Bill Nye: Teaching kids creationism undermines both them and the U.S. - Polidicks

[IMG]http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/22/e5/1346026945_3983_BillNye.jpg[/IMG] [QUOTE] "Bill Nye the Science Guy," or William Sanford "Bill" Nye, 56, is best known for his Disney/PBS children's science show "Bill Nye the Science Guy," which ran from 1993–1998. As the 2012 Republican National Convention looms in the coming week, Nye has stepped out in a short video for Big Think. In it, he warns parents not to teach their children creationism because, he said, it does them - and the U.S. - a disservice. It not only undermines their scientific understanding and development, but the U.S. needs "scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future" and "engineers that can build stuff, solve problems." Nye begins his message (embedded) by saying that despite being home to many of the world's technological innovations, the U.S. is unique in its denial of evolution. That is, of course, at least in part due to the extreme right-wing Christian fundamentalists in America. That is not the only thing that the U.S. is unique in, of course, and it falls along the same political lines. Among developed nations, the lack of universal health care in the U.S. is similarly unique. It is, again, the right-wing that pushes against such health care, despite calling itself the "Party of God" (sometimes, "God's Own Party"). The fact that Tea Partiers at a Republican debate applauded over the idea of an uninsured man dying in the ER seems to belie their Christian beliefs. The question of "who would Jesus insure" has been asked by many. The answer does not need saying. Regardless of that, sans science and technology, the U.S. would no longer lead the world in things like iPhones, Android, Windows Phone, and more. Here's the transcript what Nye said, in his video: "Denial of evolution is unique to the United States. I mean, we're the world's most advanced technological—I mean, you could say Japan—but generally, the United States is where most of the innovations still happens. People still move to the United States. And that's largely because of the intellectual capital we have, the general understanding of science. When you have a portion of the population that doesn't believe in that, it holds everybody back, really. "Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. It's like, it's very much analogous to trying to do geology without believing in tectonic plates. You're just not going to get the right answer. Your whole world is just going to be a mystery instead of an exciting place. "As my old professor, Carl Sagan, said, 'When you're in love you want to tell the world.' So, once in a while I get people that really — or that claim — they don't believe in evolution. And my response generally is 'Well, why not? Really, why not?' Your world just becomes fantastically complicated when you don't believe in evolution. I mean, here are these ancient dinosaur bones or fossils, here is radioactivity, here are distant stars that are just like our star but they're at a different point in their lifecycle. The idea of deep time, of this billions of years, explains so much of the world around us. If you try to ignore that, your world view just becomes crazy, just untenable, itself inconsistent. "And I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need people that can — we need engineers that can build stuff, solve problems. "It's just really a hard thing, it's really a hard thing. You know, in another couple of centuries that world view, I'm sure, will be, it just won't exist. There's no evidence for it."[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.examiner.com/article/bill-nye-teaching-kids-creationism-undermines-both-them-and-the-u-s[/url] Also the dumb viral things on social networks about Bill Nye dead are fake, just saying this so the thread doesn't get derailed

[video=youtube;gHbYJfwFgOU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHbYJfwFgOU[/video] This is where the butthurt stems from..

There is nothing wrong with [B]parents[/B] teaching them it, just teach them the alternatives too and let them make their own decisions.

[QUOTE=sedarahC;37425075]There is nothing wrong with teaching them it, just teach them the alternatives too and let them make their own decisions.[/QUOTE] That isn't how education works.

[QUOTE=sedarahC;37425075]There is nothing wrong with teaching them it[/QUOTE] no there definitely is the point of science class in school is to teach critical thinking and scientific method, both of which is completely absent in creationism

[QUOTE=thisispain;37425096]no there definitely is the point of science class in school is to teach critical thinking and scientific method, both of which is completely absent in creationism[/QUOTE] [quote=OP's article]In it, he warns [B]parents[/B] not to teach their children creationism...[/quote]

im a christian and personally to be honest creationism shouldn't be taught in school isn't that what church and stuff is for?

Bill Nye HAS SPOKEN!!!

I'm a theist and creationism is a crock of shit. Why limit your universe?

I consider myself Christian. I also don't think that everything in the Bible is accurate. It's so old that things must have been changed/misunderstood/reworded. I don't see why you aren't allowed to believe both.

[QUOTE=chimitos;37425125] I also don't think that everything in the Bible is accurate. It's so old that things must have been changed/misunderstood/reworded.[/QUOTE] i don't think the bible isn't a good refrence for what to agree/disagree on. it was written by man, not god, and was censored through the years due to cherry picking what the translator wanted to translate so i don't trust it when it comes to "Gay people= bad" and other stuff. teaches good morals and stuff though at times.

It should be used as a baseline for some morals, some morals are outdated and shouldn't be listened to because they literally make no sense and are based on illogical fallacies that have since been learned about and such have been proven to uh, not be bad at all(gays being bad and should be murdered) [editline]27th August 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Retardation;37425165]Its funny because if someone like Richard Dawkins said the same thing this thread would be flooded with posts saying what an intolerant asshole he is.[/QUOTE] I dunno about that

[QUOTE=chimitos;37425125]I don't see why you aren't allowed to believe both.[/QUOTE] You are, and can. It's just that conditioning and propaganda makes you think you can't. Evolution does fly in the face of a 'literal' interpretation of the events in Genesis, and may have removed original sin from the equation, which may invalidate the need for a messiah.. [I]i.e. Most of the crucial and important parts of the Christian/Jewish/Islamic doctrines..[/I] [B]BUT,[/B] There could still be Gods, or a God that started that ball rolling..

