I found this Popular Mechanics pod cast while stumbling around today. It features Adam Savage, of Mythbusters fame (one of my favorite TV shows), discussing science education and his annoyance with the whole Evolution vs. Creationism debate:
What I do see as a huge issue is a very anti-science vibe. Like I said, the newspapers talking about evolution versus creationism is very much an attack on science as a type of religion—believing that the scientific method is some type of religious belief. And it’s not!
That kind of attack absolutely is damaging science exploration across the whole country. I do think that’s a significant problem. And until we can get our head out of the sand and realize that science isn’t about truth—it’s why this debate about the “theory of evolution” bugs the hell out of me. What scientists mean by theory is very different than what people think.
People want science to give them these ultimate truths. When of course it’s never going to do that.
No scientist will ever even tell you that he’ll guarantee the sun will come up tomorrow because that’s not a scientific statement. He can say it’ll come up because the evidence supports it and he can say he’s 99.99999% sure that it’s going to come up, but something could always happen.
And that willingness to have your mind changed – which is basically what that is – that willingness to change, to see something different based on the evidence, that’s deeply scientific, and it’s deeply creative, and I don’t think enough people realize how creative science is as a field.
What can I say? I agree with Adam 100%.
Which is why I say I’m an atheist, even though I don’t believe that god exists. I don’t KNOW that god doesn’t exist. I couldn’t carry the heart of a scientist and say otherwise.
That would make you agnostic … an atheist KNOWS god doesn’t exist.
Agnostic – without knowledge of a god/gods
Atheist – without belief of a god/gods
I am from another country but was in America for 10 years. I used to look up to and admire America for its advanced education and technology. But after experiencing this debate, I start to think maybe the respect for America is misplaced. Why would these creationists want to make America the laughing stock to the whole civilized world is beyond me. Amazingly the other group of people who shares similar idea about ‘Creationism’ are the Muslims fundermentalists in the Middle East who still think the world is flat.
David> When it comes to modern theistic religions I would be considered an atheist. But when it comes to the deistic idea that there is a created of the universe then I would be agnostic, and if the highly unlikely possibility that a god created the universe, he would be to complex for us to even understand and that god wouldn’t care at all for human life.
Adam Savage shows some historical illiteracy and some short-circuit logic:
#1.Scientific method in the real world:
a.In the real world, Adam Savage cannot quote ONE creationist who asserts that the scientific method is religious.
b.In the real world.It was creationists like Roger Bacon who formalized the scientific method by steps.
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#2.Science exploration in the world:
“That kind of attack absolutely is damaging science exploration across the whole country.”
—a.Any attack on the scientific method is damaging to science activities for sure.
—b.It was creationists like Isaac Newton, a young-earth creationist, who birthed modern science and science exploration across all countries of the world.
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#3.Willingness to have your mind changed:
–You’ve never seen a stubborn refusal to change when it comes to the more religious believers of darwinism.
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–From Alan,
a former darwinist who actually was willing to really, truly, consider challenges to his darwinian beliefs…(Are you?)