Re: [asa] Oregon teacher fired after making Bible references

From: James Mahaffy Wednesday - March 21, 2007 11:44 AM
To: id
Subject: Re: [asa] Oregon teacher fired after making Bible references

>>> PvM <pvm.pandas@gmail.com> 03/21/07 10:45 AM >>
Critical thinking still means what it has always meant. It means that
we teach our children the best about science and try to avoid mixing
science with religion, even though some people may fail to appreciate
the difference.

[my response]
Actually Pim many of us scientists in the reformed tradition think that
scinece can not be dualistically seperated from our faith and that our
science is affected by our faith assumptions. If I read him right, the
first class Christian philosopher, Alvin Plantinga thinks that too many
evangelical scientist are semidiest with a science that appears to be
unaffected much by their faith assumptions. See: Plantinga, Alvin,
1991. "When Faith and Reason Clash: Evolution and the Bible." pp. 8-33;
 "Evolution, Neutrality, and Antecedent Probability: A Reply to McMullin
and Van Till," pp. 80-109 both in Christian Scholar's Review XXI:1
(September, 1991)

That does NOT mean that I do not know what is good science.

But it does mean that I do not mind the fact that some rural public
schools in the Bible belt that consciously try and get staff that
reflect the same norms the parents are trying to teach their children.
However in the Oregon case you had a young teacher who was not in tuune
with either the aadminsitration of the community and I think the way he
taught was a bit foolish.

James Mahaffy (mahaffy@dordt.edu) Phone: 712 722-6279
498 4th Ave NE
Biology Department FAX : 712
722-1198
Dordt College, Sioux Center IA 51250-1697

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Received on Wed Mar 21 13:14:18 2007