Posthuman Blues

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Bush endorses teaching 'intelligent design' theory in schools

"President Bush waded into the debate over evolution and 'intelligent design' Monday, saying schools should teach both theories on the creation and complexity of life." (Via Ollapodrida.)

Kind of ironic coming from a guy who could pass for a chimpanzee.

7 comments:

Dimitar Vesselinov said...: Von Neumann probe
"A von Neumann probe is a fictional or hypothetical self-replicating machine, specifically designed for space exploration or colonisation."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_probe; 6:51 AM
Bitty said...: Assuming for the sake of argument that the creation version is true, I've never understood why that would AUTOMATICALLY make Darwin wrong. Perhaps the creator -- even as popularly described by Christians -- created its life forms to evolve, so that puts me slightly in Jon's corner. (Although I doubt that most people who say they want a rational discussion on ID REALLY want rational discussion.)

But also, what w.m. bear said.; 12:18 PM
JohnFen said...: "thinking "rationally" about ID is not so crazy as you might think"

The core issue is teaching ID as science, not whether the possibility of ID is ludicrous or not.

Currently, it is a speculation, not even a hypothesis. Like many other speculations that cannot currently be tested (life after death, intergalactic civilizations, etc.), you must destroy what makes something "science" in order to accomodate it in that realm.

Soem speculations are close to scientific than others, though, in that they are closer to testability. The speculation of the ruins of a civilization on Mars, for example, is better "science" than ID, because we know how to test for it -- go there and see.; 2:00 PM
Ken said...: The Clintons are very good friends of Billy Graham. I have a feeling that they've been converted to Evangelical Christianity. If Hilary gets elected as the next president, I'm afraid we may have a repeat of what we're seeing with W in office (who, incidentally, was also converted by Billy Graham). The fact that Hilary is a Democrat might might less of a difference...; 2:38 PM
Cyn said...: Sunday School, enough said.; 8:45 PM
Mac said...: I've changed my mind on I.D. I was arguing that there might be something to it, separated from the evangelical literalist reading of scriture, but I don't think so any more.

In my own opinion, I think you've "seen the light." The Fundies wielding "ID" do a pretty good job of keeping up a "scientific" pretense -- but a pretense is all it is. "ID," as defined by those endorsing it, doesn't wash under thoughtful scrutiny. It's simply a politically expedient way to insert the Christian god into science classrooms -- no more or less.; 10:21 PM
Kyle said...: Mac and all -

Absolutely a pretense. A foot in the door for a myriad other little "alternatives".

Bush put it this way, "You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes."

Well, you said a mouthful. While we're allowing "different ideas" about evolution, how about different ideas on birth control, or different ideas about the role...if any...of sexual orientation in marriage?

No...didn't think so.

Yes friends...a pretense, wrapped in hypocrisy.

Kyle
UFOreflections.blogspot.com; 12:26 AM