Wednesday, June 25, 2008

 

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A thought:

Don't want to believe in evolution? No problem - you can find support for intelligent design and creationism in magazines, on websites, and in all kinds of books written by people with PhDs. Want to believe aliens came to Earth and abducted people? It's easy to find theories about how governments have covered up information on extraterrestrial aliens. Think human-induced climate change is junk science? Well, if you choose to read only certain national newspapers and magazines and listen only to certain popular commentators on television or radio, you'll never have to change your mind. And so it goes. The challenge today is that there is a huge volume of information out there, much of it biased or deliberately distorted. As I think about my grandson, his hopes and dreams and the immense issues my generation has bequeathed him, I realize what he and all young people need most are the tools of skepticism, critical thinking, the ability to assess the credibility of sources, and the humility to realize we all possess beliefs and values that must constantly be reexamined.

- David Suzuki, "What a difference 50 years makes," Canadian Online Explorer


Comments:
Yes, but if you train people to think critically they might think the 'wrong' thoughts...
 
But who trains people how to think "critically"? And who gets to say what that means? Obviously the design theory people and the climate change skeptics think that they are the ones who are being truly critical!

In short: who watches the watchmen?
 
... who watches the watchmen?

Your own conscience. What Suzuki called "the humility to realize we all possess beliefs and values that must constantly be reexamined." You know, the thing that told Dembski he should reexamine whether the function of science is to be a ground-clearing operation for Christianity.
 
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