Evolution and Intelligent Design

BYU professor Steven Peck wrote a tremendous op-ed on science and faith.

Some highlights:

My last complaint about Intelligent Design is that it sets religion and science against each other. It puts forward a false dichotomy in students' minds that suggests that evolution and faith are incompatible. It makes people of religious faith suspicious of science. When students genuinely think that science and religion are incompatible, one of two things typically happens. They embrace science and, since it is incompatible to religion, religion is abandoned. The other is that they maintain their faith but remain inappropriately suspicious of science and dismiss its methods and findings, inclining themselves to superstition and pseudoscience.

And:

Faith and science need not be enemies. I embrace both fully and without reservation. My religious convictions are part of who I am. My science and faith reciprocate and inform one another. They are part of the way I understand my place in the universe. Intelligent Design does nothing to promote the search for understanding and cooperation between these two vital ways of knowing. It is a darkening of the mind on every level, both religiously and scientifically.

I couldn't have said it better myself -- as scientifically proven by my previous, inferior efforts (and here).

I stand by my earlier observation in the comments to my post linked to above: "One point I made on Doug Wright's show that I want to make here (and that everyone here seems to agree with by the tone of comments), this issue is important and we can have civil dialogue about it. When we are at our best as a society we can publicly discuss topics without immediately degrading to name calling. Though I believe we should not teach ID in the public schools, it thrills me that we're having policy discussions about science and the interface of morals, religion and education."

Improving Public Education

The toughest thing to do in a political arena is to move away from the status quo. Nowhere is this more true than public education. Yet, twenty percent (20%) of Utah’s graduating seniors this year did not pass the basic skills test (a simple test). That poor result comes, despite the fact that each student gets 5 shots at the test, starting at the end of the sophomore year; and, despite the fact that remediation money specifically was provided for students who had failed parts of the test 3 times.

Twenty percent. One-fifth of all students (who haven’t already dropped out). And, compared to the rest of the nation, these are very teachable students. This is a crisis of the first order.

Part of the problem is funding. Utah has two significant challenges. First, Utah has more school kids per taxpayer than any other state. Second, Utah has less land on the tax rolls than any state, except Alaska and Nevada. Still, we need to secure more funding for our schools (by growing our economy). Over the last 4 years, the Legislature has increased public education funding in Utah by 40%. That’s a good start, but we still have much more to do.

But, despite protestations to the contrary, funding isn’t the only issue. All areas of government, including public education, could do better through increased innovation, reform and accountability. However, the dialogue on public education is highly, if not completely, politicized. As a result, not surprisingly, Utah is more dysfunctional on education policy than any other subject – stifling innovation, reform and accountability.

In a quest for better dialogue, I am pulling together a local group of 15 people to discuss K-12 education issues on an on-going basis. I've invited 9 educators/administrators and 6 parents. I am hopeful that good ideas will emerge.

From the Campaign Trail

I saw the following quote in an article today.

After campaigning for 15 months in nearly all 50 states, Barack Obama and our entire campaign have been nothing but impressed and encouraged by the core decency, kindness, and generosity of Americans from all walks of life. The last year has only reinforced Senator Obama’s view that this country is not as divided as our politics suggest.

I cite it not for anything to do w/ Sen. Obama, but for its commentary on what his campaign found on the campaign trail – a people and a country that are much better than the dreck that is our modern politics. Having attended and, to some degree, participated in several of the conventions that now have drawn to a close in the Utah political process, I solidly agree with the Obama campaign’s observations regarding the “decency, kindness, and generosity” of the people.

It is invigorating and greatly encouraging to witness the goodness and goodwill of the people. The challenge for those who successfully complete the campaign trail, after they hold office, is to match their discussions and actions to the core goodness of the people who put them in those offices.