Maggie,
Strange distortion indeed. The dinosaur/human coexistence thing is a
desperate attempt to do much the same thing as ID attempts. Namely force
proveable science to fit Biblical mythology. Only the most serious and
marginalized wack-jobs believe dinosaurs did not exist or that the world is
only 6000(or so) years old. Yet, given the Biblically defined "fact" that
humans have existed since the beginning of the world(Adam and Eve),
dinosaurs must have existed, gone extinct, and fossilized somewhere in
between. Surely a miracle of some form. Logically then, humans and
dinosaurs must have coexisted at some point.
I always get a quiet giggle out of that one, because I can not help
thinking of Raquel Welch in 1000000 years BC. Or perhaps the ever hilarious
Caveman, with Barbara Bach, Ringo Starr, and Dennis Quaid.
I do remember there is cave art in both films. Does that count toward the
art-in-movies theme?
Mark Janzen
Registrar/Collections Manager
Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art
Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection
Wichita State University
(316)978-5850
Maggie Harrer
<[log in to unmask]
> To
Sent by: Museum [log in to unmask]
discussion list cc
<[log in to unmask]
SE.LSOFT.COM> Subject
Re: For those interested in
evolution, ID and sitcoms
06/30/2005 11:14
AM
Please respond to
Museum discussion
list
<[log in to unmask]
SE.LSOFT.COM>
This has indeed become an interesting thread and couldn't agree more that
slinging slogans doesn't increase the civility of the debate. The real
concern I have is that most of the material I've read on the ID website
involves a lot of fuzzy thinking and obfuscation. It is not, in fact,
clear and cogent exploration. The concern is that museum need to uphold
clear, critical thinking, analysis and sound conclusions. Museums need to
support the concept that "Intellectual" is NOT a pejorative, but a
description of a thinking, aware, curious and searching individual whose
efforts are to be admired.
It falls into the same area of concern as that when it is reported that
the current administration is changing the data and conclusions of
scientific reports to fit an agenda, the concern is that clear, logical
intellectual debate is somehow lost to spin and distortion......and that
the very idea of intellectual debate is somehow reduced to "just another
opinion," as opposed to respecting facts and ideas over propaganda and
spin.
If Museums do nothing else, they certainly exist to educate. Education
requires step by step introduction of ideas and facts that lead to sound
conclusions. The scientific method is an effort to verify ideas by
observed fact. One can discuss the old conundrum that the observation
alters the fact, nevertheless, in a positive manner scientists are
attempting to create knowledge that is provable, backed up by verifiable
data.
ID and Creationism rely on faith-based conclusions, not observable,
verifiable data. There is also room for that form of thinking, but the
arena in which that is useful is quite different from the arena in which
the scientific approach is useful.
Since there has never yet been any discovery of Homo Spain remains dated to
the same time frame as dinosaur remains, one wonders about the derivation
of books showing humans and dinosaurs coexisting. What form of thought can
create this conclusion? What is the basis for this? Even the Bible does
NOT speak of dinosaurs and humans together so what strange distortion of
thinking forms this particular line of "education."
The book 1984 sounded the alarm that State-controlled thought would become
the norm. Equally alarming is the idea that Religiously-controlled thought
must be the norm. Aren't we fighting world-wide terrorists who have been
"educated" to believe that their highest religious act is to blow
themselves up along with as many innocent bystanders as possible? and that
the USA is the "Great Satan?"
For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church let stand the excommunication of
Gallileo because he dared to suggest that the earth went around the sun
instead of vice versa. In the 1990's, this excommunication was lifted and
the reality of a Sun centered universe was officially acknowledged.
Are we really going to allow equal time for those who wish to teach
children that dinosaurs and humans co-existed?
M
========================================================= Important
Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail
message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should
read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
