27th September 2005, 1:16 PM
Quote:Evolution is a theory [that's why it's called the THEORY of Evolution]
People who say this don't understand what "science" is and don't want to, because it'd prove how wrong they are.
Schools are there to teach fact. Evolution is a fact. Religion/intelligent design/whatever is not.
"Intelligent Design"? It's the old idea that God created the world in seven days with a new name attached, and a concession that maybe it took more than 7 days and wasn't five thousand years ago. A reaction to the fact that as science improves it proves more and more of what they believed to be right wrong... and all too many people react to this by backing up and saying "no, I know I am right, so let's invent something that they can't disprove now!" Because yes, that's teh problem with intelligent design... while you'll find no sane scientist to support it, it's impossible to disprove because of how wholly it relies on "this is true because my faith says it must be." All you can say at that point is "well, it's extremely unlikely, but, like the classic example of 'the world was created as it is five seconds ago and no one knows it', is completely impossible to disprove..." But does that mean that we should be teaching that example in school? No, of course not. Schools are there to teach children what is, not make up comforting theories about what people wish was (or what "may be" if you wish). It is utterly disgusting that people keep trying to restrict the teaching of the only possible explanation for events that follows any of the laws of nature that we know and replace it with something that is based completely on belief and not one bit on science, scientific laws, or what we know about how the universe operates.
That's what church is for, if you believe. School has no place in it... and it's very depressing that we're still having to deal with this in this country, so long after it should have been a settled issue. Another unfortunate side effect of the extreme religious forces that are so sadly popular in this country...
Really, I should just have said nothing... this is a settled issue. There is nothing to debate (why do you think that any time an evolutionary scientist is in some kind of "debate" with the defenders of intelligent design that they get so roundly criticized? Because debating with such people implies that their "theory" has some kind of credibility, which it does not...). Either you believe in what reality says, or you believe that reality was invented by some all-powerful deity which makes the rules of nature irrelevant... and there is no way for the two to see eye to eye, unless someone decides that the side they are on is wrong. Which on issues like this is ... extremely rare... to say the least.