tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847211149012008703.post1433169832653248089..comments2023-11-03T04:50:42.128-05:00Comments on Confessional Gadfly: Teaching vs. De-evolutionRev. Eric J Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17747919365522145094noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847211149012008703.post-77460482155096308622007-06-03T16:04:00.000-05:002007-06-03T16:04:00.000-05:00Ah. I can see where you are coming from. I think...Ah. I can see where you are coming from. I think that living and loving a scientist has made me more sensitive to the myriad ways in which people screw this up.<BR/><BR/>For instance, what we have seen is that organisms become "better" over very large scales of time when left to themselves. However, what is meant by "better" here is simply "suited to their environment more closely". However, I think you would be willing to agree with me that this isn't what is meant by you or most others when they use the term "better" with respect to man, in which case we have no quarrel.<BR/><BR/>Well, we have one little quarrel. I think you shouldn't be so willing to let wrongheaded know-nothings inform your understanding of the world, even if they only inform you insofar as you use them as foils.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847211149012008703.post-2177639174645690132007-06-03T06:13:00.000-05:002007-06-03T06:13:00.000-05:00Evolution - especially as it has impacted the soci...Evolution - especially as it has impacted the social sciences and in the climate of the late 19th and early 20th century had a profoundly "positive" attitude and approach - the theory was used to rationalize the idea of a natural, continual improvement in man. Moreover - this attitude does exist to this day. Does the word "Primative" have a positive connotation or a negative one? Or the Geikco campaign - so easy a caveman can do it - plays off of this idea.<BR/><BR/>It is in particular with this thrust of evolutionary thought (which may or may not coincide with what current scientists claim but is part of evolution's cultural and historical baggage) that I was speaking to.<BR/><BR/>Hence, how it led into the thoughts on teaching. People do not improve on accident - nor do they just get better if we leave them alone (or what if we let students work at their own pace - do you hear that at the school). Rather, teaching needs to occur.Rev. Eric J Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17747919365522145094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3847211149012008703.post-70005038534090405372007-06-02T21:33:00.000-05:002007-06-02T21:33:00.000-05:00As a student of history I find the idea of Evoluti...<I>As a student of history I find the idea of Evolution to be utterly insane. At no point in recorded history do we see spontaneous, random advancement of anything. In fact, most everything in history decays and falls apart.</I><BR/><BR/>This phrase in particular, and the rest of your post in general, sure do suggest you have no idea what you are talking about when you use the word "evolution".<BR/><BR/>I find this particularly interesting as the rest of your post is insightful and interesting. It just has little to nothing to do with evolution. Heck, even the idea that evolution=improvement necessarily is misguided. Weird.<BR/><BR/>oh, this is socratic_me. I followed the link and am debating whether I am actually going to get a password, etc. or just post anonymously with my name.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com