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| quote: | Originally posted by NeoPhono
Occ...don't shit on my state!
It really was a sad/shocking day for me yesterday. I remember last year sitting in my evolutionary biology class debating this very issue, laughing at even the thought that this would become a reality. Unfortunatly, ignorance has prevailed, and with it religion has leaked into the public school system. Already underfunded, the last thing the public school system needs here is this type of controversy. I'm hoping that since it is an "optional" lesson plan, most of the school districts will choose not to teach it. Although I realize that in all reality, the religious groups pushing for this curriculum change are both strong and well organized and I wouldn't be suprised to see it take effect in many school districts. It's a sad time for the validity of Ohio's public school system.
On another note, I would like to say that Steven Speilberg, Halle Berry, Martin Sheen, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Cy Young, Jesse Owens, Jack Nicklaus and most importantly Devo are all from Ohio (to name a few off the top of my head).
For the most part, Ohio sucks, but at least we don't have an accent! |
I tend to view this with a little bit of optimism, or shall I say, cautious optimism.
On the one hand, I tend to think it's somewhat a good thing to have Intelligent Design Theory (ID) on the same table as evolution so it can be equally scrutinized with the same measures as any scientific theory. IF, and this is a big IF, a knowledged science teacher can bring forth both theories and give them equal weight and show the evidence that supports both (or lack thereof in the case of ID), then I think the students can ultimately decide which theory holds water the best. And if that teacher does this in the most objective manner, then ID and any creationist theory will ultimately be exposed for what it truly is - an unsupported hypothetical wish. Because as I've stated over and over - any creationist theory has yet to show any positive, observed, tested, repeatable, and falsifiable evidence.
But that's a burden to put upon both the teacher and the student. The teacher has to be well versed and educated with evolution (not always the case), and the student needs to be interested enough to pay attention to the details (wishful thinking for many). What's problematic about this whole debate is that as you well know, the details of evolution are not exactly straightforward. And these details are certainly not given in completion in any high school textbook, primarily because of the complexity being beyond high school learning. This leaves the mere gyst and outlining of what evolution means, which is what many anti-evolutionists openly attack. When confronted with the details, however, the anti-evos usually cower, esp. when asked to give research details of their counter-theories.
Philip Johnson's Discovery Institute knows well this burden placed upon the student and teacher, and finds this to be the most appropriate battleground for his idiotic advocates. I do find it extremely strange that Johnson himself fully supports this ID theory being wedged in the science classrooms, considering ID theorists like Behe and Dembski both believe in the vast majority of evolutionary processes, including the evolution of man, and Johnson himself does not (self-proclaimed Young Earth Creationist to this day). I find that Creationist theorists make strange bedfellows, esp. when their core beliefs conflict so openly. Regardless, what is apparent is not their conflicting beliefs, but their continual drive to force evolution out of the classroom, and slowly incorporate untested, unobserved, Christian doctrine.
So in a sense I somewhat welcome this, provided that the unbiased biology teacher gives the same scientific scrutiny evolution has endured on to ID. It will most assuredly expose this fraudulent ID theory, provided it's done in an unbiased manner.
And besides, it may not yet come to that. As it was done here in Kansas, the people finally woke up and realized the religious wool being pulled over their eyes (yes, it actually happened here in the Bible Belt), and consequently voted these fundamentalist 'tards out and replaced them with more Moderate Republicans on the State School Board (hey, Moderates are better than nothing!).
Common sense will eventually prevail.
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Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...
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