I open this thread as an impartial observer. I realize that this might quickly delve into a debate on Creationism vs. Evolution, which couldn't be further from the purpose of this thread. I'll explain why:
I personally believe that no commonly heated debate is more misguided/utterly pointless than Creationism vs. Evolution. It's not the arguments that I find appalling, because I've heard great arguments in favor of each side. It's the dualism. It's the belief that if you are not a Creationist, you must believe in Evolution, and vice versa. That's, for lack of a better term, retarded, and most certainly culturally divisive.
In my opinion, the winner of a heated Creationist/Darwinist debate is the first one to point out "who cares" and respect the beliefs of those who disagree with them.
Which brings me to the main point of the thread: public discrimination against those who disagree with the scientific premise of evolution. Namely, since the current scientific worldview majority believes that Darwinian Evolution best explains how life today came into existence, does that give the majority social group the
right to discriminate against other social groups who reject evolutionary theory?
On one hand, you can certainly see why people who have dedicated their whole life to a cause would be critical of those who disagree. When all of their peers and co-researchers serve to re-enforce their beliefs, you could forgive someone for having an attitude of superiority regarding the cause.
Even so, when the attitude of superiority starts to infiltrate American culture, at what point does it become direct discrimination? Is it when you start to get quotes like this from Eugenie Scott, Director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) (New York Times editorial, Feb 12 2007):
Quote:
She said such students “would require so much remedial instruction it would not be worth my time.” That is not religious discrimination, she added, it is discrimination “on the basis of science.”
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What separates discrimination "on the basis of science" from anti-religious bigotry? Is majority academic opinion enough to rule something a pseudoscience? More fundamentally, is modern science heading down a road to become the very thing it was created to destroy -- ignorance?
These are the questions on my mind tonight. I'm interested to get your guys' thoughts on this. Please, no pro/anti religious propaganda, unless part of a larger point, thanks.