Posted on 11/28/2005 6:54:46 AM PST by Right Wing Professor
Intelligent design — already the planned subject of a controversial Kansas University seminar this spring — will make its way into a second KU classroom in the fall, this time labeled as a “pseudoscience.”
In addition to intelligent design, the class Archaeological Myths and Realities will cover such topics as UFOs, crop circles, extrasensory perception and the ancient pyramids.
John Hoopes, associate professor of anthropology, said the course focused on critical thinking and taught how to differentiate science and “pseudoscience.” Intelligent design belongs in the second category, he said, because it cannot be tested and proven false.
“I think this is very important for students to be articulate about — they need to be able to define and recognize pseudoscience,” Hoopes said.
News of the new class provided fresh fuel to conservatives already angered that KU planned to offer a religious studies class this spring on intelligent design as “mythology.”
“The two areas that KU is trying to box this issue into are completely inappropriate,” said Brian Sandefur, a mechanical engineer in Lawrence who has been a vocal proponent of intelligent design.
Intelligent design is the idea that life is too complex to have evolved without a “designer,” presumably a god or other supernatural being. That concept is at the heart of Kansas’ new public school science standards — greatly ridiculed by the mainstream science community but lauded by religious conservatives — that critique the theory of evolution.
Hoopes said his class would be a version of another course, titled Fantastic Archaeology, which he helped develop as a graduate student at Harvard University.
The course will look at the myths people have created to explain mysterious occurrences, such as crop circles, which some speculate were caused by extraterrestrials.
The course will explore how myth can be created to negative effects, as in the case of the “myth of the moundbuilders.” In early American history, some people believed the earthen mounds found primarily in the area of the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys were the works of an ancient civilization destroyed by American Indians. The myth contributed to the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which relocated American Indians east of the Mississippi to lands in the west, Hoopes said.
“It was that popular explanation that then became a cause for genocide,” Hoopes said.
That example shows the need to identify pseudoscience, he said.
“What I’m trying to do is deal with pseudoscience regardless of where it’s coming from,” he said.
But Sandefur said intelligent design was rooted in chemistry and molecular biology, not religion, and it should be discussed in science courses.
“The way KU is addressing it I think is completely inadequate,” he said.
Hoopes said he hoped his class stirs controversy. He said students liked to discuss topics that are current and relevant to their lives.
“Controversy makes people think,” he said. “The more controversy, the stronger the course is.”
Contrary to popular belief, Unix is user friendly. It just happens to be selective about who it makes friends with.
I went from PDP/RSX to VAX/VMS to Unix. When I first started using it I absolutely, unequivocally hated and loathed Vi. However, once I got used to it I loved it. You could do an awful lot very quickly with very few keystrokes. For someone who can't type, that's important.
I am of view that there is a naturalistic world out there. For example, gold melts at 1063 C. This is true whether you are in Siberia, Argentina, Atlanta, China, Paris, or Texas. This is an observation. It is the same whether you are Christian (Catholic or Protestant), Hindu, Buddhist, Islam, pagan, atheist, or whatever cult. There is a materialistic world, and faith cannot change this.
No amount of prayer from believers despite any sincerety, public piety, hypocrisy can change the melting point of gold. No matter how much you pray, it always stays the same. Christians have no success in this matter over Wiccams; wiccams also fail.
Was this "intelligently designed"? If so, it was given to us by gods from many different cultures and faiths.
The materialistic, non-theistic, natuarlistic understandings of science give us a wider understanding. The melting point of gold does not depend on any bible or cultural tradition or prayer.
Your point is basically my point. It takes forever to learn a huge number of cryptic two-letter commands to the point of reflexive keystroking. The problem IMHO was compounded by the inferiority of Unix's "man" pages to VAX-VMS "Help." Exempli gratia: "help search" vs (I think!) "man grep". If you don't already know the name of the Unix command, you'd better have a book or a cheat sheet handy.
Pretty much what I did, BTW.
>>>Anxiously awaiting a bible literalist to angrily correct you. *crickets*<<<
LOL. I am a Bible literalist. For that reason I believe Heaven is our atmosphere, and that God's day is not the same as our day.
>>>That's some heavy meddle.<<<
LOL!
Forgive the occasional terrible pun I throw in. I can't resist sometimes.
If you don't already know the name of the Unix command, you'd better have a book or a cheat sheet handy.
I agree. VAX/VMS 'help' was much better. In fact, there were more than a few things about VAX/VMS that were better, and easier to understand and work with than with Unix. And I almost always had a 'cheat sheet' handy, even after many years.
But since DEC missed the boat, I went where the money was and Unix did grow on me. Even though it is cryptic, I developed the same respect, appreciation, and affection for Unix that I did for VAX/VMS.
>>>You claimed somebody was imposing their secular views on the community or nation. Now you claim I've done so. Given that you've made a direct personal accusation here, I expect you to provide a specific instance of how I've imposed my secular views on anyone;; and if you can't, please retract and apologize.<<<
How about this statement by you in post #52: "I'm a believer in human freedom in general and the US Constitution in particular. The actions of the Kansas School Board infroinge on both."
That is pure secularism. You have also bought into the secular myth that the 14th Amendment over-ruled the religious clause of the 1st, even though there is an 1892 Supreme Court precendent which contradicts that myth.
I am no egotist, so no apology is necessary.
No one seriously thinks our laws are based on them.
The stealing and killing ones seem to come through:). But seriously, I'm glad they're not based directly on them. The Old Testament laws based on them were pretty harsh ones. I probably would be stoned every day without even having to take drugs (which I don't, I just seem like I'm on them).
I just hope the twitch in the right index finger goes away after awhile.
You have a POINT:).
You wrote: "The sheer number of faiths claiming they have "knowledge of God" makes one wonder. Surely, they can't all be right, no matter what emotional fervor or personal experiences believers have
But they could all be wrong."
----
Exactly. Is there ONE Single Ultimate TRUTH? Is this in the 10 Commandments? I see many of us Freepers having different religious outlooks, and we agree on certain moral values, we disagree on others.
The spirit of freedom of personal thought is alive on these threads. Conservatives gain the advantage of having a real world view, based on actual evidence. Not just blatherings of some faith.
Nobody believes that ID represents Christian views:
from an interview:
Church of the Nazarene
Rev. Ron Moeller, Pastor
"There isn't very much interest here in intelligent design, because we think the most important thing is saving souls for our Lord Jesus. It doesn't matter if people believe in evolution as a way of understanding the flowers and meadows and animals of God's creation. People come to Christ sometimes by the Bible, but just as often by personal experiences of the Holy Spirit and are born again, sometimes by family or friends, sometimes, I hope, by their pastor. Intelligent design doesn't help at all, because it has no foundation in the Bible.
"It has come up a few times in our Adult Study classes, but the 'specified complexity' and stuff didn't attract much interest. Someone asked, "What does this have to do with the Bible?"
The Presiding Bishop said that "ID opens the door to pantheism and every kind of New Age cults. And it does not mention Christ or the soul, so it is not Christian, and doesn't seem to be good science."
"It [Intelligent design] is probably like one of these cults that come along every few years, like New Age. Maybe it will become its own church, like Scientology or Christian Science. I think in two or three years we will hear very little from them."
merely a skeptic of loud science.
Yeah those T-Rexes get to me too:).
At the B.S. level.
That's me:)
The word "fascist" ( or "fascism") is sometimes used to denigrate persons,
I thought it was people who didn't wear makeup. Gotta study that dictionary I guess.
and that God's day is not the same as our day.
I would agree with that. I just don't know how long it is.
Spider Robinson
I started doing puns at an "oyly" age by the way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.