Let me finish tonight with this.
From the beginnings of our republic, we Americans have been pioneers. We have gone, as they say in Star Trek, "where no man has gone before."
It's not just geographic exploration. Science, understanding the wonders of the universe, has been an American frontier since the days when Ben Franklin put his kite in the air during a storm and excited us with the nature of electricity, and Thomas Edison and his streak of genius that seemed to invent just about everything. How proud we are each year when the American physicists and scientists and chemists bring home their bundles of Nobel Prizes. And, yes, the engineers and their wondrous ability to exploit what we've discovered. (Yes, we got to the moon!)
I use a cell phone and am in wonder at it, still in wonder at the radio wave that can come through concrete walls. I'm in wonder at the information I can command on a little device small enough to fit in my pocket. Isn't science wonderful? Aren't the people who did it all wonderful? Wasn't Ronald Reagan right when he said his generation, the World War II generation, were all born without all this wonder, that they were the ones who developed it?
I don't know where the new ignorance came from—this crazy rejection of all that mankind has learned, this refusal to allow scientific evidence that the earth is getting warmer, even as the snow and ice melt and the summers heat and lengthen. I don't know what came of us, those religious among us, who believed in the moral truths in the Bible but have understood through the discovery of bones and other artifacts the long history of this planet that pre-dated the life of Abraham.
The reason we succeed, the reason America has marched this great march, is to learn and then to do the right thing. We cannot do good if we refuse to the do the other. Human knowledge is good thing.
Perhaps both parties should put that simple declaration in their platforms this year.
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One obvious reason is that in our nation, we are poor in math and science in school. In the sixties we were all going to the moon. At least in MA, our schools were excellent and the mood of the nation was discovery and I can do it.
I still remember in 1991, our son had a science fair project. My husband who is an engineer volunteered to judge the science fair. He was shocked when he went around and found that other judges had awarded a prize to a child who had not even used the scientific method. I wonder today if you even asked people to enumerate the scientific method you would be hit with a wall of silence.
To appreciate anything, it helps to have a passing knowledge of the basic tenants of the subject matter. We seem to know all about movie stars, NASCAR, the bible, and various pop culture phenomenons. What we don't know is science and math or history for that matter. My hypothesis is can we know what we have not been taught?
Carol,
Check out www.newsvine, that is if you are not already listed. What I read about Texas School Books and the fact that they control most of text book market (due to size), there is great anti-science, revisionist history and of coarse junk science (really veiled creationism), in the name of being balanced approach, it is scary!
The ignorance is willful, and is taught that being stupid is better then go against the bible (ipso facto Jesus), the lesson plans give instructors examples on how to go around thinking! Thinking is bad, faith is 1st and only!
Some articles to look at: Jindal school initiatives with charter schools and what they teach, and "Kentucky outrage" over colleges telling them that anti-science is ruining future students.
They are now spouting off on math, I guess new liberal math is the excuse, but the truth looks like that abstract algebra frightens them, and many religious charter schools and home-schooling programs tell parent/instructors that it is not worth learning!
It is very bad, but I suspect people generally do not care!
Thank you and I will Ricky.
Chris, Thank you for the wonderful commentary on science and the Republican party. Please continue to emphasize these important points as we approach the election. On this issue alone, I don't see how anyone could vote for Republicans. The anti-science stance along with all of the absurd false beliefs that they boldly proclaim, leads to the conclusion that Republicans are far below average in terms of general intelligence.
It is well known in the science community that general intelligence varies and is largely genetically determined and stable throughout a person's life.
Is it possible that the Republican party is simply the preferred party of the least genetically endowed in terms of intelligence? Do we actually have a party of the dumb and dumber? It almost seems as if they are proud of their ignorance.
In other words they can't help the way they are but are they fit to be leaders of the free world? I will take the most intelligent man or woman available for my President and one who knows science and understands its ultimate importance in today's world.
I agree that intelligence is on the Bell curve yet we know when provided with a decent education and other social supports, Johnny can read and can do math and can understand basic science.
The European system is to give an exam when you are 11 and then you are pretty much determined what your life course will be. Actually if you follow the unexpected in science that will produce variation and strenghten the organism in the long run, to decently educate everybody and not set an age date would produce a healthier species.
But the right is questioning basics, 1+1=anything that is not two, if two represents anything going against dogma and ideology!
The whole mind-set seems to be around "Jesus Blessed Social DarwinismPhilosophy!" or the God Given Right of selfishness and greed!
Right Ricky. Only republicans can come up with two different religious candidates for the highest offices in the Land, and neither one wants to be a genuine good samaritan.
Cal,
Amen!!!!!!!!!!!
HOME SALES TAX - BEGINS 2013
When does your home become part of your health care? After 2012!
Your vote counts big time in 2012, make sure you and all your friends and family know about this!
HOME SALES TAX I thought you might find this ...
interesting.The National Association of Realtors is all over this and working to get it repealed, -- before it takes effect. But, I am very pleased we aren't the only ones who know about this ploy to steal billions from unsuspecting homeowners. How many realtors do you think will vote Democratic in 2012? Did you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay a 3.8% sales tax on it? That's $3,800 on a $100,000 home, etc. When did this happen? It's in the health care bill, -- and it goes into effect in 2013. Why 2013? Could it be so that it doesn't come to light until after the 2012 elections? So, this is 'Obama change you can believe in'? Under the new health care bill all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8% sales tax. If you sell a $400,000 home, there will be a $15,200 tax. This bill is set to screw the retiring generation, -- who often downsize their homes. Does this make your November, 2012 vote more important? Oh, you weren't aware that this was in the ObamaCare bill? Guess what; you aren't alone! There are more than a few members of Congress that weren't aware of it either. You can check this out for yourself at:www.gop.gov/blog/10/04/08/obamacare-flatlines-obamacare-taxes-home
Metoo999, you have wasted this blog's time! This is an internet viral lie. (Click: lie). Grrrrrrrr!
metoo999,
Hey fool, the only tax on selling property is called a capital gain. In the case of real estate, there are certain exemptions and formulas that favor primary home owner, just not the 2nd, 3rd and 4th home exemptions by one person.
