NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/25/id_not_science/

YAY!

UK Gov boots intelligent design back into 'religious' margins
Not science, not likely to be science

The government has announced that it will publish guidance for schools on how creationism and intelligent design relate to science teaching, and has reiterated that it sees no place for either on the science curriculum.

It has also defined "Intelligent Design", the idea that life is too complex to have arisen without the guiding hand of a greater intelligence, as a religion, along with "creationism".

Responding to a petition on the Number 10 ePetitions site, the government said: "The Government is aware that a number of concerns have been raised in the media and elsewhere as to whether creationism and intelligent design have a place in science lessons. The Government is clear that creationism and intelligent design are not part of the science National Curriculum programmes of study and should not be taught as science. "

It added that it would expect teachers to be able to answer pupil's questions about "creationism, intelligent design, and other religious beliefs" within a scientific framework.

The petition was posted by James Rocks of the Science, Just Science campaign, a group that formed to counter a nascent anti-evolution lobby in the UK.

He wrote: "Creationism & Intelligent design are...being used disingenuously to portray science & the theory or evolution as being in crisis when they are not... These ideas therefore do not constitute science, cannot be considered scientific education and therefore do not belong in the nation's science classrooms."

The petition was signed by 1,505 people. ®

Good for the UK government.

So I wonder what this means for Peter Vardy and his Emmanuel Schools Foundation

+1 for the British government.

good!

i'd have liked to have signed that petition...

+1 for the English government.

*British ;)

Would the person who voted for the option saying both atheism and evolution are religions care to defend their position?

I'm guessing the answer is "No", but I'm just curious.

What happened to FAG? I haven't seen him on lately.

Good on the Brits.

*British ;)

Oooh, even better.

This Christian voted for 1, 3, 4 and 10.

Good for the UK govt! :D :D

Hooray! It's good that at least some governments are regognizing the fact that ID is bullshit.

Thank goodness for sanity.

Well, since this is the government that supports religious indoctrination in our newly privatised (at immense cost to the taxpayer) city academies *cough* Vardy *cough*, I'll treat this with unfortunate scepticism - especially since these academies don't follow the National Curriculum.

Whoo hooo, man so this is what patriotism feels like?

I learnt from waterloo road that I.D only leads to book burning :)

Now if we can get Cherie Blair's magic magnets and homeopathy removed from the NHS we might actually be moving towards a scientific common sense society.

A great step forward, but I am still concerned by the existence of government-endorsed academies which follow the views of whoever gave the most money.

Intelligent Design is not and will not ever be true or even sensible. Anyone who believes in it is too stupid to be president (or prime minister over in the UK).

Intelligent Design is not and will not ever be true or even sensible. Anyone who believes in it is too stupid to be president (or prime minister over in the UK).
But you can still be (ex) Education Secretary.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/25/id_not_science/

YAY!


Good for the UK government.
Isn't it sad when something like this is news?

BREAKING!

UK Government: Photosynthesis, Not Magical Pixie Dust, Is The Source For Energy In Plants!

Intelligent design isn't science.

In other news, grass is green, cows moo, and water is wet.

Huzzah! The Emparh gains sense! For the Emparh!

classic tune that.

I fear that it's only a matter of time before they try to impose themselves onto schooling again and this victory is only temporary.

Common sense prevails.

Are there any sensible options to the poll or do we just get a bigoted choice?
Darwin huxeley etc have more than a foot in here so "CALIFORNIA UBER ALLES!" is the lesser option. Has anyone ever been out of state or even seen a map of the world?
Open your minds and you will open your world.

I read about a research conducted in both the US and Europe about how people viewed things like creationism, intelligent design, evolution etc. American people tended to think "what kind of science is intelligent design" whereas Europeans mostly thought along the lines of "what kind of religion is intelligent design".

What was implicated in the research was that Europeans are more inclined to think of intelligent design as a part of this or that religion because in Europe kids are educated in school about the history and differences of religions - they recognize religious structures and ideas even when not being religious themselves - whereas American kids aren't. Therefore the issue of intelligent design remains and issue mostly in America and mainly because of ignorance and lack of perspective.

