30 April 2008

A preservation of favoured ideas




Anonymous said...

In my view, the human mind is only capable of understanding a certain amount of fact or fiction. Most of our understandings on everything to do with religion/science/art/literature come from what we have seen/read or from something someone else has told us.
With regards to the evolution vs creationism debate, each one of us as human beings have our own views of how the world was created. As with opinions on art/literature/music/politics this view of how the world was created is based on what what we ourselves have experienced or believe either through our religion or through scientific research stating true cases for either creation or evolution.
It's puzzling as to why it so important that medics must fully believe in one scientific theory of how the world's creatures came to exist on the planet and reject any personal beliefs they have themselves. Surely everyone is entitled to have their own opinion on theories such as evolution?
I wonder what would happen if the same idea was applied to every other subject taught at University. Would we all then have to take each scientific or literary theory taught at University as fact and reject all personal beliefs in favour of something written in a textbook?
While it may be 'worrying' for some people that 10% of medics don't believe in evolution, it is not apparent that these students are affecting others in any way shape or form by believing instead in creationism.
Creationism today also encompasses so many different types and styles and ways of belief in God and how the world was created.
Regarding Christian Creationism, while all Christians do believe there is a God who created the Earth, there is still intense theological debate on the words written in the Bible and how the life forms on earth were created.
It is up to each and every one of us to decide on our beliefs and not let them be enforced upon us by a department of a university just because the theory is (or isn't) taught as part of the curriculum.

Ryan Alexander said...

I have to say that i was deeply unhappy regarding comments made by the editor towards their thoughts on 10% of medics not believing in evolution. Glasgow is trying to develop a multi-cultural city and university. Bigotted views expressed by the editor are not welcome in my opinion. what the editor was pretty much expressing was that all medics should be atheists and not have a belief system that doesnt revolve around a religion or faith. of course a percentage of students of any branch of the university will have believes and its only natural to think the same belongs to medics. does the editor feel that people who follow a faith in this manner are stupid. That believing in a god who created the world makes them less capable of being taught and having a career in medicine, i dont think so. Also it is not just christainity that teaches creationism, many other faiths teach this so maybe the editor should do some more research before preaching such half baked nonsense in a newspaper!

Anonymous said...

Believing in evolution is surely more important when working in medicine than any other discipline.

Evolution is most clearly displayed on a microscopic level. Surely the example of MRSA is proof enough of an organism that is more successful, in this case resistant to antibiotics, passing on its genetic code and later generations being more successful.

If a medic believes that all creatures were created by god 4,000 years ago and than no genetic mutation occurs this is would surely interfere with better understanding of disease and is thus a "worrying" sign.