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All-island Softening up of Science
Read more about: Education, Media
Today I read with increasing incredulity, the attempt being made by Prof. William Reville, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at one of our state-funded universities, UCC, to say that science and religion were not so different after all.
This is one of many attempts on this island to soften up the teaching of Science in our schools, I believe. Slugger O’Toole reported recently on what has been happening up North.
I have written elsewhere on my concerns about the text itself, but this post is about whether we want to go down the road, as Prof. Reville seems to suggest, of disregarding science as a guide for how we run society (he cites Marxism as a failed philosophy being guided by science, as he saw it, but disregards the Austrian School of political thought which is founded in scientific principles and is considered to have been a success, I would suggest).
The point is that right now, unless we recognise it in time, we are entering a period where fact and reason (science and the scientific method) are being challenged, just as they are in the US, with pressure groups trying to replace rational thought with their own particular prejudice or perspective.
It appears that many people are making the mistake of thinking that science is capable of making value judgements. Science is capable only of trying to see what is factually true.
No real scientist has ever claimed that science tells us how to run society. Therefore, there cannot be a disagreement between religion and science as to how to run society. So his mention of Marxism is a red herring.
Science can try to tell us how to prevent, or even exacerbate, global warming. But science doesn’t tell us whether the outcomes, such as famine, are desirable.
Some religious people, often ignorant of their own theology (I’m thinking of Catholics who falsely assume the Pope is a creationist), are trying to pretend that theology alone can tell us about the physical world. To distract attention from their irrational gibberish, they make up a cock-and-bull story about ‘the failure of science to run modern societies in a caring way’ (Marxism).
Science and religion are seperate fields, studying different subsections of “Truth”, and are incapable of contradicting each other when followed properly.
James — blog issue — when you tag this post as “News” the main IE page shoves it down into the links section and so it doesn’t show up at the top of the page. People will find it but only if they know where to look. More visibility if you untag as news, then it should show at the top.
Cheers for this P.
Ya the news section was for when we used to read all the regional papers.and post the best stories. Far to much work and thus that section is back in may I think.
As for science in society. Anyone know any scientists in the Dail? I wager it is very small. Any idea’s on why?
Um, what pressure groups?
I don’t see how you can compare Ireland to the US at all.
Fair point Niall, I disagreed with most of Reville’s article myself but don’t see that its representative of a wider tension in Irish society. We’re much more chilled out in Ireland (and Europe at large) over these issues than in the US. I especially don’t think that the Prof advocates any “softening up” of science teaching; the piece is more a defence of religion than an attack on science.
CJ - I agree that right now there is no strong tension right now, certainly not like we see in the US, however, Prof. Reville’s tactic today in the Irish Times is almost identical to the tactic we see in the US. That is to say, on one hand saying that science and religion are not so different and in fact really science is a bit inferior and maybe a little dangerous, like Marxism and in fact it is a faith system itself. These are comments that you might not think are important or relevant, but you have seen up north the DUP wants intelligent design taught alongside science, Reville’s article is not far off and is, in my opinion, the start of a softening up of the landscape.
Niall, the pressure groups in the US really are too numerous to mention. There are lots.
“The point is that right now, unless we recognise it in time, we are entering a period where fact and reason (science and the scientific method) are being challenged, just as they are in the US, with pressure groups trying to replace rational thought with their own particular prejudice or perspective.”
James I’m well aware of the idiotic pressure groups that are ruining the US education system, but I interpreted the above as suggesting that there are pressure groups in Ireland. Perhaps you meant some Free Presbyterians in the north? I have to say I’m not aware of it, but even in darkest Ulster, I can’t see them getting away it.
No, Niall, sorry for the lack of clarity. I don’t think there are any pressure groups actively campaigning here. It is simply that the tactic in Prof. Reville’s article is straight out of the textbook for these groups. Taken together with the situation in the North, I just want to say we might not be a million miles away from the US-style challenge. Additionally, having Prof. Reville’s article on the same page as real science is disconcerting for me. Also, this is not the first time that Prof. Reville has written something like this in the Times. So, is he a one-man pressure group? Maybe?
@Simon: I have a teensie gripe about the Seanad on this one. There are six seats in the two university constituencies and the Seanad is in some way supposed to be about consisting of a broad representation of disciplines. However, as far as I know 5 out of the six sitting senators in these two constituencies are journalists in some way and there is no scientist, despite the fact that science and engineering has been very good for this country for the past 20 years and despite that the faculties of science and engineering are usually amongst the largest in most universities.