Science - What are they really afraid of
The trial in Dover over references to Intelligent Design (ID) in a science class continues to keep the ID issue in the limelight.

Many evolutionists cry about how teaching ID would be ignoring science and dooming our children and society to the wastebin of scientific progress. The american scientist article highlights how the current standing of science students in the US is very low compared to the rest of the developed world. The dire warning is then that we can't allow ID into the classroom as this would make things worse! Never questioned is why US students are doing so badly...Maybe when you don't teach kids how to think about science, but instead ram the current paradigm down their throats whilst brooking no discussion has something to do with it (Outcomes based education may also be to blame). Considering how the US is high on the list of places where questioning of evolution is not allowed by teachers, there is probably a correlation there.

What i find really interesting however, is the inability to simply let selective pressures take their course. If ID and criticism of evolution in the classroom is so bad for science, then the students turned out will be less likely to be able to do good science. It also seems as if they are scared to let their scientific ideas compete in an open forum. Don't they think their ideas have enough merit to stand up in the marketplace of ideas without them trying to suppress alternate views?

Quite often, they will complain that they can't compete in the marketplace of ideas, because children will be disadvantaged (i.e. the first argument above). Yet, considering we are discussing science, where is the evidence that this will happen? They have no research to show this is the case. So much for their faith in science...

It seems quite obvious they are scared....I just wonder what they really are afraid of.
- posted by Alan Grey @ Tuesday, October 11, 2005