SARAH PALIN, CREATIONISM & THE FUTURE OF AMERICA, or WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?

Remember the scientific method? You probably learned about it in school. Let’s review. These are the basic steps:

• You observe the world around you.
• You raise questions about what you see.
• You form a hypothesis (theory) about how something in nature works or will work given a specific set of circumstances.
• You conduct an experiment to see if your hypothesis is correct. If it’s not, you revise your hypothesis.

So: creationism:

Does it fall within the parameters set by the scientific method? Is it scientifically measurable? No. Creationism is the idea that the world and all the creatures in it were created in six days by an invisible deity. This is not directly observable; you cannot make direct observations about the process of supernatural creation. You cannot do experiments on God or ask Him to fill out a questionnaire about His involvement in the generation of all things.

Evolution, on the other hand, can be subjected to experimentation through direct observation of the fossil record and a host of biological and biochemical experiments. Can these experiments be faulty? Of course. But they can be criticized by scientific peers through further observation and experimentation. Evolution, unlike creationism, is a topic of study that belongs squarely in the world of science.

So when Sarah Palin (as “W” before her) suggests that creationism should be taught alongside evolution she’s just plain wrong. A discussion of creationism does not belong in scientific circles and it doesn’t belong in the science classroom. Should creationism be taught in public schools at all? Certainly. There is a place for it: the social studies classroom. World mythology is a topic often discussed in social studies classes. If the Christian myth of creation is placed along side other myths, such as the Iroquois tale of the earth being created on the back of a turtle, then creationism is a proper topic of study in the classroom.

This is no trivial matter. Last year, the Washington Post reported a study that showed that American students are falling behind many other industrialized nations in math and science. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/04/AR200712...

Falling behind in science and math will prevent young Americans from competing with their counterparts around the world; and it will lower their chances of prospering in the global economy. To encourage American students to confuse mythology with science is to endanger their economic security in years to come. In the glory days of America, we prided ourselves in being the leaders in scientific innovation. The rest of the world may surpass us if our leaders continue to show disdain for science. Those who advocate teaching creationism in science classrooms are short sighted in the extreme and may endanger the livelihoods of their children—and ours.