The United States is still the most technologically advanced country in the world (or number 2, depending on the criteria) but in the realm of science and math education, we are nowhere near the top; 23rd and 30th in math. (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2009highlights.asp). This is indeed disheartening news. Our society is becoming more dependent upon science and technology each passing day, yet we are falling behind.
While the above clip is just a goof, and I am not in any way suggesting eugenics or any "Social Darwinism", we have very real problems regarding the scientific literacy of our nation. When I was 4 I wanted to be a paleontologist, at 8, an astronaut, and at 17, I wanted to be an engineer. My last teaching gig saw me interact with, and teach bright students, but students with analytical skills so deficient, that few, if any, loved science. Still, our children are bright and motivated, and despite the surliness that surrounds teenage life and attitudes, I do not see our country heading toward the realm of "Idiocracy". Yet. However, I see a consistent rise in various groups and lawmakers espousing such nonsensical "science", that I do indeed fear for our collective future.
I grew up in a time (and place), where evolution was taught to me at my CATHOLIC SCHOOL! It was a great high school. I took genetics, botany, advanced physics, chemistry, and biology. Not once was 'god' ever mentioned in those classes. I graduated in 1985, two years before the Supreme Court finally struck down the teaching of creationism in public schools. I am including an original ABC news link just so you can see the same arguments are still being put out by groups today. (http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/creationism-public-schools-unconstitutional-10179175). While the constitutionality of such laws are repeatedly struck down, the most recent and famous being the 2005 Dover, PA trial (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10545387/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/judge-rules-against-intelligent-design/#.TnlHS09ApbY) conservative christian groups continue to attempt to bring creationism into the public schools. Recently, no fewer than 7 state legislatures floated "academic freedom" bills to mandate the teaching of intelligent design. I contend that the great danger is not in the legalities of the 1st Amendment, but in the reactionary nature of Christians and Muslims worldview due to their slavish devotion to a single piece of literature (the Bible and Koran, respectively).
So, why this incessant attempt to inject religious doctrine into our science classrooms? Conservative Christians most likely believe that most diseases and infections are brought about by microorganisms; a belief which agrees with the germ theory of disease (1822-Pasteur). If they use any electronic device to make their living, they are proponents of the electromagnetic theory, put forth in the 19th Century. And, in the most obvious example, if they push a dish off a counter, it will most likely fall downward; you know, the theory of gravitation. Why is the theory of evolution, also a 19th Century product so incredibly distasteful and suspect?
The simple explanation is that Christians not only cherry-pick their scripture, but also their science to fit their belief system. The same "test-observe-report" process that is used in the theories mentioned above is at the core of our investigation of the natural world. To embrace it for some and refute it for others is another example of the cognitive bias I wrote about previously. And a theory, in science, carries a lot of weight. The term theory has a very different definition in science, as opposed to events we witness daily in the world. In common terms, a theory is often interpreted to mean an idea or a supposition to a conundrum. No doubt we have all seen this on the innumerable crime shows on TV. But, in those cases, a theory is just for the exact matter at hand; and is not applicable to every crime that has been committed. In science, a theory must work in all cases that can be observed and tested. If it doesn't stand up to repeated testing, it is refined or discarded outright.
Sadly, creationist ignorance regarding evolution does not stop at their improper use of the word 'theory'. "Survival of the fittest" is another term they twist into a pretzel of stupidity. To them it means the strong survive and gave rise to social Darwinism and eugenics. To an extent they are right but they, as the Nazis before them, misunderstand what the term means in science. In Biology, the term 'fitness' simply means a fitness to reproduce and does not necessarily refer to only strength and size. "Natural selection is random" is another thing you will hear them say. While genetic mutations are indeed random, there is NOTHING random about natural selection. If you have adaptations that allow you to thrive in a particular environment, you'll be more genetically fit, fuck more, have more offspring that will share that adaptation, etc. There is so much ignorance about this theory in conservative circles, either willful or not, that it scatters the imagination.
A gallup poll shows that only about 40% of Americans believe in evolution (http://www.gallup.com/poll/114544/darwin-birthday-believe-evolution.aspx) and as church attendance of respondents increased, this drops to a paltry 24%. This IS NOT a hallmark of a society that is forward thinking; in fact it is quite the opposite. And, as we all have seen, the Tea Party favorites like Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Jim Demint, Michelle Bachmann, and Rick Santorum all believe in Creationism, no matter what term you use for it. Scientific literacy is not knowing the atomic mass of Iron (55.8) or the acceleration of gravity on Earth is 9.8m/sec squared. Those are just facts. Scientific literacy is a way of thinking that helps solve problems. And we are faced with many problems right now. Science self-corrects itself; not so with religious dogma. Would you vote for a candidate that believed the earth moved around the sun? Or that the world was flat? Or that disease is caused by "bad air"? So why does evolution get shit on by these people? At a time when our children are falling behind in school, do we really want to bring this nonsense into the classroom?
The simple truth is that evolution and natural selection is a VERY strong theory. It has been tested for over 150 years and continues to satisfy the overwhelming majority of the scientific community. Intelligent design should not be kept out of science classrooms because of the first amendment, although that is the only reason that matters to our litigious society; it should be kept out because it is NOT science! 99% of people that say evolution is "just a theory" are most likely conservative evangelical Christians who want their worldview to dominate this country. They are running for school boards all over the country and some of them are running for president. Okay, maybe the idiocracy video at the top is a little more ominous than I had hoped.
No comments:
Post a Comment