As someone who considers himself educated, I'm often frustrated by ignorance. I consider it my job to battle ignorance. One thing I find ignorant is the assault on science and intelligence. Often times the attackers are religious but I'm not here to blame religion. I think religion, like science, offers explanations but also has shortcomings. However we need to separate the realm of religion from the realm of science.
Let's begin with a simple question: what happens to us after we die? This is a question that science isn't really equipped to answer. Aside from our bodies rotting in the soil does something happen to our spirit or soul? Do we have souls? These questions fall outside the realm of science and scientists, to their credit, do not attempt to apply their craft to answering these questions. They also do not offer guidelines for morality or prescriptions for how we should live our lives.
While scientists do not interfere in the questions that are reserved for religion, religious people often offer non-scientific answers for scientific questions. And when they do, they look like fools.
The primary example of this is the "debate" on evolution, which, if you read the linked article, has now come to encompass global warming. You see, scientists may not be able to tell us what happens to our souls after death, but they can tell us how we got here and they can certainly tell us that our planet is getting warmer.
The "debate" on these issues has been settled for quite a while, especially when it comes to evolution. However some people continue to try to force misinformation into our schools thus dumbing down the general populace and preparing America for disaster. The evolution issue is somewhat harmless because every smart American knows that we've evolved and it doesn't have severe consequences for the future of our society. In fact, here is a great article on how our culture has shaped the evolution of our species in the last 20,000 years. Wait, I forgot, the Earth is only 6,000 years old. That's my bad.
Any effort to make sure America remains the world's leading power and the world's greatest country has to understand the issue of global warming and has to embrace the future. I'm not a doomsday prophet, but scientists can prove the Earth is getting warmer. Almost all of them agree that people are contributing to this. This doesn't mean you should break out your bikinis early, it means that you should take every opportunity to make America better by making a contribution to preserving our environment while at the same time revitalizing our economy.
Whether we are killing the Earth or not (and we are), fossil fuels are the way of the past. Not even the present, but the past. Green energy and green technology are the now. Let's embrace the now. Let's start making it a part of our lives.
And most importantly, let's stop trying to teach our children garbage. I am a teacher and when I think about what my students will be doing in a few years and where I want them to be, denying science doesn't play a role in it at all.
Go to church on Sunday and receive some guidance for how to live your life, then read a book or a scientific journal and learn about how the world works. Recognize that these are separate spheres and learn to give each the respect it deserves.
While I agree that it is important to establish boundaries between religion and science, I think that it is even more important to be cognizant of the delicate act of balancing those topics with politics. Religion and science influence how we perceive and explain the world around us; politics dictate how we respond to our interpretations.
ReplyDeleteAs other posts have indicated, religion can lie at the root of people's concepts of social justice; science can drive innovation; and the application of justice and the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship are responsibilities of government.
However, just as it is inappropriate for the state to impose religious beliefs upon its citizens (again, see other posts), it is unconscionable to sacrifice science on the alter of politics. Scientific discovery must drive policy; not the other way around.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with conservation or environmental awareness. Nor is there anything wrong with acknowledgment of climate change. However, it is unacceptable for our politicians to push agendas, for our scientists (funded by research grants and other bureaucratic dollars) to manipulate data, and for national sentiment to be steered by concepts like "global warming"...only to later adopt "climate change"...because facts, models, and theories are incomplete.
Let's make the world a better place. But let's make sure we know what we're doing first.