The recent court decision against teaching ID in the classroom has me a bit confused. When we attended school, wasn't the entire purpose to open our eyes to new ideas, to prepare us for the probability that we would meet people out in the real world who thought things other than what our parents thought? Wasn't the whole point of advanced (high school) education to prepare us for discussions we were likely to be caught up in, as we matured?
So, what's with the "You can't mention ID or anything resembling God in a public school"? Precisely what are the opponents of ID afraid of? That some high school kid might be able to prove it via mathematics or scientific method? Or (my personal pet theory) that teachers and students alike will suddenly become converts to the most fundamentalist Christian church, simply due to exposure to the GOD THEORY virus, and will turn this country back into the theocracy it was before the Constitution outlawed expressions of any faith resembling Christianity?
What is so wrong about discussing the possibility that maybe -- just maybe, mind you -- there was some sort of plan to pop a bunch of substances into existence out of nothing but intellect, make a bunch of galaxies and put sugar at the center of the Milky Way, then bombard a hot, somewhat wet planet with it, in order to make something interesting? Is it that much worse than the Darwinian observation that things change simply because things around them change?
Of course, the opposite view has problems, as well. You can't teach theology without first acknowledging that, to at least a small degree, you are teaching theology (which is, essentially, what any form of ID theory is). And, theology does not have a place in a classroom teaching scientific inquiry -- history of science maybe, philosophy of science, maybe, or even examining varied theories of the origins of the universe -- but not in a room full of students in the early stages of trying to learn the difference between evidence and proof.
I believe in the scientific method of inquiry, and I hope that, when I am in a classroom devoted to the study of the sciences, we are applying said methods without falling back on faith. Sadly, we have had to trust in scientists and mathematicians in much the same way that previous generations have had to rely upon priests -- and both classes are still humans, with their own motives and foibles.
To me, this whole thing warrants discussion, rather than suppression. Young ninth-grade minds are strong enough to handle a few novel notions without always falling into cult behavior -- if we give them the materials to think for themselves. If we try to drive them through narrower and narrower passageways, eventually they will find ways to join some nasty group or other. Open discussion of actual facts and data may prevent that.
2 comments:
The people trying to force intelligent design into the classroom are really the ones are are afraid: they are afraid that if their kids learn about evolution, that they will lose faith in their religion. How sad that their faith is so weak that they think it could be tarnished by a science class.
I personally have no problem with intelligent design in the classroom, as long as it is presented as a faith and not as a science. Should this be mandated by government? Of course not.
Personally, I have no problem with ID being taught -- even in science class, as part of the evolution of thought on scientific inquiry and origins of the universe. The history of natural philosophy is full of strange twists and quirks, and students should hear about them and discuss their application to current ideas and postulates. Even a few heretofore staunch atheists have come out in favor of discussing the possibility that there is a mind beyond our ken, in this freaky -- yet elegant -- existence. It's not out of the question to ask teachers to speak to this.
I don't have issues over people wanting to control what & how their kids learn. I don't even have problems with a community getting pissed off about having something they don't agree with crammed into their kids' heads. What I really have a problem with is a court saying something can't be mentioned in school. That smacks of government censorship.
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