Intelligent Design in Tennessee Schools

[c.d.]

Tennessee legislators ...
c.d.

[Robert]

Why does it have to always be intelligent design? What about stupid design?

[Stephen Thomas]

There's a big downside to democracy which is that it empowers total morons.

[Errata]

Ok. I swear I didn't elect these guys, but here they are nonetheless. The irony is that the bill absolutely forbids teachers from teaching religion. What they are allowed to teach is that evolution is a theory, and one that many people don't agree with. I imagine a teacher could go ahead and then teach intelligent design, as long as absolutely no reference to religion is made. And since there is always that one kid in every science class, he's going to ask what that intelligence is, and the teacher either has to lie, or get fired.

In a way it might be a diabolical plan to get rid of all the so called science teachers who believe in the Flintstones theory of evolution.

[corey123]

Ditto Errata, I may live in Knoxville but I didn't elect them, see this is why I am moving to New York

[Robert]

Hi Stephen

But the alternative is to give absolute power to absolute morons. I give you a few examples :

Hitler
Stalin
Lenin
Mao Tse Tung
Pol Pot
Henry VI
Louis XVI

[Chris]

Just out of curiosity, what's the point about cloning? Do they really dispute the science behind cloning, or what?

[sdreid]

It is no longer the Theory of Evolution, it's the Theorem of Evolution and has been for quite some time. Every year we have a new flu virus because of it. The fossil record leaves no doubt.

[The Grave Maurice]

I thought that the Scopes trial had settled all this in Tennessee about 85 years ago. Glad to know that the debate continues.

[ChainzCooper]

Whats wrong with discussing a theory of intelligent design in class? Evolution is a theory not a scientific law. Same as intelligent design. So whats the problem with teaching it? The bottom line is that no one can say with 100 percent certainty where and what we came from and what we're doing here. Thats pretty obvious
Jordan

[Errata]

Whats wrong with discussing a theory of intelligent design in class? Evolution is a theory not a scientific law. Same as intelligent design. So whats the problem with teaching it? The bottom line is that no one can say with 100 percent certainty where and what we came from and what we're doing here. Thats pretty obvious
Jordan

I don't have a problem with Intelligent design. It makes me laugh really hard, but I'm fine with it. The problem with intelligent design is that there isnt a whole lot of provable science backing it up. For example, we can look at geological strata and see that the fossil record for dinosaurs is quite a bit earlier than the fossil record for humans. Thus they didn't live at the same time. The intelligent design theory is mostly predicated on humans and dinosaurs living at the same time. And they would have to in order to accommodate a 7 day genesis. But since the fossil record doesn't support that, their theory is that the Flood jumbled everything up and the heavier dinosaur bones sank deeper than smaller mammal bones.

A flood that was maybe four feet deep in ancient Mesopotamia and nowhere else.

It's a little shy on science. But even so thats fine, but since science teachers are forbidden from teaching any kind of religion, Intelligent design without being able to reference the intelligence, the reasons for the restrictions or even the genesis of the theory leaves a very confusing story for kids.

[Limehouse]

My parents raised me as a Christian. They were more concerned about me living a Christian life then worrying about how it all started.

I think the idea of creation in seven days has its problems and I don't think the seven day idea is meant to be taken literally.

The big bang theory is also not a totally satisfactory way of explaining precisely how we got to where we are today. I remember hearing somewhere that the big bang theory was like saying a gust of wind could blow through a scrap yard and result in a Roll Royce.

Surely the idea of education is to present the available theories as theories and require the students to examine them and discuss them and challenge them and make their own minds up.

[The Good Michael]

At bare minimum, the concept of evolution follows scientific principles of logic that enable us to understand how living things change and have changed. This is completely separate from the Big Bang. One of the greatest things that learning about evolution has the power of doing is giving us a common ancestry that should, if we take this information and actually think about it, make us think less about our differences. There are holes in it as there are holes in all sciences. The theory of evolution is not necessarily atheistic.

Intelligent Design was created for the sole pupose of using religious pseudo-science to combat evolution. It is by its nature a religous concept and as such, should not be in public schools period. If it is taught, it will become a point of mockery against those who believe in it because no teacher worth his or her salt, could actually teach it without pointing out its completely flawed structure.

Mike

[protohistorian]

I.D. cannot explain the observed phenomena, only a moron would give it anything approaching equal credibility. When I.D. can explain why certain viral mutations result in different organisms with different niches we can talk. Dave

[Limehouse]

At bare minimum, the concept of evolution follows scientific principles of logic that enable us to understand how living things change and have changed. This is completely separate from the Big Bang. One of the greatest things that learning about evolution has the power of doing is giving us a common ancestry that should, if we take this information and actually think about it, make us think less about our differences. There are holes in it as there are holes in all sciences. The theory of evolution is not necessarily atheistic.

Intelligent Design was created for the sole pupose of using religious pseudo-science to combat evolution. It is by its nature a religous concept and as such, should not be in public schools period. If it is taught, it will become a point of mockery against those who believe in it because no teacher worth his or her salt, could actually teach it without pointing out its completely flawed structure.Mike

YOu make the points well Mike - and with reference to the bit at the end that I have put in bold - it is a teacher's job to point out the flaws in each theory that is presented to their students and it is for the students to decide which theory they will embrace or partly embrace or whatever.