Unintelligent Designs -- substituting religion for science

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Barry Ritholtz <ritholtz () optonline net>
Date: November 12, 2004 6:19:54 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: scs () CampusClients com, tfairlie () frontiernet net, h_bray () globe com
Subject: Re: Unintelligent Designs -- substituting religion for science

Dear Dave,

I have to say that I am astonished that anyone -- even Hiawatha Bray --
would somehow suggest that a religious tract such as "intelligent 
design"
somehow translates into mandating "more information" for high school 
students.
What about astrology? Numerology? Witchcraft? Do they count as "more"
information? Hey, its all just data!

That view is astoundingly, mind-numbingly naive -- or incredibly, 
stupendously
idiotic.  Now that I have exhausted my supply of adjectives for the 
month, I must
admit that I'm not sure which of these two sad states mind is worse.

But I do know this: After a few years, the Students of South-central 
Pennsylvania
will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage when applying for 
jobs or to
college. Darwinian competition will lead to these unfortunate students 
going to
weaker schools, getting lower paying jobs, and (unfortunately) finding 
it more
difficult to support a family. Hopefully, these mis-educated students 
will recall
what occurred and place appropriate blame where it belongs: on the
"unintelligent designs" of the school board.

It would be a great twist of irony if this line of thought led to an 
eventual end of the
genetic experiment that is currently manifested as the adult population 
of South-central PA.
But Darwinism doesn't work that way on a social level, and instead, 
this group will
likely end up merely under-educated and under-compensated and a burden 
on the
rest of society. (Some may even become columnists).

Eventually, someone will look into why this town finds itself at a 
competitive
disadvantage with schools whose science courses actually teach science.
By then, real estate prices in the region will be depressed and an 
entire
generation of students will have fundamental misunderstandings about
the nature of the world they live in. But, hey, thats the advantage of 
local
autonomy:  People are free to be as idiotic as they want!   Its 
unfortunate
that students suffer from the lack of judgment of their elders, but I'm 
suspect
there is a Darwinian lesson in that also.

However, do not under any circumstances somehow confuse the 
establishment
of the religious creationist belief in public schools as somehow 
equating to
"more information."  To do so is simply pathetic . . .


Astounded that we are having this conversation in 2004,


Barry L. Ritholtz
Chief Market Strategist
Maxim Group
britholtz () maximgrp com
(212) 895-3614
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Big Picture:  A blog of capital markets, geopolitics, with a dash 
of film and music!
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/






On Friday, November 12, 2004, at 05:19  PM, David Farber wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: h_bray () globe com
> Date: November 12, 2004 4:36:15 PM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: Re: [IP] book burnings are next...
>
>
> How is it book burning to mandate that more information be provided, 
> rather
> than less?  Seems like the very opposite of book burning to me...
>
> Hiawatha Bray
> Technology Reporter
> Boston Globe
> 135 Morrissey Blvd.
> P.O. Box 55819
> Boston, MA 02205-5819 USA
> 617-929-3119 voice
> 617-929-3183 fax
> 617-233-9419 cell
> bray () globe com
> watha () monitortan com
> Blog: www.monitortan.com
> Recent writings: www.boston.com/business/technology/bray
>
>
>
>                       David Farber
>                       <dave () farber net         To:      Ip 
> <ip () v2 listbox com>
> >                        cc:
>                       Sent by:                 Atex users:
>                       owner-ip () v2 list         Subject: [IP] book 
> burnings are next...
>                       box.com
>
>
>                       11/12/2004 03:38
>                       PM
>                       Please respond
>                       to dave
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: "Sean C. Sheridan" <scs () CampusClients com>
> Date: November 12, 2004 3:26:49 PM EST
> To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> Subject: book burnings are next...
>
> Dave,
>
>
> You gotta read this:
>
>
> 'DOVER, Pa.  ? When talk at the high school here turns to evolution,
> biology teachers have to make time for Charles Darwin (search) as well
> as his detractors.
>
> With a vote last month, the school board in rural south-central
> Pennsylvania community is believed to have become the first in the
> nation to mandate the teaching of "intelligent design" (search), which
> holds that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by
> an unspecified higher power.'
>
> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138419,00.html
>
>
>
>
>
> Sean C. Sheridan
> (215) 320-1810
>
> Campus Party, Inc.
> 201 Spring Garden Street
> Philadelphia, PA 19123
> http://www.CampusClients.com 

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