Teach the Controversy about Geocentrism
In my previous post The Danger of Teaching the Controversy, I suggested that one of the problems with teaching the controversy was just which controversies one should teach. There are always plenty of crackpot theories floating around not to mention sound attempts to modify existing theories. These need to be tested by scientists using scientific methods with accountability through peer review.
In discussing this, I said the following:
More importantly, however, lets consider how this teach the controversy principle would work in public schools. Should science teachers be asked to teach the controvery on geocentrism? I know some people are just about to explode on that one. Nobody believes that any more, or at least only a few kooks. Well, that may be true, though I believe theres even a kook with a PhD who tries to teach geocentrism. But this does illustrate the problem. We argue for teaching the controversy on creation and evolution or on intelligent design and evolution, but we are unwilling to invoke the same phrase for all controversial issues.
And to prove my point, one Mark Wyatt posted this comment:
Should science teachers be asked to teach the controvery on geocentrism?
Yes.
And Here are the recommended text books.
Mark
Well, well, well. Though I will often debate with people who probably should be ignored, even I will not bother debating geocentrism. But I think my point is made. Theories need to be tested scientifically before becoming part of the curriculum. No exceptions should be made, even for especially controversial ones, or we will dilute education. There really isn’t any idea so stupid that it can’t find advocates somewhere!
For those who believe someone is being suppressed here, note that even a person so far out there as to advocate geocentrism has two books published and a web site. It’s getting very difficult to suppress ideas. The problem that creationists and others have is that it is also getting extremely difficult to blunt criticisms of dumb ideas.
Henry:
You have made a lot of statements about how crazy geocentrism is, but we do not know why. I understand that you have been told that the earth goes around the sun since you were at least 3 years old. In fact it is the blind acceptance of the idea that makes it such a powerful controversy. Scientists themselves are quoted in Galileo Was Wrong over and over again, facing evidence of the earth’s centrality or non-movement, yet unable to even consider that maybe what they are seeing is true. Copernicism in a general sense) is a dogma of secularism, and the typical modern cannot even stop to consider that it could be questioned.
Mark
Thanks for providing me with another quote in which you speak exactly like a creationist. It’s so nice of you to make my points for me.
Again, we do not know why you mock geocentrism.
Mark