This re-instated what passes for faith in humanity

[kandrathe]

I spent a lot of time on the old boards several years ago. Just poping in more recently to bask in the relative enlightenment and even-handedness of Occhi's posts as compared to the rest of the internet.

So much for that. At least you have cute smilies.  :whistling:
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Please measure the Lounge by it best posts (posters). Most of us believe in grammar and spelling. The bar has definately lowered in recent years, but the conversations have been as lively.

On Topic;

As for ID vs Evolution... The problem I see in schools is they use cross disciplinary all the time, except when it comes to this very topic. Mostly because it is very difficult to separate the theology from biology, the physics from the metaphysics, or fact from faith. There are two ideologue camps; one being Camp A - "Heaven forbid that science education would rob a child of faith." and the other Camp B - "Science education should not bring any child to a belief in religion." Most other people are in Camp C, D, and E -- Clueless, Apathetic, or critical of all.

Most of humankind is unified in having an underlying set of similiar myths that seek to explain our relationship with the universe and the divine. These myths are passed down as stories interpretted, translated, and re-interpretted over thousands of years, which does not invalidate them as frameworks for guiding the morality of a society. No cultures myths stand up as 100% factual under intense scrutiny, but these frameworks do allow societies to flourish by providing direction and a sense of something bigger than the individual which must be served. I see them as two entirely different pursuits.

Natural selection, and evolution are evident processes at work in our natural world. One can see clear signs of truth in evolutionary theory in the fossil record. We don't know the whole evolutionary history story, nor would we ever probably be able to know it. I'll skip my whole explaination of why I see Science as a type of religion. But, I see the same type of faith exercised in the extrapolations of certain origin theories.

My understanding of intelligent design is that it seeks to find design patterns in evolutionary history indicative of intelligence. These forces may be aliens, DNA based (self design) or something else. If SETI makes any sense by listening for patterns in space, then the pursuit of intelligent design makes the same sense in looking for patterns in how life on earth evolved. If ID is performed using scientific principles, without leaping to unproven conclusions then it is science. This pursuit of ID, just like other theories, is plagued by those from Camp A that want to say that the results prove God exists, and from those in Camp B that are afraid of Camp A making junk science. I don't think there are any scientific articles published about ID, so how to make it into a science curriculum may be premature as it has yet to define itself as even a scientific endeavor. It might be an interesting nod to Aristotlian metaphysics, and a cross disciplinary exploration of philosophy.

So Camp A people say, "Ok, teach evolution, but also teach ID because it gives us a way of explaining evolution consistent with a belief system", and Camp B says "Intelligent design is an anti-evolution belief that asserts improbabilities indicate divine intervention."

I have to reside in Camp E, so show me your work and I'll review the results and make up my own mind. I'm not afraid of people being taught things, as long as they have learned to be critical and review the evidence that supports it. Perhaps that is one thing that is missing in education today, we need to give our kids an adequate filter much earlier.