Science teachers at all levels should be able to distinguish science from belief. Science is the process of testing hypotheses to see whether they are supported or not with the aim to find natural explanations for the world and universe around us. A hypothesis is a scientific statement that must be testable and subject to being disproved.
Science is independent of faith. Whether one believes in God or not has no bearing on the scientific process. What is important in a science teacher is that they understand what the scientific process is, and can teach it to their students.
Intelligent Design is not testable and is therefore not scientific. It should not be taught as if it was scientific. To do so will further deteriorate our students’ understanding of what science is. Already we Americans are slipping in science, an area that we used to be the best in the world.
Intelligent Design is a perfectly acceptable, even lovely, belief. We can look at the world around us, see its beauty and complexity and consider that an affirmation of the hand and eye of a greater power if we are so inclined. We can neither prove nor disprove that belief.
There are many things we do not yet know or understand. A true scientist develops hypotheses about how or why these things happen and collects data to see if their ideas are supported or not. Many hypotheses are disproved by the facts. That is the nature of science. We learn from this process. On the other hand, a person who relies on faith instead of science to explain the natural world may choose to see a mystery as evidence of a higher power and refrain from trying to solve its puzzle. Such a person may condemn others who do look for solutions, interpreting it as an attack on their faith. This is not necessary. When scientists do piece together the hows and whys of one process, there will always be other unknowns for those who see God in knowledge gaps.
For most scientists, including Darwin who was a man of faith, testing hypotheses to work out the processes by which things happen is not incompatible with faith. After all, who are we to know the mind and methods of God?
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2 comments:
It's funny that you posted this tonight. At dinner, my daughter (who attends a Christian school) made a comment about evolution that ended with "if it even happened." She had some good questions, and it was a good chance for me to tell her that there are more choices than 2 (Evolution happens without God or God created everything as is). I wish more people could see that "Whether one believes in God or not has no bearing on the scientific process." I have to agree with you about Intelligent Design not fitting the definition of science because it can't be tested.
Hear, hear! To me, the very fact that science is so amazingly complex and perfect is ample evidence of a higher power of one sort or another. If God invented science, why the heck wouldn't he/she put it into practice to create the incredible things around us??
I despair of Creationists. They contradict their own arguments at every turn.
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