ID, science? Don't bet on it!

Today we had a discussion in the lounge about Intelligent Design.

Let me be the first to say - I think it's fucking absurd to have this shit in public schools. I understand that both sides of the argument feel strongly about this issue - but really let's err on the side of reason....show me scientific proof that there's a god - you can introduce the subject into science classes.

One of the justifications for introducing ID into science classes followed a Quantum Physics approach....such that Quantum Physics tells us that the best that we can do is estimate scientifically what will happen in the future - that our scientific proofs aren't absolute. This tends to work out for us [humans] in most practical applications of our knowledge of physics because it turns out that we're 99.9999999% accurate in our estimations. The ID comes in saying that hey we're not sure, here's a theory that some people think may explain some unknown.

I don't know - to me allowing a theory to pass scientific muster based on a fraction of a percent chance that it might be true....seems a little ridiculous. Because nearly any 'theory' could pass this obscenely low threshold, and be introduced into our public schools' curriculum......granted it have the support of the school boards (Hmmm.....wait a minute.....remember in the 70's when the conservatives embarked on a mission to take over the nations school boards.....I wonder if there is a correlation?). Maybe I should attempt to prove (by a .0000001% probability) that Republicans are worse leaders than Democrats, should we introduce this scientific evidence into schools? It just seems to me that if something is unknown, its unknown - we shouldn't be so afraid of what we don't know that we default to the Holy Pater.

Imagine the outcome if courts say that this curriculum is okay, to be honest I'm not that concerned about the scientific arena - kids who are taking Biology in 10th grade aren't really going to be affected that much by an ID footnote. The crazies who love creationism will have effectively brainwashed their kids by the time they hit sixteen, and people who have a 'scientific' mind will disregard said footnote as hogwash.

My concern arises in the Health and Sex Ed. programs of our public schools. If religion works in Science....why not in Health - that is where a true disservice to the nations youth is most probable. It's already evident under the abstinence only programs. But imagine those programs amplified to the extent that "There is a theory that life begins at conception and thus those who have an abortion are actually taking human life", "There is a theory that pre-marital sex is unnatural, wrongful, etc." or "There is a theory that gay people are sexually deviant and .....". Granted, I'm generalizing and not mentioning the opposing theories that are grounded in reason and science. But to be sure, it is less likely that these competing theories would make it into the curricula of schools in most of the country. I'd love to see the Kansas City School Board introduce the myriad of gay-positive child-rearing literature into its curriculum.

Okay - now I'm totally off-track & totally rambling. Whatever, the bottom line is that sometimes life is scary, sometimes there are things that occur in life that we can't explain and sometimes there are things that are unknowable. But all of that doesn't mean that there is a god or intelligent designer of whatever appellation has been attached to the "Almighty" these days - it just means that we don't know.

It's time to grow up, Santa Claus is for 7 year-olds.