> I agree with much of Loren's post except for the section about comparing
> YEC arguments in schools.
>
> I don't think that young-earth arguments have the support required to
> justify their inclusion in a science curriculum (I don't think that
> _popular_ support is sufficient reason for inclusion). I'm also not
> sure that YECs will appreciate the way in which the their arguments
> might be presented or discussed. Instead, I think there are examples
> of other competing scientific models for students to investigate which
> are less religious-oriented and less likely to draw heated debate. For
> geology, one could examine the emergence of plate tectonics. In physics
> and astronomy, one could compare the problems of an earth-centered solar
> system vs. a heliocentric one. In biology, students could read about
> how nucleic acids came to be recognized as carriers of inheritance.
All of these are fine exercises for gaining historical understanding and
for comparing competing scientific arguments; however, there are two
important reasons why YEC-debates could be added to your list. First,
students are far more likely to run into YEC arguments later in life than
arguments about plate tectonics, heliocentrism, or nucleic acids. Second,
people _care_ about YEC arguments far more than the others.
Here is what I envision as a workable compromise: The public school
teacher offers several independent study units. Each has a brief reading
list, and each student chooses which one he or she wants to study, and
perhaps write a short paper on the topic. The topics could include
non-controversial study subjects, or they could include "controversial"
topics (e.g. What is the magnitude of the greenhouse effect? How much
impact are pesticides having on the environment?) in which the reading
list includes arguments from competing sides. If the teacher or principal
or school board is interested, ONE of the optional topics could be YEC,
and the reading list would include both (non-religious) YEC arguments and
refutations of those arguments. (As a fringe benefit, the teacher would
also become familiar with this literature.)
I truly don't see how this could be objectionable to non-YECs, and I
suspect most YEC supporters would be grudingly satisfied with it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There's nothing more exciting than science. You get |
all the fun of sitting still, being quiet, writing | Loren Haarsma
down numbers, paying attention. Science has it all!" | lhaarsma@opal.tufts.edu
--Principal Skinner (_The_Simpsons_) |