There is a single light of science…
July 12th, 2008 by timelady
…and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere.
For tg,who was an inspiration to post on a cold day:)
Some say that being an atheist means never having to believe in anything. Those are usually people who do not believe in atheists;) However, I do believe in many things.
One of the things I believe in is education as a key to liberation, and societal growth. Education consists of many components - after all, we want well rounded members of society, (which implies well resourced, inspired and inspiring teachers).
I would like to see everyone come out of the education system a little wiser than the previous generation. It is about tools, people. To build a better society, you need to provide better tools.
I would like to see everyone come out of a decent education system able to sew, cook, clean, balance their bank accounts, quote Shakespeare, understand that those who fail to learn from history are almost certain to repeat it, (I know, I am not quoting directly), and have accordingly an understanding of history and its’ pertinent milestones, as unpalatable & tragic as they can often be.
I would like to see everyone have an understanding, and hopefully, in
some measure an appreciation for, if not a love of, music, art,
literature.
I would like to see religion taught, not as a
‘how to pray’ scenario, with one religion holding sway, but an
understanding and a reverence for all who believe - and do not.
I would like to see everyone come out with a grounding in mathematics and science - including scientific method (based on observable, measurable, empirical facts and evidence), and the skills to apply such principles as Occam’s Razor to situations. The value of theory and hypothesis, rather than guesswork, or a wish to believe.
With all that in mind, I am vehemently against the teaching of Intelligent Design. It introduces faith into science, where it does not belong. ‘We can’t explain how it started, so God started it all’ is not a scientific hypothesis.
Accordingly, tg, and all, let me celebrate FSM - the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
From the Wikipedia article:
“The religion was founded in 2005 by Bobby Henderson to protest the decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to require the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biological evolution. Because intelligent design implies the existence of an intelligent but not necessarily omnipotent or omniscient designer, some, like Henderson, argued that this designer could be anything imaginable.“
The now, quite rightly famous, letter is well worth a read. Tweak open your mind a bit, embrace something new.
Ramen.
There you go tg, how was that?
karma Says
Pardon my ignorance, but how is a website which arose
out of government/education/science/religion relationships
that are peculiar to the United States of America relevant
to Australia?
My belief is that the more laid-back nature of the Aussie
culture, and especially the differences between the Aussie
constitution and the USA constitution, especially in the
area of government/religion relationships, means that the
FSM is not a good fit to local conditions here, and its
introduction may:
a) Promote American cultural imperialism more than is
healthy; and
b) Possibly be misinterpreted as an opening salvo to stir
up controversy in places where little or no tension
previously existed.
Remember — careless clicking costs lives.
–karma
Jul 14th, 2008 at 10:19 pm