion, you know they are cheating for a monopoly.

I agree with you that an education in the liberal arts should encompass a wide variety of subjects, including science and theology. However, metaphysics and theology are NOT sciences and should not be construde as such. Nor is science a theology, even though certain stringent athiests have tried to force-fit sience into a theology. THe theological and the scientific extremes have both become extremely dogmatic in their views.

TO me, the Cobb county decision is interesting, provided the critiquing of evolutionary theory is done constructively. In other words, it is done to show the dynamic nature of scietific understanding and that all theories have limitations and areas that lack a complete understanding. It is the process of science that explores those areas, often with conflicting ideas. It happens at the cutting edge of all the sciences, not just biological evolution. What I do fear is that the Cobb county decision will open the door to teach the shortcomings and controversies of evolution rather than focus on the underlying concepts that do unify those scientists involved in biological evolutionary research. ALso, I worry that it will be used to recycle all the worn arguements that abuse other areas of science to try to "disprove" evolution and to "disprove" the chmical, physical, geological and cosmological sciences that are well established.

9 posted on 10/01/2002 7:24:55 AM PDT by doc30
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ]


To: doc30
However, metaphysics and theology are NOT sciences

That is an interesting take. Perhaps there are those who a reserve particular subject matter for the name science. Is it possible to give a date when this shift in the meaning occurred?

The view that only science is science is redundant. The view that areas of human experience cannot come under the scrutiny of human knowledge is the very monopoly of a dogmatism that you warn against.

11 posted on 10/01/2002 7:31:08 AM PDT by cornelis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson