Last week (Mar 2011) two events took place that made my head ache and my teeth grind. One, I read that Stephen Wise, Chairman of the Senate EducationCommittee, was trying to reenact a bill to include Intelligent Design in school curriculum as a counter argument to evolution. Two, a young man I worked with said that he believed in evolution but didn't believe in evolution of the species. Huh? Of course, neither of these is new or unusual. What bothers me is actually their un-unusualness.
Sen. Wise is an idiot (yes, this is true. A person who runs and gains public office and then gets on a soap box against evolution saying, "Why do we still have apes if we came from them?" is by act and definition an idiot -"a mentally deficient person or someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way."). That he is a member of our country's legislative body but incapable of educating himself on one of the basic aspects of a subject he so adamantly wants to fight is appalling and disgraceful. I can understand not being convinced of evolution if you don't anything about it and you are steeped in religious beliefs, but I can't see mounting a pretty controversial campaign and acting as if your lack of knowledge is an attribute. Is this part of the whole "Taking Back America"?
The other issue is the guy at work. His case is merely one of education. He said he didn't believe it and I told him that was okay, it didn't matter if he believed it or not. This sounds a lot like the argument for God and I realize this. But the truth is you can't convince someone who doesn't know. (again there's that similar argument popping up)
I think that some of my issue with this debate really comes from growing up believing that evolution was ridiculous and that God was the end all, be all explanation. Truthfully, I feel cheated. I don't mean this as an insult to faith (though I more and more have issues with people justifying everything according to their "Faith". Pole dancing for Jesus? Seriously?) I've known or met many wonderful people of faith. They're people too. Many are flawed extensively, but most know this and work at mitigating it. (I'm not getting into the Maher attack on religious institutions because just like I can't talk about every facet of evolution, I can't talk about every failure of religion.) The good people of faith use their faiths for comfort and peace and all the things it should be used for. They see it as a belief and not something you press on others through mandates, intimidation or violence.
Evolution is a scientific field, proven, proven and proven a couple more times through practice and observation. It's not meant to usurp, justify or prohibit anything. Like much of science its primary purpose is just to explain. That's pretty pure. And it's pretty awesome.
People like Stephen Wise should be thrown out of office for a lack of education in his field (I'm pretty sure that's what would happen if he worked at a company). It's not because he wants to teach ID, either. It's because his reasons for wanting it are without merit and their justifications are based of complete fallacy.
I will concede to this last thing, though, and it worries me more. Perhaps Wise does know evolution but chooses to not educate his base. Instead, he perpetuates the misrepresentations in an attempt to keep their attentions away from other issues or as a means to keep the knowledge below a certain standard. I've been in countries were leadership actively keeps the masses reliant on a higher power so that they themselves may maintain their positions as ordained by said higher power.
So, keep your eyes and ears open to the coming time and the inevitable fight that's going to ensue if Sen. Wise pushes this further. And -
Enjoy the Show!
Sen. Wise is an idiot (yes, this is true. A person who runs and gains public office and then gets on a soap box against evolution saying, "Why do we still have apes if we came from them?" is by act and definition an idiot -"a mentally deficient person or someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way."). That he is a member of our country's legislative body but incapable of educating himself on one of the basic aspects of a subject he so adamantly wants to fight is appalling and disgraceful. I can understand not being convinced of evolution if you don't anything about it and you are steeped in religious beliefs, but I can't see mounting a pretty controversial campaign and acting as if your lack of knowledge is an attribute. Is this part of the whole "Taking Back America"?
The other issue is the guy at work. His case is merely one of education. He said he didn't believe it and I told him that was okay, it didn't matter if he believed it or not. This sounds a lot like the argument for God and I realize this. But the truth is you can't convince someone who doesn't know. (again there's that similar argument popping up)
I think that some of my issue with this debate really comes from growing up believing that evolution was ridiculous and that God was the end all, be all explanation. Truthfully, I feel cheated. I don't mean this as an insult to faith (though I more and more have issues with people justifying everything according to their "Faith". Pole dancing for Jesus? Seriously?) I've known or met many wonderful people of faith. They're people too. Many are flawed extensively, but most know this and work at mitigating it. (I'm not getting into the Maher attack on religious institutions because just like I can't talk about every facet of evolution, I can't talk about every failure of religion.) The good people of faith use their faiths for comfort and peace and all the things it should be used for. They see it as a belief and not something you press on others through mandates, intimidation or violence.
Evolution is a scientific field, proven, proven and proven a couple more times through practice and observation. It's not meant to usurp, justify or prohibit anything. Like much of science its primary purpose is just to explain. That's pretty pure. And it's pretty awesome.
People like Stephen Wise should be thrown out of office for a lack of education in his field (I'm pretty sure that's what would happen if he worked at a company). It's not because he wants to teach ID, either. It's because his reasons for wanting it are without merit and their justifications are based of complete fallacy.
I will concede to this last thing, though, and it worries me more. Perhaps Wise does know evolution but chooses to not educate his base. Instead, he perpetuates the misrepresentations in an attempt to keep their attentions away from other issues or as a means to keep the knowledge below a certain standard. I've been in countries were leadership actively keeps the masses reliant on a higher power so that they themselves may maintain their positions as ordained by said higher power.
So, keep your eyes and ears open to the coming time and the inevitable fight that's going to ensue if Sen. Wise pushes this further. And -
Enjoy the Show!
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