Re: Gore Shocks Scientists With Creationism Statement

Patrick Wilken (patrickw@cs.monash.edu.au)
Sun, 29 Aug 1999 20:31:25 +1000

>Patrick Wilken writes:
>>I was responding to Kathryn's mail suggesting that it was a bad thing that
>>he was saying that locals should decide what they teach. Freedom implies
>>that stupid people are free to do stupid things.
>
>I said no such thing. Please read more carefully before attributing quotes.

Kathyrn:

You are right. I did misread your post, but having re-read it I am now unsure exactly what you mean. Why are things so bad if Gore says what he says? He hasn't said he is pro-teaching evolution at schools. He certainly hasn't said he supports creationism or thinks it has an equal place in teaching at school. That locals should have some input into what is taught at the school level. Would you prefer him to say that government in Washington decides what is to be taught in every school in the Nation irrespective of what the locals want?

Presumably the best situation would be to give everybody their money back and let them spend it on the schools they want. Ironically this would mean much more creationism would be taught, and far less evolution, but if this means that more freedom is around perhaps this would all be for the best.

best, patrick



Patrick Wilken
Editor:        PSYCHE: An International Journal of Research on Consciousness
Board Member:      The Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness
http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/                 http://www.phil.vt.edu/ASSC/