The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins

I like R.Dawkins a true iconaclast.
I've not had the pleasure of reading his latest book - but i do have some time on my hands. So might just spend some time reading it. What the hell i might as well brush up on all of his books.
If anybody knows where i can read or get abridged versions -the would be cool.

Religeon and foreign languages - never saw the point in either of them.

Why not replace them with 'political/economic theory' as i'm always going overdrawn and voting for the wrong political party.

 

Dawkins quotes liberally from a lecture by Steven Layfield, head of science at Emmanuel. The lecture was removed from the school's website when Dawkins first highlighted it, but you can read it here:
http://www.darwinwars.com/lunatic/liars/layfield.html

Have a look at the section titled "What can be done?"

In it Layfield discusses ways in which the science curriculum can be undermined at every turn and the information the school is required to teach can be always presented to students as disputed or wrong compared to the Bible's infallible account, as well as suggesting the introduction of anti-science and pro-religion reading materials, talks, etc... it makes interesting reading!

It sounds to me like the whole ethos of the school is set up so that it obeys its requirements in teaching what the national curriculum says, but that its teachers are encouraged to go out of their way to undermine and dispute the information our society requires its children to be taught, replacing it, subtly, with one particular religious version.

 

That is the way it looks, but Mr. Layfield was one of very few teachers who actively disagreed with what he was teaching in such an obvious way. I'm not saying the school is perfect, but at least it makes no attempt to cover the fact that it is pro-religion. The school definitely taught curriculum material, otherwise exam results wouldn't have been obviously good, and we were taught that some scientific theories were theories, rather than facts, as evolutionists would prefer. The Emmanuel Schools Foundation was set up in order to put decent schools in inner-city areas, where previously there had been schools that weren't so good, and it succeeded, at least so far. I agree that religion shouldn't have such a big emphasis in schools, but Vardy clearly believes it's right for the school to be like that, and he's technically in charge.

 

Totally disagree with that, foreign languages are so important

 

Why ?

 

At the risk of going a little off topic, this theory / fact dichotomy is something which comes up a lot and is based on a misunderstanding. In science the use of the word "theory" is a specific and technical usage which distinguishes it from a hypothesis or a "guess". A scientific theory is a consistent and logical system of knowledge which is based on empirical observable evidence. It's not the opposite of a "fact", it's about as close to being a fact as it is possible to get given current knowledge. Evolution is a theory in the same way gravity is a theory: it is a system of knowledge which explains observed phenomena. I think "theory" is often used in this context to mean something like what we understand by the word "hypothesis". A scientific theory is a hypothesis which has been confirmed by experimental data.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory#Science

 

sorry for going off topic in this den of equinity but would like to ask mathew what a foreign language is ?

 

What would the world become if no-one bothered with any language but their own? If we all just assumed that people would learn our language, we'd fail miserably at interacting with the world. Then the diversity it's possible to experience would be completely lost.

 

Well belief then, I think that just because evolution is the best guess we have so far, it shouldn't be accepted as solid fact. I chose my words wrongly.

 

Anything that is not English -
If i was Swedish : anything that is not Swedish etc etc.

Did you expect some ranting rascism or something ?.

I just say both these subjects should be abandoned because from what i have read of science / economics / political science - they are far more relevant to us all. I'd have much prefered learning about these at a younger age - even if i was not going to persue them in college/university.

It might just prevent apathy / greater participation in voting and a greater appreciation of our society.

You can do languages and religeon on a Open University course for all i care -

 

I think economics and political science should be given greater importance, but religion and languages are still important aspects of the world, and so should still be studied

 

A den of equinity hey?

:tongue:

 

I'm not suggesting nobody learns a foreign language or looks into religeons - just not at school.

It would be great if we all spoke ONE language or we all learnt each other languages [not just french / german] . That is not going to happen is it -especially in the space of our schooling.

 

nicompoop

 

Is that Portuguese ?.

 

yeah man got it off ideal last night

 

why dont yer learn and find out .

 

ok, fair enough, but I think if languages were dropped from the curriculum very few people would bother with them. speaking one language would be great, but less interesting.

 

i leave you in peace now back to dawkins

 

hahahahaha i think i saw that as well.
I think we are perfect e.gs that there was not inteligent design.

cheap