[Phys-L] Re: THE WEDGE STRATEGY of The ID Movement

[rtarara at SAINTMARYS.EDU (Rick Tarara)]

----- Original Message -----
From: "rlamont" <rlamont@POSTOFFICE.PROVIDENCE.EDU>

> These arguments about health care and corporate welfare are just
> nonsensical fog thrown out as a shield against thinking about the
> core issues.
>
> The topic is ID - which is a real and present danger. We can't
> let science be hijacked by cultists.
The problem is that the 'culture' and 'society' issues being discussed do
form the background tone from which the ID movement has arisen.  One can't
effectively fight off ID as science without understanding where ID is coming
from.

That the majority of the country is mired hip deep in religious mythology
must be understood.  People will die (but more often kill) for this
mythology--they will clearly HATE because (and in spite of) it.  Efforts to
remove 'god' from public life are not going to succeed in this
atmosphere--and indeed have created a 'backlash' that threatens the very
core of the American society (that the 'believers' think they are saving).

That the 'allowed' political diversity (from Communist to Fascist--a little
of each showing up on this list ;-) must also be acknowledged.  There are
those that firmly believe that the welfare of the individual rests on the
welfare of the economy--keep that healthy and the rest will follow.  Others
believe that the state must specifically look to the welfare of each citizen
through more socialistic structures.  [The current U.S. system is a mishmash
combo of these two ideas--probably with neither working too well.]
Still others, want the government to keep its hands off of everything and
everybody except for a few well defined areas that are seen as the necessary
evils of government (maintaining the military for example).

IMHO, the scientific community will not fight off ID by attacking it head
on.  Rather, the approach should be to nudge it out of the area of science
and into 'social studies'.  OTOH, students pretty much seem to be 'clean
slates' when they hit college, so that what they are 'fed' in K-12 probably
doesn't much matter.  ;-(

Rick [Who in reading 70 papers about student's daily encounters with
technology is learning why so little studying is taking place--no time after
two hours a day on the Cells (dialing to mom, dad, and friends) and about as
much time on email and instant messaging!]

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Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana
rtarara@saintmarys.edu
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