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[Phys-L] Re: Another attack on Evolution



Sorry, Hugh, I can't agree with your statement quoted below.

According to this logic, _any_ area of science may be discussed on the
PHYS-L list as long as it is a "current high-profile target".
Biological topics are fine, if they are current high-profile targets.
(This despite the fact that "PHYS" does still stand for "Physics", I
believe.)

I'm not saying that the discussion is not valuable. I'm saying that it
is in the wrong place.

In a recent response Joel Rauber mentioned that some messages in the
thread have had a biophysics connection, and so can be justified to a
certain extent on that basis. I agree, but that was a small fraction of
the thread, the connection somewhat tenuous. (If this thread were a
student research paper in one of my classes I would definitely penalize
it for being inadequately tied in with the course topics. This feels
like a 5% penalty to me. Not too bad yet, but annoying, particularly
when the expectations have been made clear to the class.)

The claim that the topic is or should be important to us all is
inadequate, even if it is or should be important to all scientists.
What's next? Eating is important to all scientists, but that does not
authorize extended paroxysms of gastronomical verbosity on this list.
(I know, the analogy is stretched a bit thin.)

And it seems like this thread is threatening to take over the list. I'd
count recent messages but that would waste even more time on something I
don't have time for now.

Well, if the consensus (or list administrator's opinion) is that the
thread is welcome, I still have options:

... canceling or suspending my subscription. But that sounds extreme,
letting non-compliant (*) members of the group drive me away.

... or adding a rule to my email reader that deletes any message from
PHYS-L whose subject contains "Another attack on Evolution". Ok, done!
But friends, it really is unfair to make people do this.

Drat, I've wasted another 15 minutes on this.

Move over, E. A. Poe's Raven! (**)

Ken Caviness
Physics @ Southern

(* Yes, I do view members of a list dedicated to the discussion an
agreed-upon topic who insist on using the forum for another discussion
as "non-compliant".)

(** "Nevermore". I'm done with this thread, and I will not bore the
rest of you any further with my discontent. After all, even the copy of
this message sent out to the list will be deleted my new filter, and
I'll never know if anyone replies to it either. I'll try to bear up
under the disappointment.)


-----Original Message-----
From: Forum for Physics Educators [mailto:PHYS-L@list1.ucc.nau.edu] On
Behalf Of Hugh Haskell
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 11:50 AM
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU
Subject: Re: Another attack on Evolution

At 11:18 -0500 1/23/06, Ken Caviness wrote:

Friends, I'm here for discussions about Physics, _not_ Biology. What
about you?

Could those contributing to this thread _please_ take this discussion
to
a more appropriate forum? Pretty please with sugar on it?

As I said earlier, in response to another similar comment, if you
don't think this issue pertains to teaching physics, you haven't been
paying attention.

Evolutionary biology is just the current high-profile target. If they
win on this one, who do you think will be next? Who is it who talks
about a universe that is billions of years old? Who talks about the
earth forming from the debris of earlier exploded stars? Etc., etc.,
etc. This is not just a problem for the biologists. It involves all
of science teaching and if we aren't involved now, we sure will be
later, when they come for us.

Hugh
--

Hugh Haskell
<mailto:haskell@ncssm.edu>
<mailto:hhaskell@mindspring.com>

(919) 467-7610

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