In Europe even the agnostics and atheists have to learn their fair share of world religions. Not really a stupid idea considering how much religion and politics share the same playground and mold history almost everywhere in the world.

Are there any sensible options to the poll or do we just get a bigoted choice?
Darwin huxeley etc have more than a foot in here so "CALIFORNIA UBER ALLES!" is the lesser option. Has anyone ever been out of state or even seen a map of the world?
Open your minds and you will open your world.

ID is religion, evolution science. Keeping the two seperate is hardly ground-breaking, even for our government...

Glad to see some governments are realising that intelligent design is complete bullshit.

I voted for every single option.

Intelligent design can go and hang around with creationism in the religious education classroom.
Leaves more room in the science cluster for things which can actually be proven.

Isn't it sad when something like this is news?

BREAKING!

UK Government: Photosynthesis, Not Magical Pixie Dust, Is The Source For Energy In Plants!

And this is why I don't get to win any threads around here.

intelegent design can never be science ever for one reson. God is , trying not to be blasphemas, supernatural. At the very least we can't observe ZGod, test him, compare him to other things. God cannot go through the scientific process so God can never be considered science. There is no bias against evolutionists,creationists,religious fanactics,athiests,etc. It is pure science.

Regardless of whether or not one believes in God, it's more than obvious this universe was created/developed in a very logical way. Empirical research is the way we explore the universe we live in.

ID is a philosophy, and doesn't belong in a proper science class.

Therefore the issue of intelligent design remains and issue mostly in America and mainly because of ignorance and lack of perspective.

This is really in the "Bible Belt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_belt)." The state of Kansas offers the churches view. But in most states, like New York, you learn evolution. Oh and I was taught about world religions in world history.

This is really in the "Bible Belt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_belt)." The state of Kansas offers the churches view. But in most states, like New York, you learn evolution. Oh and I was taught about world religions in world history.

So was I, though the information provided on Hinduism was grossly inaccurate at times.

I didn't think there was any worry about "intelligent design" infecting the UK, I thought that was mostly a bible belt, midwest USA thing.

Kudos for the California Uber Alles vote.

http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/J/A/arnold_california_uberalles.jpg

Regardless of whether or not one believes in God, it's more than obvious this universe was created/developed in a very logical way.

What we perceive as logical could in some other dimension, which works differently, be consider highly illogical. "Logic" is just a definition, a tool of perception, we've made up for working with the phenomenon of everything not being chaotically random.

The fact that the workings of a physical universe make sense to its more evolved species is actually much less surprising than encountering anything even remotely evolved living in utter and total chaos, because it would stop being a chaos, at least to that species, as adapting to your environment automatically increases your knowledge of it and reduces the perception of chaos.

Yes, I've had too much coffee, thanks for asking. :D

...Your kids will meditate in school!

CALIFORNIA!

UBER ALLES!!

CALIFORNIA UBER ALLES!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5iNh6BVZgJ0

The Sun just got brighter over the UK... ;)

More Light !

This is really in the "Bible Belt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_belt)." The state of Kansas offers the churches view. But in most states, like New York, you learn evolution. Oh and I was taught about world religions in world history.

In Europe, at least in most countries, evolution is a part of biology classes. World religions is a part of a separate religious/ethics education. World and local history is a separate subject altogether and crosses path with religions only when history so demands :-)

In my country these subjects are studied for at least 7 years each. Religious ed. or ethics begins in grade one and is studied for 9 years straight. And they are all compulsory. Most Americans and Canadians I've encountered regard some of that as a lot - more than what they have had to endure.

Yet local dolts here still think every muslim refugee is a terrorist and all tah immigrants are hea' to steal mah job an' mah ladies, so I guess we're even, stupidity is universal :-)

Despite universal stupidity, I don't think there will ever be any serious public demands of ID being taught in my little corner of Europe - either seperately or in stead of evolution. Probably too little money and power to be gained by it here (because, let's be realistic, everything's about money and power, and religion is no exception).

I wonder if this applies to Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, too. We're scientific, we even have a graph!
See:

http://www.venganza.org/piratesarecool4.gif