Re: [asa] AIG reads too much into Hollywood

Gregory et al -

Of course I agree that a lot of what is supposedly "evolution" in movies & TV in fact shows a badly distorted understanding of biological evolution. Some of the worst I've seen was in Star Trek, which is supposed to have science advisors: The episode of Star Trek: Voyager" in which 2 of the main characters "evolved backwards" into lizard-like animals contained so much misunderstanding that one hardly knows where to start criticizing.

& I don't want to suggest that education can solve all our problems. But to the extent that it's relevant, the answer is better education about the scientific realities of evolution, including its limitations - uncluttered with supposed alternatives which only serve to tell students that they needn't take evolution seriously, & also devopid of suggestions that evolution provides a total world view.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Gregory Arago
  To: George Murphy ; asa@calvin.edu ; Carol or John Burgeson
  Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 8:22 PM
  Subject: Re: [asa] AIG reads too much into Hollywood

  Though this message makes no attempt to defend AiG's position about the age of the earth (i.e. I don't read AiG), otoh when it speaks about 'culture,' there is a point to be made regarding evolution that often goes unchallenged.

  "Evolution has become so ingrained in the culture..."

  It would not be difficult at all to make this argument, especially in American culture. Does anyone out there wish to contend otherwise? (In fact, in another window I've just opened a first PDF article from one of the foremost professors of higher education in the U.S. and the verb 'evolve' [i.e. change-ovre-time] is used in the first sentence!)

  Perhaps for many folks raised in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, which distinguishes between natural science, social science and humanities, studying culture is not generally considered as a scientific enterprise. As an example, there are no programs in Cultural Science, but rather in Cultural Studies or Culturology. At the same time, in the United States, programs are offered in Political Science (oftentimes in Faculties of Arts!), whereas in non-Anglo-Saxon traditions, the term Politology is preferred.

  Just a brief probe into the idea that the 'science' that is considered to be 'firmly established science' doesn't always fit into neat packaging like defenders of (some kinds of) science would have it be.

  G. Arago

  p.s. sometimes it seems a bit like rubbing it in that someone could be so 'retro' in their views of Science - of course, that in itself doesn't change their retro-ness

  Could an alternative title be: Hollywood reads too much pop evolution?

  George Murphy <gmurphy@raex.com> wrote:
    As usual, AiG misses the point about as badly as possible. The presence of evolution, BB &c in most Hollywood productions, TV &c isn't a conscious attempt to promulgate any "worldview." If it were, they'd probably handle these things more accurately! The reason those themes are used is because people - writers, performers & audience - knows that they're true.

    & this is not true only of Hollywood but also of reporting on current news. News media may refer to controversies about the age of the earth when YEC enthusiasts are promoting their views. But when the news is about some discovery in paleontology or astrophysics, it's simply taken for granted that the earth & universe are billions of years old - & rightly so since this is firmly established science. & in fact I suspect that a lot of laypeople who belong to churches promoting YEC read those news items without batting an eye. It's only when they go to church that they perform an act of doublethink & manage to believe that the universe is 6000 years old.

    Shalom
    George
    http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/

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Received on Tue Nov 14 06:53:14 2006