Most of this anti-science movement has come specifically from the corporations. They have used this specifically to reject governmental investment in the public commons and governmental regulation. Instead they have used it as a hammer to justify deregulation so that they can deregulate and pollute as well as receive huge taxpayer handouts and tax breaks. It's as simple as that.
I can remember in the late sixties when in college the business majors were thought as being not smart enough types to be in the science programs. They were held in the same light as elementary education teachers, not quite up to be with pre med and engineers and scientists.
Carol,
I have to confess, I am back in school at night, business management classes, almost done, Yes it is the path of least resistance for me. If I could speak and understand the language of science (calculus), I would of went back for physics and biotechnology.
Business classes do not challenge at all!
Yeah I heard there is a "death panel" included for your home as well! That's right Obamacare will put your house to death! Oh my! Ha Ha Ha! Sucker! It amazes what these clowns believe.
Republicans are fast and furiously heaving one topic after another at the Press, because they understand the 24/7 news cycle wants to exploit one "fire-storm" at a time. This helps create the false sense that there is substance and gravitas to their absurd remarks or ideas, for folks too busy (or lazy) to do research.
The conflict between the theory of evolution and theChristian faith should not surprise anyone. The biblical account in Genesis 7and 8 describes a global flood that took
place about 4400 years ago. The theory of evolution cannot allow for a global flood, and thus the two world views are complete opposites.
Evolutionists consider the global flood of Noah’s day to be a myth and say so in their literature. In saying this they are admitting they do not believe the Genesis account and how God used Noah to build an ark that saved mankind and the animals. Why
can’t they believe the bible, because science is guided by a doctrine known as Naturalism, which states that one cannot invoke a supernatural act to explain the physical world? Therefore, biblical world history must be rejected in favor of their new
naturalistic world view.
Here is the interesting part of this conflict. Scientists know there was a global flood but
chose to ignore the facts. The cretaceous layer consists of marine organisms which can only happen in water. It is the one layer of the geologic column that is universal, stretching from continent to continent. That tells us one thing; the whole world must
have been under water at the same time. This is known as the K-T boundary, where there were massive extinctions. A global flood destroys the scientific community’s entire thesis of origins and that is why Christians should reject this godless theory.
Jim are you sure of what you assert?
Science is measurement and faith are things we can not see. Now in science forever has been the placebo effect in which science asserts that what we believe contributes to outcomes. Ever hear of a double blind?
I took earth science at university and of course we studied floods as well as we studied the Bible as literature. When you read myth after myth in the Bible which are the "same" as so many other ancient writings, you conclude this is how a people told a story in a way that is understandable. Of course Jesus taught in parables.... it should be a clue.
JIm is engaging in what they call "circular reasoning" (makes most of us critical thinkers dizzy, I know). They teach it at Mitt Romney's alma mater Brigham Young University. The late high priest of the "discipline" was the late W. Cleon Skousen whom Glenn Beck reveres...
Translated, the basic axiom is the Bible is true and everything else can be shown to be contrary to the Bible and therefore untrue. Can't argue with God, can you?
Well Jim is right about the KT boundary - sort of - there were massive "floods" tsunami and other nasty things - of course this was 65,000,000 years ago so it does not support the flood of Noah. There apparently is some evidence of a local flood 100 * 400 miles at about the right time in about the right place. Certainly if you were in the middle of a flood of that size, your "world" would be covered with water. The Epic of Gilgamesh also mentions a flood - of course Gilgamesh could have been mistaken. As they used to say in old Sumeria - to Ur is human to forgive ...
Jim Levick,
I am no expert in science, but for years now I have been receiving "Scientific America" monthly and "Science News" bi-weekly.
Not unlike a tree being cross-cut as base, the rings tell of changing seasons (one revolution around sun or 1 year). They can use same principal with Ice Cores being removed (going back 10's of thousands of years) and what you touched on, sediment lines off sides of mountains or valleys that show water erosion.
The smartest people in the world have shown many times over about the Earths age, and it is not 6000 years.
Dinosaurs and man never lived at same time (man-mouths and saber-tooth tigers do not count as dinosaurs), if they had there would not have been any man left, probably?
Quite frankly, your reasoning, your kind of thinking shared by great many people from the right, is flawed coupled with willful ignorance, just makes you a person whom puts superstition over reason and reality!
You want your conservative/biblical batsh*t to be literal (as opposed to figuratively), that the message of bible completely eludes you.
Man-made religion has very little to do with God. People whom were educated at Universities like Regent, Liberty or strip-mall bible colleges (ministry's) can circle-jerk with each other as much as they want, and live in there fantasy of nihilism, wishing for the rapture to happen?
But do me a favor, take your nonsense to Fox News or clear-channel, or even your right-wing bible study, the grown-ups will blog over here, the children mentalities can go to Sunday School!
Several years ago just for fun I decided to calculate the total amount of standing water, solid ice and atmospheric water and see if adding them all together would be enough to cover all the dry land on earth. As I recall, I came up with a total water rise of just under 110 meters.
That leaves a hell of a lot of exposed dry land. Keep in mind with all the water dissolved and liquified at once including the atmospheric water mammals like man would most likely have drowned just by breathing the air while this was taking place.
Science fiction and mythology are fun but they are just that fiction and myth. There may have been floods confined to certain areas of the world but a global flood is just not scientifically possible.