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January 18, 2005
Sticker shock
What if we put stickers on all textbooks saying "This textbook contains theory, not fact. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered?" Why limit it to one textbook and one theory? Then maybe our culture could get over its fantasy-fetish-facts and get on with knowledge, meaning, and understanding.
Posted by senioritis at January 18, 2005 01:37 PM
Comments
Here, here!
Posted by: madeline at January 18, 2005 09:33 PM
i believe i made a snarky comment of my own about these beautiful labels... ah, yes, it was just a shameless linking to collin's linking. we're such nerds. :)
i keep finding myself trying to explain to people what a scientific theory IS--it's not an assurance about exact knowledge, NOR is it what Louise calls capital-T Theory. roughly translated, theory in science means "our best explanation for what we've measured so far, which remains the default truth until we find something that contradicts and thereby modifies one or more aspects of it."
if we taught THAT to the evolutionists, the creationists, the empiricists, the alien-chasers, etc. in science & lots of other places, i think we'd all have less to fight about.
Posted by: tyratae at January 19, 2005 07:22 PM
the creationists would love *Tropics of Discourse*!
Posted by: senioritis at January 19, 2005 07:54 PM