University of Kansas class on Creationism, Intelligent Design cancelled
It is well known that Kansas has approved public school curriculum allowing teachers to teach both traditional Darwinism and Intelligent Design theory together.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174957,00.html
This decision has drawn a hail of criticism from elements within academia. So the University of Kansas professors decided to offer a class debunking Creationism and Intelligent design as a “myth” (I should point out that this is a loaded term, and I am uncertain in what sense it was intended, but I suspect I may hazzard a good guess).
In any case, this class has been cancelled after the professor sent an email mocking "Christian fundamentalists" (another loaded term) and rejoicing in how this class was going to "slap them in the face".
Click here for the story:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177354,00.html
So THIS is our academic establishment at work? Only the objective facts and no ideology in here? Or not.
Now it may be that this class was going to be an honest appraisal of all the available evidence from the relevant fields of study and that the students would then be encouraged to come to thier own conclusion without simply being indoctrinated with the views of the professor. Or perhaps not.
I just want to point out that it is POSSIBLE that there may be more to this resistance to ID in (some sectors) of academia than simply concern for objective truth. There may be some more subjective motivations.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174957,00.html
This decision has drawn a hail of criticism from elements within academia. So the University of Kansas professors decided to offer a class debunking Creationism and Intelligent design as a “myth” (I should point out that this is a loaded term, and I am uncertain in what sense it was intended, but I suspect I may hazzard a good guess).
In any case, this class has been cancelled after the professor sent an email mocking "Christian fundamentalists" (another loaded term) and rejoicing in how this class was going to "slap them in the face".
Click here for the story:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177354,00.html
So THIS is our academic establishment at work? Only the objective facts and no ideology in here? Or not.
Now it may be that this class was going to be an honest appraisal of all the available evidence from the relevant fields of study and that the students would then be encouraged to come to thier own conclusion without simply being indoctrinated with the views of the professor. Or perhaps not.
I just want to point out that it is POSSIBLE that there may be more to this resistance to ID in (some sectors) of academia than simply concern for objective truth. There may be some more subjective motivations.
Labels: Christ and Culture, Cultural issues, Education
posted by Rev. Daniel McLain Hixon at 12/01/2005
2 Comments:
"So THIS is our academic establishment at work? Only the objective facts and no ideology in here? Or not."
As much as it pains me to say it, I would have to argue that most college professor's do have an ideology. (This is on both sides of the pond, too, not just leftist professors. I have had some very conservative/fundamentalist professors that poked fun of liberal theology as "weakminded", "poorly developed", and "unChristian".) Some are better at concealing it than others. I do have to give credit to Perkins, as much as people knock Perkins...I have found most Professors prefer to remain above senseless ideology.
Pax,
Stephen
Gosh Stephen, I have only been in college for 6 years now, and I went to the "conservative" Louisiana State University and I don't remember ever having any professors with a conservative and certainly not a fundamentalist ideology. Let us take political orientation as an example. Our poli sci department famously (at that time) was reputed to have only 2 professors who claimed to be Republicans out of around 20 faculty.
As I understand, those are the sorts of liberal/conservative ratios (with regards to various issues, not just politics) you will see at most major universities (though I admit, I have personally done no methodologically sound research in this area).
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