> 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


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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.
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