Title: Re: paleonet PaleoNet: Soft tissue in dinosaur
bone
I agree with Ted Donaho whose email
is below Ana
Pinto's email.
>
> Sick of all the nonsense,
>
> Judith Harris
Yes. The discussion of science is fascinating. If all the
religious nuts
(i.e. creationists and IDiots) would simply vanish then I am sure
nobody
would discuss them, and I would be the happiest man on earth.
Unfortunately, while they exist, and while they are doing everything
they
can to destroy the science we love, I am sure they will be mentioned
on this
list.
The various responses of Paleonet members to the discussion of
the social issues surrounding evolution and the teaching of evolution
have been informative to me in several ways. I have found that
some paleontologists:
- simply don't want to discuss the issue
- don't want to discuss the issue in this context
- have made up their mind about how they feel about the issue
and don't want to hear anymore about it, thank you
- believe that the widespread opposition to the theory of evolution
should simply not be acknowledged or addressed by geology curricula
- believe that if those anti-evolution folks would just listen to
reason, then we could work this out
I want to make it clear that I am not being sarcastic when
I say that I really appreciate everyone's responses. I now
better understand the range of perspectives within the paleontology
community.
In the course of volunteer teaching or speaking to lay audiences,
or simply in social situations, I regularly encounter doubters,
outright disbelievers and the simply confused. Many of these
people, I must reluctantly report, have been put off by previous
encounters with members of the scientific community (either through
the media or in person). Some of these folks are just
thin-skinned whiners, but others simply haven't had the issues
adequately or clearly explained to them (i.e., related to the rest of
their experience or knowledge-base.
First and second year college students are essentially still
"lay people" and some of them will remain lay people for the
rest of their lives. I feel duty-bound to explain the conceptual
issues of historical science (history of life, history of the Earth,
history of Nature) to the lay public because it is really this
conceptual base that (1) allows people to free themselves from
superstition and (2) go on to not only accept, but to actually feel
wonder, in embracing what Darwin famously called "this view of
life".
Over and out (Sincerely),
Bill
--
---------------------------------------------------
William P. Chaisson
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627
607-387-3892