Re: 10.5
- From: "don findlay" <don@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 24 Mar 2007 06:45:12 -0700
Jo Schaper wrote:
jmfbahciv@xxxxxxx wrote:
There is place on the Atlantic shore (I can't remember the town)
which has been getting flooded out every nor'easter. One
woman was just interviewed. She said she had just finished
rebuilding and refurnishing her house and it's underwater again.
She's complaining that "the town" has done nothing to prevent
this. I keep being astonished at how stupid people can be.
/BAH
Not me. US education system has very few high school level earth science
courses, unlike chemistry, biology and even physics.
I think the word would not be stupid, but ignorant--as in clueless.
I would like to include a geological skill set (reading a topo map,
knowing the difference between granite and limestone, basic natural
hazards and hydrology info to start) but none of this exists in state
graduation standards for most places, so "physical science" becomes a
science for dummies course, aggravating the situation.
With the advent of Plate Tectonics, Earth science has simply written
itself out of the curriculum, written itself into irrelevancy.
There's nothing in it to discuss. All of that stuff about limestones
and granites and maps and so on, are just a vehicle to lead to 'the
grand plan', ..but the grand plan is empty, there's nothing in it.
What use is there in everybody telling each other about something that
everybody agrees about. Because of that "phenomenal success" it's
become something within itself, with no relevance outside of
itself, ..for which reason school boards see fit to subordinate it to
geography (geography being seen as more educationally useful in the
world). It's only got itself to blame (and of course the people who
have led it to that mindnumbingly boring state).
Part of the reason too is probably that teachers don't much like
teaching it, trying to field the obvious questions from students, and
having to try to cover up the obvious inanities in which it abounds,
with "It's the best we have". And probably students don't much like
learning it for the same reason. Anybody can pick holes in it (your
"15 point finger puzzle") The core of it is taught in kindergarten
with squashy cushions and plasticine. What is there in that? Is
there any wonder it's dropped from higher school curricula? It's
graphic proof that the 'guardians of the gate' have **no interest
whatsoever** in the science for it's own sake, but only for how it
serves them in their career stakes. If they did publications would be
full of the conundrums and problems to be overcome, but they aren't.
They're all written within to bolster the "Tremendous success" of the
theory, ..the gravy train, ..the gift that keeps on giving.
You won't find the likes of Stuart complaining about it not being
taught in school. The more code is spoken, the more secret the
handshakes, the better.
.
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