Re: Commentary: Bush and Darwin

Jason Spaceman wrote:

> From the article:
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> By Lee Harris Published 08/05/2005
>
> In an interview earlier this week, President Bush made a strange and
> even paradoxical claim. When asked to give his opinion on the
> controversy surrounding the teaching of intelligent design theory
> versus the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution, he remarked that
> "both sides should be properly taught." (emphasis added)
>
> Now it is possible to teach French and English to the same group of
> students: for an hour, you instruct them in French, and for an hour,
> you instruct them in English, with the end result being the
> achievement of bilingualism. On the other hand, what do you achieve
> if, for an hour, you teach your students that the earth is flat, and
> for an hour, you teach them that the earth is round? In this case,
> the end result is not bi-theorism, but at best a kind of cognitive
> schizophrenia, in which children are left wondering, "Well, which
> one is it? Flat or round?"
>
> It is obviously absurd to argue that children should be taught both
> sides of the evolution controversy, if by "taught" you mean something
> on the order of teaching kids the capitals of the various states or
> the multiplication tables. When you teach a child that Tallahassee is
> the capital of Florida, or that 6x6=36, that is the end of the matter.
>
> Both of these statements represent what we call facts, and facts are
> those things concerning which there is neither controversy nor
> dispute. Tallahassee is the capital of Florida because everyone
> accepts it as the capital; and 6x6 makes 36 because no one thinks of
> arguing about it. Both truths are truths by convention, which is a
> fancy way of saying that they are truths that we are all prepared to
> accept without argument.
>
> The theory of the round earth is a bit different, because there are
> some people who continue to believe that the earth is flat. Yet the
> number of people who subscribe to this view is marginal --there is no
> substantial electorate that clamors to have flat earth theory taught
> in public schools. Furthermore, those wonderful pictures of the
> earth taken from outer space would certainly appear to point in the
> direction of a round earth, despite the flatness that is the most
> obvious feature of our immediate vicinity.
>
> So is that what Bush's comments come down to? Were they designed
> simply to placate a benighted section of the voting population that
> insists on turning back the clock and disregarding the evidence of
> modern science? Did Karl Rove put the president up to enunciating the
> "both sides should be properly taught" principle as a matter of sheer
> political opportunism?
>
> Perhaps, but before we pass this judgment let us consider another
> possibility, which is that where there is a political controversy,
> there can be no scientific certainty. Or, to put the matter another
> way, so long as men dispute with each other about the answer to a
> question, that question cannot be considered settled.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Read it at http://www.techcentralstation.com/080505E.html


Arithmetic depends on what 'base' you assume - don't ya hate that old
hexadecimal stuff?

'flat' or 'round' depends on how far you want to travel - actually the
earth is pear shaped. There's always room for refinement of any concept.

The real problem is that science has outstripped the average person's
ability to absorb it. When I was in high school "conservation of matter"
was de rigour.

I think there is a backlash against science appearing to tear down long
held traditions - it's almost a luddite reaction. People want life to be
simple and consistent. Science is always making knowledge more complex.

.

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