ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

John,

Ok not to belabor the point, but I had to jump in here.  While I agree
tolerance is important and dogma is bad, I think the statement that Bill
made 
 "We are not evolution centers. We are science centers" is what frustrates
me and many others.

Evolution is science. And so we need to think about how we address this
controversial but well grounded science in thoughtful ways. Especially when
it is in the news so much. If kids do not learn about evolution in high
school they are ill prepared for college biology.  Maybe we can push this
discussion towards the following question: Any institutions doing thoughtful
programming on this subject?

-Rita


***************************
Rita Mukherjee Hoffstadt
Exhibit Developer
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Queens, NY 11368 
718-699-0005 ext. 373
***************************


> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Thanks Bill, It's good to have a voice of reason for a change. Up to now what
> I've heard is a bunch of people preaching to the converted and dumping on
> those perceived as not. How about more tolerance and less hysteria.
> 
> John Bowditch
> 
> 
> 
>> ----------
>> From:     Bill Watson
>> Reply To:     Informal Science Education Network
>> Sent:     Thursday, March 24, 2005 4:40 PM
>> To:     [log in to unmask]
>> Subject:     Re: religion AND science (as opposed to versus)
>> 
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>> institutions.
>> *****************************************************************************
>> 
>> Because I am currently still trying to be thoughtful and thorough in my
>> consideration of the complexities of the relationships among religion,
>> spirituality, and science, I have resisted contributions to this discussion.
>> It doesn't seem the right place to send ideas up the flagpole to see what
>> reaction they get.
>> 
>> I will, however, offer two observations about the discussion itself:
>> 
>> 1) I find it somewhat disturbing that some posts are not only treating a
>> commitment to science as mutually exclusive from a commitment to religion,
>> but also holding so firmly to beliefs in evolution (or science more broadly)
>> as to do exactly what some of us accuse those who hold firmly to their
>> religious beliefs of doing: belittle the views of other people who embrace
>> an alternative view of the world. I think it is unfair to belittle a
>> person's belief system when it leads him to view an event as a "gift from
>> God" or "designed by God." If we are ever to have real dialogue about the
>> complexities of the relationships among religion, spirituality, and science,
>> an outright resistance to (and perhaps even disgust with) alternative views
>> won't be the way to get there. If we are more committed to a scientific
>> worldview than a religious one, we cannot presume to fully understand the
>> religious worldview, or even assume that there is one umbrella religious
>> worldview that is embraced by all those who claim a commitment to
>> "religion."
>> 
>> 2) If the people who have suggested a position statement on evolution are
>> committed to that idea, I think we need to move forward very cautiously.
>> ASTC represents a wide range of institutions in a wide range of contexts.
>> While I agree that we need to remain committed to our collective and
>> respective missions, I believe that regional and other contextual factors
>> would be very important to consider in the development of such a statement.
>> The issue at hand is greater than "evolution vs. creationism." It seems to
>> me that the current dialogue is a proxy for "science vs. religion." I'm not
>> so sure that's not a false dichotomy, and I would hesitate to commit
>> categorically, institutionally, and rigidly to one side of that dialogue
>> until we are absolutely sure what's being argued and what's at stake.
>> 
>> 3) We're far off topic from the discussion of the "Volcanoes" in the IMAX
>> format, and I am probably taking us further afield. Nevertheless, as
>> institutions respond to the reality of their contexts, I see no problem with
>> a science center opting not to show a film on the basis of the
>> appropriateness of its content for its audience. I do not see this as
>> "caving in," nor do I see it as a "loss" in what some perceive to be a
>> battle. Rather, I see it as a science center choosing its battles. We are
>> not evolution centers. We are science centers. The ways in which we relate
>> science to the public are many and varied and will rely upon the "entrance
>> dialogue" of the various publics we serve. No one is in a better position to
>> make those important decisions than the local management of the science
>> centers in each context.
>> 
>> Bill
>> 
>> ***********************************************************************>
>> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
>> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at
>> http://www.astc.org.
>> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
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>> 
> 
> ***********************************************************************
> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
> [log in to unmask]

***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]