From: Mark Steven Heyman (markheyman@infoproconsulting.com)
Date: Tue Nov 09 2004 - 14:20:16 GMT
Hi Arlo, Chuck, Platt...
Thanks from some good points from all of you.
> A high school teaching Creationism, as backward as this would be,
> wouldn't impair our children's ability to think nearly so much as
> what passes for United States History.
arlo:
Isn't this the truth. I have a 11 year old daughter, and i've been
over the columbus lunacy with her many times. What I teach her (or
try to) are (what I firmly believe to be) the 2 most important
educational outcomes: (1) critical thinking, and (2) cross-cultural
competence.
msh says:
I agree, and would add 3) a lot more emphasis on the arts, IMO, there
is no better way to get to the ground of our common humanity.
> The nonsense of fundamentalist Christianity is the LEAST of our
> educational problems, IMO.
arlo:
I may disagree just slightly, as it is spillover from "conservative"
textbook policies that do effect the landscape nationwide. But, your
point is well taken.
msh says:
As is yours. I don't want to shove the negative influence of
fundamentalist Christianity too far under the rug.
> Even a moderately bright student will
> detect the sillyness of Creation v Evolution.
arlo:
Here I can only hope you are correct. I want to believe critical
thinking skills, necessary for this detection, are being fostered,
but some of the things I hear... It's scary. Still, I admire your
faith.
msh:
Well, I dunno about faith. I might just be whistling past the
graveyard... :-)
> Folks, Christianity, even at it's silliest fundamentalist worst, is
> not our biggest problem. WUASTC.
>
arlo:
Not familiar with this acronymn. ??? But again, I do appreciate the
reality check.
msh says:
Sorry. I just made it up, too tired of typing. Wake up and smell
the coffee.
msh said:
Even a moderately bright student will detect the sillyness of
Creation v Evolution.
chuck:
Children are inclined to trust their parents, first and foremost.
Beyond that, at least half of this country's high school population
still harbors authority issues, not the least which being government
authorities.
msh says:
Yes. As I suggested earlier, my comment may be more wish than
conviction. Still, Arlo seems to be interested and positively
involved in his daughter's education; I'm sure there are plenty of
others.
chuck:
Presumably, the brighter high school students go on to college to
join what is arguably the least likely of this nation's sub-cultures
to believe anything with even a whiff of conventional, main-stream
American approval.
The students that can't get into to college or drop out of high
school before graduation go to, well, Wisconsin, I guess.
And then they go to church every Sunday unless the Packers are on.
Eventually, they just go on Christmas and Easter, but, they do go to
church! And then heaven apparently.
msh says:
Just wanted to paste this in, cause it's funny. Thanks, Chuck,
platt:
Perhaps we need to be reminded from time to time that Pirsig himself
offers an "alternate theory of origin,"
msh says:
I agree. And I'm sure you'd agree that Pirsig would want the MOQ
taught as metaphysics, not science. Just as we might want a
Comparative Mythologies course to include the Biblical story of
creation along with dozens of other similar stories.
platt continued:
and that defining an entire group of fellow citizens with a different
view than your own as lunatics, idiots and purveyors of insanity is a
gross form of bigotry.
msh says:
I agree here, as well. And admit that I am guilty of this from time
to time. I'll try to watch it.
platt continued:
The irony of such pejoratives coming from those who preach inclusion,
tolerance and diversity is not lost on the rubes who came out in
droves in the recent U.S. election to defeat the forces of elitist
secularism.
msh says:
Well, those rubes were actively targeted by Rove and company, and
just about carried out to the polls. But to understand this requires
a discussion of how politics REALLY works, so maybe some other time.
Thanks to all,
Mark Steven Heyman (msh)
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