Posted on 11/25/2005 8:34:07 AM PST by Exton1
KU prof's e-mail irks fundamentalists
http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/living/religion/13252419.htm
Associated Press
LAWRENCE - Critics of a new course that equates creationism and intelligent design with mythology say an e-mail sent by the chairman of the University of Kansas religious studies department proves the course is designed to mock fundamentalist Christians.
In a recent message on a Yahoo listserv, Paul Mirecki said of the course "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationisms and Other Religious Mythologies":
"The fundies want it all taught in a science class, but this will be a nice slap in their big fat face by teaching it as a religious studies class under the category mythology."
He signed the note "Doing my part (to upset) the religious right, Evil Dr. P."
Kansas Provost David Shulenburger said Wednesday that he regretted the words Mirecki used but that he supported the professor and thought the course would be taught in a professional manner.
"My understanding was that was a private e-mail communication that somehow was moved out of those channels and has become a public document," Shulenburger said.
The course was added to next semester's curriculum after the Kansas State Board of Education adopted new school science standards that question evolution.
The course will explore intelligent design, which contends that life is too complex to have evolved without a "designer." It also will cover the origins of creationism, why creationism is an American phenomenon and creationism's role in politics and education.
State Sen. Karin Brownlee, R-Olathe, said she was concerned by Mirecki's comments in the e-mail.
"His intent to make a mockery of Christian beliefs is inappropriate," she said.
Mirecki said the private e-mail was accessed by an outsider.
"They had been reading my e-mails all along," he said. "Where are the ethics in that, I ask."
When asked about conservative anger directed at him and the new course, Mirecki said: "A lot of people are mad about what's going on in Kansas, and I'm one of them."
Mirecki has been taking criticism since the course was announced.
"This man is a hateful man," said state Sen. Kay O'Connor, R-Olathe. "Are we supposed to be using tax dollars to promote hatred?"
But others support Mirecki.
Tim Miller, a fellow professor in the department of religious studies, said intelligent design proponents are showing that they don't like having their beliefs scrutinized.
"They want their religion taught as fact," Miller said. "That's simply something you can't do in a state university."
Hume Feldman, associate professor of physics and astronomy, said he planned to be a guest lecturer in the course. He said the department of religious studies was a good place for intelligent design.
"I think that is exactly the appropriate place to put these kinds of ideas," he said.
John Altevogt, a conservative columnist and activist in Kansas City, said the latest controversy was sparked by the e-mail.
"He says he's trying to offend us," Altevogt said. "The entire tenor of this thing just reeks of religious bigotry."
Brownlee said she was watching to see how the university responded to the e-mail.
"We have to set a standard that it's not culturally acceptable to mock Christianity in America," she said.
University Senate Executive Committee Governance Office - 33 Strong Hall, 4-5169
Faculty
SenEx Chair
Joe Heppert, jheppert@ku.edu , Chemistry, 864-2270 Ruth Ann Atchley, ratchley@ku.edu , Psychology, 864-9816 Richard Hale, rhale@ku.edu ,Aerospace Engineering, 864-2949 Bob Basow, basow@ku.edu , Journalism, 864-7633 Susan Craig, scraig@ku.edu , Art & Architecture, 864-3020 Margaret Severson, mseverson@Ku.edu , Social Welfare, 864-8952
University Council President Jim Carothers, jbc@ku.edu , English 864-3426 (Ex-officio on SenEx)
Paul Mirecki, Chair The Department of Religious Studies, 1300 Oread Avenue, 102 Smith Hall, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas,Lawrence, KS 66045-7615 (785) 864-4663 Voice (785) 864-5205 FAX rstudies@ku.edu
The golfer?
You're talking about Newton's PM, right?
Eh? Surely you can tell me who wrote "Principia Mathematica".
When you talk about me, please do me the courtesy of pinging me. Thank you.
As I said, there are several works in antiquity with the title "Principia Mathematica", which were not written by Newton.
Why should you care what I say? I thought we were way down on the intellectual food chain.
Besides why go trolling when there is football to be watched? (BTW how does a pennsylvania native get to be a miami fan? - a much better site for your homepage.)
ok, ok, lets make that: Jim Watson
Well, since I'm not obsessed with you, personally, I have no idea what you do. But it's just that your work is insectine, not you yourself. Why you could be a highly intelligent person. In your case, though, I'm not going to wager on it.
Indeed, you did say that.
Pinging the mod over this?
Man, you have major esteem issues. Get over yourself already.
I am an underappreciated, underpaid math professor at a backwater midwestern university.
And I notice you've gone into the ad hominem again.
Huh...so I guess maybe we should keep some of these mathematically feeble biologists on retainer after all?
Of course. Work has its value. Why is it so disconcerting to admit that this requires lower-order thinking?
Part of the reason is that there is a formula for the number of colors needed; it was only proved for genus > 0, but gives 4 for genus = 0.
Also, the fact that it was "proved" and then the proof was shot down makes it interesting.
But the real reason was probably Martin Gardner
Discussion and history of four-color theorem
This site has the (correct) formula and links to colored models with g=20.
An insult is not necessarily an Ad Hominem. It could just be an insult--do you have trouble understanding why a biology professor might find your dismissive opinions of his entire profession irksome enough to respond to in kind?
Get over yourself Amish. You aren't that important.
You seem to think so.
It's irksome because it's rude and uncalled for, and absurd. If biological thinking produces something as valuable to humans as penecillin, whereas mathematical thinking is largely irrelevant to the problem, than as far as parents of children with deadly diseases goes, mathematical thinking is "lower order"--off the scale, in fact.
Good catch.
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