British Intelligent Design
It appears that the British are being confronted with some of the same educational issues that the US is facing. Here we have fights over vouchers and creationism. There they have worries about city academies and creationism. The stories are remarkably similar.
Almost half the Government's planned new flagship city schools are sponsored by religious organisations, prompting fears that the programme could become a 'Trojan horse' for radical evangelicals. The next wave of privately-funded City Academies includes at least one school planning to teach children creationism - the doctrine that the earth was created by God and that the Darwinian model accepted by scientists is therefore wrong.
Education ministers have pledged to create up to 200 City Academies. The scheme involves private sponsors contributing £2 million to the establishment of new state schools, run in partnership with the local education authority.
Originally blue chip businesses were expected to back them, but in fact over 40 per cent of the sponsors for the Academies due to open over the next two years are either faith-based charities, Church of England figures or well-known evangelicals.
Ian Gibson, chair of the Commons science and technology committee, said creationism must not be allowed to gain a foothold. 'In schools in the US where they teach creationism, they create real problems in the development of our young people. There is no place for it in this country.
'You can discuss it, but education has to be based on scientific facts.'
While an argument certainly can be made that a private religious school should certainly have the right to teach creationism as a theory opposed to evolution, I am somewhat confused as to why parents would want their children to be educated in that fashion.
A great deal of modern science is based on evolution. Certainly modern medicine is. Should the avian flu pandemic predictions prove accurate, understanding how that virus has evolved and will continue to evolve is crucial for the development of vaccines and proper treatments. Fortunately, current scientists have been trained in evolutionary theory, gaps and all. Will those parents refrain from availing themselves of the vaccines and treatments? Will they deprive their children of the fruits of science as well?
And as to governmentally funded schools, why would a nation want to take a step back from science? Where will the new technologies come from?
Creationism (or, the current euphemism, 'Intelligent Design') and science are two separate knowledge bases. The whole point of the scientific method is to observe and to test, not simply to accept on faith. The whole point of faith is to believe, even in the midst of evidence to the contrary. Neither is inherently good or inherently evil. They both simply are. Why do people insist on mixing them all up?
I am completely mystified by this.
[Note: Thanks to Moonbootica for the tip. I visit her blog regularly. You should consider doing the same.]
Almost half the Government's planned new flagship city schools are sponsored by religious organisations, prompting fears that the programme could become a 'Trojan horse' for radical evangelicals. The next wave of privately-funded City Academies includes at least one school planning to teach children creationism - the doctrine that the earth was created by God and that the Darwinian model accepted by scientists is therefore wrong.
Education ministers have pledged to create up to 200 City Academies. The scheme involves private sponsors contributing £2 million to the establishment of new state schools, run in partnership with the local education authority.
Originally blue chip businesses were expected to back them, but in fact over 40 per cent of the sponsors for the Academies due to open over the next two years are either faith-based charities, Church of England figures or well-known evangelicals.
Ian Gibson, chair of the Commons science and technology committee, said creationism must not be allowed to gain a foothold. 'In schools in the US where they teach creationism, they create real problems in the development of our young people. There is no place for it in this country.
'You can discuss it, but education has to be based on scientific facts.'
While an argument certainly can be made that a private religious school should certainly have the right to teach creationism as a theory opposed to evolution, I am somewhat confused as to why parents would want their children to be educated in that fashion.
A great deal of modern science is based on evolution. Certainly modern medicine is. Should the avian flu pandemic predictions prove accurate, understanding how that virus has evolved and will continue to evolve is crucial for the development of vaccines and proper treatments. Fortunately, current scientists have been trained in evolutionary theory, gaps and all. Will those parents refrain from availing themselves of the vaccines and treatments? Will they deprive their children of the fruits of science as well?
And as to governmentally funded schools, why would a nation want to take a step back from science? Where will the new technologies come from?
Creationism (or, the current euphemism, 'Intelligent Design') and science are two separate knowledge bases. The whole point of the scientific method is to observe and to test, not simply to accept on faith. The whole point of faith is to believe, even in the midst of evidence to the contrary. Neither is inherently good or inherently evil. They both simply are. Why do people insist on mixing them all up?
I am completely mystified by this.
[Note: Thanks to Moonbootica for the tip. I visit her blog regularly. You should consider doing the same.]
posted by Diane at 4:20 AM
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