[QUOTE=sedarahC;37425075]There is nothing wrong with teaching them it, just teach them the alternatives too and let them make their own decisions.[/QUOTE] But they'd be wrong if they chose creationism.

he sounds like he's gotten so old :(

[QUOTE=sedarahC;37425075]There is nothing wrong with teaching them it, just teach them the alternatives too and let them make their own decisions.[/QUOTE] It doesn't work like that. In school you are meant to teach actual facts, that have been proven to be correct. Creationism is far from a fact. The whole ''teach the alternative" thing is absurd on its own. It's like saying that we should teach kids that the holocaust happened, and then also teach them the alternative "theory" that the holocaust didn't happen.

[QUOTE=Retardation;37425165]Its funny because if someone like Richard Dawkins said the same thing this thread would be flooded with posts saying what an intolerant asshole he is.[/QUOTE] I wouldn't say that of him if he said what Bill says in this, but whenever Richard Hawkins talks about atheism and religion he comes off to me as a very snide and annoying cunt.

[QUOTE=BenJammin';37425217]I wouldn't say that of him if he said what Bill says in this, but whenever Richard Hawkins talks about atheism and religion he comes off to me as a very snide and annoying cunt.[/QUOTE] Does it really matter what it comes off to you personally as? His actual points don't matter, but how he comes off to you matters? Tell me whats wrong with this picture.

[QUOTE=Chaohord;37425207]he sounds like he's gotten so old :([/QUOTE] Meh he's fine, he's got like 30~ years to go, not a problem!

[QUOTE=Jocken300;37425215]It doesn't work like that. In school you are meant to teach actual facts, that have been proven to be correct. Creationism is far from a fact. The whole ''teach the alternative" thing is absurd on its own. It's like saying that we should teach kids that the holocaust happened, and then also teach them the alternative "theory" that the holocaust didn't happen.[/QUOTE] I was actually posting about the parent's teaching their kids part, not the entire school system. I should have clarified that to begin with.

Religion was there to answer what couldn't be answered It's 2012 where we're living with modern technology, the religion teaching is very, well, dull now we know the answers. However you know the bible has some good quotes and teachings to live by no doubt but some stuff in there is very outdated today. And with science you can explore new things and do a ton of interesting and fascinating stuff where religion you're just made to believe and if you dare speak anything not of it expect to be ridiculed just my 2c

[QUOTE=sedarahC;37425075]There is nothing wrong with [B]parents[/B] teaching them it, just teach them the alternatives too and let them make their own decisions.[/QUOTE] There is no alternative the stork delivering babies is not an alternative theory to impregnation and birth, and creationism is not an alternative to evolution

Honestly, I think creationism should be taught in world-religion classes only. Schools should not be teaching anything religious based presenting it as "scientific education." Science is about being fact based. Teaching scientific theories, laws, etc. Not what one religious group thinks. I do think religion should be taught...but ALL religions. Not just Christianity. I myself am a Christian and realize that some people don't share the same ideas as me. That's why we have a thing called diversity.

I don't think it should be taught in the sense people usually think, I accept its incredible importance to history and our current society's workings, laws, moral system, etc, and so I think it has a very important place in our world. We should teach it in history classes, we should talk about it as if it was any other important thing, if someone wants to get into it then they should be allowed to, but that's up to them, not the state.

[QUOTE=Mattk50;37425254]Does it really matter what it comes off to you personally as? His actual points don't matter, but how he comes off to you matters? Tell me whats wrong with this picture.[/QUOTE] The difference between Bill Nye here and Richard Dawkins is that Nye doesn't have a shitty and holier than thou attitude about it. Because yes, attitude does in fact matter. Most people will flat out disregard someone with a bad attitude no matter how right they actually are.

The extreme right-wing Christian fundamentalists are like the kid in elementary school who acts like an ass in class and gets in trouble. Later on because of that kids actions, recess is taken away from the whole class. That's my metaphor of this situation.

[QUOTE=Onyx3173;37425401]The difference between Bill Nye here and Richard Dawkins is that Nye doesn't have a shitty and holier than thou attitude about it. Because yes, attitude does in fact matter. Most people will flat out disregard someone with a bad attitude no matter how right they actually are.[/QUOTE]Dawkins doesn't either. Dawkins just isn't timid or reserved about it. Dawkins is blunt and unabashed. He feels no reason to stay quiet about these things. Because of that, many people think Dawkins is an asshole when he really isn't.

It's funny how christiants take every single word in the bible literally and don't get how most of it are metaphors made to teach us about life aspects. They basically miss the entire point of their own religion.

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;37425532]Dawkins doesn't either. Dawkins just isn't timid or reserved about it. Dawkins is blunt and unabashed. He feels no reason to stay quiet about these things. Because of that, many people think Dawkins is an asshole when he really isn't.[/QUOTE] No doubts it's also an attitude you adopt when you specialize in something that will ensure constant verbal shitflinging from creationists every time you open your mouth

Let's just take all the people who believe in god, and put them somewhere else and let them build their own little happy society and see how well that's going to work.