Ideology, Education (and a review)

[neadods]

First, the weekly announcement: My review of The Ghost Map is up on Reviewing the Evidence.

Second: I'm reading Monkey Girl, possibly the first book I've ever bought because it was recommended by a blog. (Pharyngula, here) The first few pages are as good a read as promised, and I plan on writing a review here when I'm done.

I stopped to post, though, when I hit this bit on pages 6-7:
[T]he country... in a sudden panic over the Soviet Union's successful launching of the satellite Sputnik in 1957, embarked on an effort to ramp up science and math education as a matter of national security.

The next paragraphs go on about how Cold War pressure shunted aside a lot of the religious pressure to avoid teaching certain subjects, such as evolution, in favor of raising the next generation as scientists who could defeat the enemy.

The book then goes on to discuss how this made the religious factions start plotting immediately to roll back the respect that evolution was getting. Since Monkey Girl is about the Dover Intelligent Design trial, that is the main thematic drive here.

But I'm thinking... when our enemy was using science, we responded by raising scientific standards in this country. Could the new emphasis on religion in government, and the willingness of a (bare) majority to push religion in schools be due to the fact that our current enemy is using fervent faith against us? So much of the current Middle Eastern war has been framed as "our God can beat up your false God" that I'm starting to wonder.

Comments

[lagilman]

Interesting thought, and with meat behind it. Maybe.

Hrmmmm.


And there may be a story or story-bit in there somewhere....

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

I think that's a reversal of cause and effect. The reason we're so willing to play the "faith" game now is the 30something years the Christianist Right has spent in a concerted effort to discredit science. The fact that it's a religious jihad on the other side is only a convenient excuse.

[rasciana.livejournal.com]

Very intriguing idea! I can tell you have a mind much like mine, or at least much like mind before it got muddled by early menopause, but that's neither here nor there....

Anyways.. hmmm... coincidence verses planned counter-faith attacking? I think that really there is no exact way to "prove" things one way or another. At least not unless you were successful enough to interview tons of the people involved in Christian fundamental groups that are involved in the government, and those in the government who were sympathetic to their cause, or who acted as if they were for their own selfish gain...

Personally though I guess I tend to believe more in humanity's capacity for ultimate personal greed. I'll vote for coincidence home and abroad in the "God/faith battle", and in the fact that someone else stated that Christian groups have been working for quite awhile at defusing science, throughout all of written history.... Just my personal opinion. ^_~