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Sunday, May 2, 2010

Neil Tyson: If you're scientifically literate the world looks very different to you.

Source: www.youtube.com
Full interview link: Conversations at KCTS 9: Neil Degrasse Tyson (Airdate: July 3,2009) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrTTta55i5Q 'At least once a week, if not once a day, we might each ponder what ...
Neil Tyson: If you're scientifically literate the world looks very different to you.
Science and Religion Offer Different Ways of Understanding the World Science and religion address separate aspects of human experience. Many scientists have written eloquently about how their scientific studies of biologi- cal evolution have enhanced rather than lessened their religious faith. And many religious people and denominations accept the scientific evidence for evolution. Our education system and our society as a whole are best served when we teach science, not religious faith, in science classrooms.

From the National Academy Press:

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable.
http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/category/subjects/intelligentdesign

In the book Science, Evolution, and Creationism, a group of experts assembled by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine explain the fundamental methods of science, document the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution, and evaluate the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of creationism, including intelligent design.

The book explores the many fascinating inquiries being pursued that put the science of evolution to work in preventing and treating human disease, developing new agricultural products, and fostering industrial innovations. The book also presents the scientific and legal reasons for not teaching creationist ideas in public school science classes.

Mindful of school board battles and recent court decisions, Science, Evolution, and Creationism shows that science and religion should be viewed as different ways of understanding the world rather than as frameworks that are in conflict with each other and that the evidence for evolution can be fully compatible with religious faith.

For educators, students, teachers, community leaders, legislators, policy makers, and parents who seek to understand the basis of evolutionary science, this publication will be an essential resource.

Why Is Evolution Important? The discovery and understanding of the processes of evolution represent one of the most powerful achievements in the history of science. Evolution successfully explains the diversity of life on Earth and has been confirmed repeatedly through observation and experiment in a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. Evolutionary science provides the foundation for modern biology. It has opened the door to entirely new types of medical, agricultural, and environmental research, and has led to the devel- opment of technologies that can help prevent and combat disease. Regrettably, effective science education in our schools is being undermined by efforts to introduce non-scientific concepts about evolution into science classrooms.

How Science Works The study of evolution provides an excellent example of how scientists go about their work. They observe nature and ask testable questions about the natural world, test those questions through experiment and new observations, and construct explanations of evolution based on evidence. As scientists gather new results and findings, they continue to refine their ideas. Explanations are altered or sometimes rejected when compelling contradictory evidence comes to light. Some scientific explanations are so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter them. The explanation becomes a scientific theory. In everyday language a theory means a hunch or speculation. Not so in science. In science, the word theory refers to a comprehensive explanation of an important feature of nature that is supported by many facts gathered over time. Theories also allow scientists to make predictions about as yet unobserved phenomena. A good example is the theory of gravity. After hundreds of years of observation and experiment, the basic facts of gravity are understood. The theory of gravity is an explanation of those basic facts. Scientists then use the theory to make predictions about how gravity will function in different circumstances. Such predictions have been verified in countless experiments, further confirming the theory. Evolution stands on an equally solid foun- dation of observation, experiment, and confirming evidence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypTAxLTU24c&playnext_from=TL&videos=7bGgrkNSy5A&feature=rec-rev-rn-1r-13-HM
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