Kerry is an idiot, Bush retorts

[Nash]

Many scientists still held onto the old view?

That just means many of them were wrong. If something is mathematically proven, and 90% of the population doesn't accept it, that doesn't mean the 90% are correct.

[Othello Harrington]

That just means many of them were wrong. If something is mathematically proven, and 90% of the population doesn't accept it, that doesn't mean the 90% are correct.

I agree with this.

However, please understand that this isn't a creation v evolution thread (lord knows we don't need that)

[Fe 26]

That just means many of them were wrong. If something is mathematically proven, and 90% of the population doesn't accept it, that doesn't mean the 90% are correct.

I don't think that anyone said that popular opinion changes the way reality works. It does however affect our knowledge base.

and btw, something being mathematically proven, is not the end all, be all of science. You can mathematically prove everything Newton ever came up with, but very little of it is true all across the board. Most of his "laws" are just phenomena that holds constant for our reference point.

EDIT: oh, and don't introduce the "population" into my point. I meant specifically that the scientific community did not automatically accept his findings.

[Othello Harrington]

I don't think that anyone said that popular opinion changes the way reality works. It does however affect our knowledge base.

and btw, something being mathematically proven, is not the end all, be all of science. You can mathematically prove everything Newton ever came up with, but very little of it is true all across the board. Most of his "laws" are just phenomena that holds constant for our reference point.

Stop turning this into a god damn creation thread asscheeks, make your own topic if you want to get all faggy about it.

[sethsez]

Actually, it is. The history of science is not a storey of acceptance. It is one paved with many hilariously bad theories, resistance, and patience. Science only moves forward when most of the apposeres of a theory die. When it was mathematically proven that the earth was not the center of the universe, it did not become scientific fact on that same day. It took a relatively long time. Many scientists still held onto the old view.

The point is that it was bad science. Holding on to bad science does not make it right, as facts are not subjective like political theories often are.

But the thing with evolution is, the scientists have kind of voted, and most of them agree that evolution is real.

And (here's the important part) they can back it up with mountains of evidence.

The question is, should the populous get a say in what their kids are taught, or should that decision be made by experts?

If the populace wants their kids to be taught creationism then they can home school or send them to religious schools. It is not science, and it will not get accepted as scientific theory just because a large group of people held their breaths and kicked their feet. We also don't teach astrology despite the massive number of people who read horoscopes.

[Othello Harrington]

Damnit, this thread is derailed. Closing. This discussion is bound for fight club anyway.