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

To: Crackingham
"As far as intelligent design is concerned, I really don't believe it has risen to the level of a scientific theory at this point that we would want to teach it alongside of evolution."

If they were really comfortable with Darwinism, they wouldn't be afraid to discuss alternative theories. It means that they believe that Darwinism requires at least some leap-of-faith to be accepted...that "faith" being a nonscientific thing.

If Darwin's theory was ironclad science, they would encourage having unreasonable theories considered alongside it because this would only help show the truth in Darwinism. They would have no problem discussing "flat earth" theory, for instance, because they can make an ironclad case that the earth is a sphere while at the same time show those who believe otherwise are crackpots.

136 posted on 08/04/2005 2:41:47 PM PDT by Jim_Curtis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: Jim_Curtis
If Darwin's theory was ironclad science, they would encourage having unreasonable theories considered alongside it because this would only help show the truth in Darwinism

So because they don't teach, say, the ancient Greek view of mechanics alongside F=ma, physicists don't really believe Newton's laws of motion?

They would have no problem discussing "flat earth" theory, for instance, because they can make an ironclad case that the earth is a sphere while at the same time show those who believe otherwise are crackpots.

Yeah, that's how we teach science - by bringing up ridiculous theories and then demonstrating they're ridiculous. What a productive use of teaching time!

149 posted on 08/04/2005 3:03:04 PM PDT by Right Wing Professor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 136 | View Replies ]

To: Jim_Curtis
If they were really comfortable with Darwinism, they wouldn't be afraid to discuss alternative theories.

Come up with an alternative theory, and we'll discuss it.

153 posted on 08/04/2005 3:15:11 PM PDT by Modernman ("A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy." -Disraeli)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 136 | View Replies ]

To: Jim_Curtis
If they were really comfortable with Darwinism, they wouldn't be afraid to discuss alternative theories. It means that they believe that Darwinism requires at least some leap-of-faith to be accepted...that "faith" being a nonscientific thing.

Great, using that logic, we'll just go ahead and:

1. Hold some Islamic prayer sessions in the local church.

2. Teach students that some people can;t add properly, and believe 2+2 = 5 ... if the teachers have solid belief that 2+2=4, then it should provide no confusion to tell students that all answers are equally valid (wait, come to think of it, I think this happens already).

3. Psychiatry classes can teach about demons causing insanity ... it'll certainly help diagnoses.

If you are going to allow alternate theories to be discussed, would you be fine with a teacher ALSO stating that ID is not generally accepted as a valid theory, --- that the idea of God, aliens, or a big computer guiding life along is not well supported by science?

Why not wait until ID is considered a valid scientific theory --- if you consider it to be true, you should know that eventually if IDers actually did some work in the lab for once, instead of the courtroom, they could devlop the theory properly. Presenting a half-baked theory in class will only hurt it.

231 posted on 08/04/2005 5:40:59 PM PDT by bobhoskins (No harm meant ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 136 | 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