> Since scientists provide this rock-bottom >foundation for our lives, their *stewardship* is even >greater than a judge's, for all a judge can do is >decide based on the evidence, but the judge cannot >verify what the evidence is -- only scientists can do that. > >Now! If we live in a world where we >have very little idea "what's going on", >but must depend on *scientists* to tell us, how does this differ >from the role in past of The Roman Catholic Church? I agree with Brad McCormick's assessment of the situation and it's implications. I would argue that this "state of affairs" is socially constructed in schools as a consequence of the way we teach; the way we teach science, in particular. Dewey +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dewey I. Dykstra, Jr. Phone: (208)426-3105 Professor of Physics Dept: (208)426-3775 Department of Physics/MCF421/418 Fax: (208)426-4330 Boise State University [log in to unmask] 1910 University Drive Boise Highlanders Boise, ID 83725-1570 novice piper: GHB, Uilleann "As a result of modern research in physics, the ambition and hope, still cherished by most authorities of the last century, that physical science could offer a photographic picture and true image of reality had to be abandoned." --M. Jammer in Concepts of Force, 1957. "If what we regard as real depends on our theory, how can we make reality the basis of our philosophy? ...But we cannot distinguish what is real about the universe without a theory...it makes no sense to ask if it corresponds to reality, because we do not know what reality is independent of a theory."--S. Hawking in Black Holes and Baby Universes, 1993. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++