Foster had a rash of editorials on the creationism thing, including Robert Barth's and Carl Piedmont's letters I posted yesterday, and two letters which have not already been posted here:
Divergent beliefs
To the editor: Recently, a Robert L. Barth wrote a letter apparently scared at the prospect of someone like Carl Piedmont being elected to the Oyster River Cooperative School Board who might hold beliefs that deny rational thought. I am concerned about Mr. Barth’s desire to uphold the principles of modern science while at the same time promoting what can only be described as ignorance and intolerance.
I personally believe that it is healthy for my children to be exposed to all manner of thinking. I would hope that if they encountered ideas that denied rational thinking, were at odds with the facts and ran against much of modern science, that they would have the independence of mind to reject those ideas and adopt an alternative instead. Promoting ignorance by limiting discourse has never been the foundation for the creation of a civil society nor has it done much to advance the development of science.
For me, the issue is not the ideas themselves, but how they are presented. If teaching creationism necessarily would turn our professional teachers into religious zealots who, intolerant of other ideas and willing to close their minds to the reality around them, refuse to teach anything else, then I would be concerned. However, I for one have faith in our teachers and administrators to the point where I believe that a free and fair exchange of ideas will do more to prepare our children than harm them for an adult world comprised of diverse groups of people with widely divergent beliefs.
Neil Niman
Durham
Durham
Good grief [already seen on OyC'mon]
Sylvie Butler, Lee
Bob Barth wrote a new letter, not in Foster's, that I posted earlier.
No comments:
Post a Comment