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Dear Tinsley,
I've done my fair share of ranting on this list, so you are certainly
entitled to yours. And I think you hit on some very important discussion
points. I think most of the tongue in cheek criticism of this 'thread'
has to do with the tone and not so much the content.
You will likely not find one person on this list who in any substantive
way disagrees with you. And it's not that I am tired of hearing about
ways to communicate the methods of science. It's just that so much of
this discussion sounds like a religious zealot standing on a soapbox at
speakers corner down at the university. To me, there is no difference at
all between a fundamentalist trying to convince me of the historical
accuracy of the biblical flood and a science dogmatist screaming
'repent, repent! the end is 25 billion years away.'
The FACTS of science can be as wrong as the facts of a religion. This
has proven to be the case for hundreds if not thousands of years (or for
as long as we might agree that 'science' has been around). Thank God for
the scientific method! I mean, really. Over the centuries how often has
what scientists have 'known' about the world proven to be wrong, or at
least in need of modification? We are saved from dogma by this method
we call science because it has skepticism built into it. It is not the
facts that are important at all (facts that are 'known' might rightly be
called history.) but the process of science. So, in my mind science is
not a collection of known things, but a collection of methods, a way of
observing the world and coming to a better, though so far imperfect,
understanding of how it works.
I think you hit on something vital when you bring up this question about
"the nature of science." Perhaps this is what is most important. And
perhaps you are right in saying that this is where we can do a better job.
Okay, the point is made. The United States has a lot of either ignorant,
stubborn or politically savvy people in it. We should be spending our
time communicating in creative ways with these people - our visitors
(though actual visitors are also probably mostly members of the choir),
or the hoped for audience - the general public of the wide, wild world.
These are the people we need to have discussions with. Otherwise we may
as well be standing in a mob brandishing torches and pitchforks.
My Daily Rant
Joe Ruggiero
www.TheExhibitGuys.com
Tinsley Davis wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
>
> In the last two days several posts have expressed displeasure at the
> evolution thread going on and on. As a result, I feel that people
> have just trashed an issue that should be top of mind for science
> centers. Is this the same reaction that scientists have, i.e. "It's
> so absurd, bringing ID to the classroom, why discuss it?" Is it a
> feeling that the issue of ID making inroads applies to schools and not
> to science centers? The discussion was more information sharing and
> most emails tended toward posting the latest news of the controversy,
> which I'll admit does get overwhelming. Did people get tired of
> emails that failed to offer ideas for addressing it specifically in
> science centers?
> It's certainly easier to talk about floor surfacing materials, or
> other questions with concrete answers (no pun intended), and
> definitely relevant, but if 30% or more of the country believes in the
> literal story of creation then science centers still haven't finished
> an important education piece of the job and we need to beef up or
> change what we are doing.
>
> This choir has work to do. If teachers don't feel comfortable
> teaching evolution, are science centers exhibits and classes picking
> up the slack? If there are proponents out there of bringing
> faith-based explanations into the classroom then perhaps we need to
> focus more on teaching people not what evolution is but what the
> nature of science is and the questions it can answer as well as the
> ones it cannot. That serves a larger purpose than refuting the
> "alternate theory" of the month. I think seriously considering how we
> convey the nature of science is as important in the, pardon the
> phrase, evolution of education through focus on inquiry. If we were
> already successful at this, the polls would perhaps tell a different
> story or more people would be embracing this as a theological
> discussion and not a "scientific" one.
>
>
> I think it is our job to think about these things and think hard about
> them in whatever ways our particular roles bring us into contact with
> content that shapes how people view the enterprise of science. I also
> think it is our job to then do something in whatever capacity our
> roles allow.
>
> So what elements in your museum explicitly address the nature of
> science? Has anyone done evaluations that seek to find out visitors'
> concepts of the nature of science?
>
> -Tinsley
>
> -Tinsley Davis, M.S.
> Education Associate
> Museum of Science, Boston
>
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