Re: [asa] science education (was: YEC the default Christian belief?)

From: Michael Roberts <michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk>
Date: Fri Nov 20 2009 - 14:45:50 EST

Moorad

You are not accurate about evolution despite many saying so before. Your
approach is less than constructive and needs to have a greater understanding
of historical sciences.

You add little to the discussion

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alexanian, Moorad" <alexanian@uncw.edu>
To: <mrb22667@kansas.net>
Cc: <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Friday, November 20, 2009 7:38 PM
Subject: RE: [asa] science education (was: YEC the default Christian
belief?)

Merv,

What I had in mind was evolutionary or historical biology, or evolutionary
theory, whereby everything is purportedly obtained from natural selection
and random mutations. It is in this sense that I indicated that it would be
an all-encompassing theory a sort of theory of everything. Surely, this
sandbox is all-inclusive.

Moorad
________________________________________
From: mrb22667@kansas.net [mrb22667@kansas.net]
Sent: Friday, November 20, 2009 2:05 PM
To: Alexanian, Moorad
Cc: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: RE: [asa] science education (was: YEC the default Christian
belief?)

To nit-pick at your terms below: I wouldn't call biology 'all-encompassing'
as
much as perhaps 'more-encompassing' --nay, not even that, but rather:
'different
encompassing'. Biologists ask questions at a different level than
physicists
do, and all but the most hard-line reductionist style thinkers would
recognize
the distinction. It is, for the sciences, an analogous difference to the
difference between science and humanities as a whole.

Cameron, the main difference I see in what you seem to have in Ontario that
that
you just plain have & require MORE science. Which is great --what science
teacher would object? If my students could get biology almost EVERY year
AND
physics almost every year, and chemistry and earth science, ... all almost
every year, they would be much more scientifically literate as well.
Problem is
that English teachers, math teachers, history teachers (not to mention a
host of
worthy electives) all want their piece of time with the student. Maybe we
just
need to be in school a lot more down here below the 49th parallel.

-Merv

Quoting "Alexanian, Moorad" <alexanian@uncw.edu>:

> ... Let us face it, the sandbox where physicists play is clear and
> finite. On the other hand, the sandbox that biologists play in is
> all-encompassing. Herein lies all the fights regarding Darwinism. That is
> why
> Phil Skell has been constantly emphasizing the importance of
> distinguishing
> the experimental aspect of biology versus the historical aspect, which I
> wholeheartedly agree.
>
> Moorad
>

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Received on Fri Nov 20 14:46:15 2009

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