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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   29717 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of December 12, 2022

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There's the Scopes Monkey Trial, which has passed into pop culture as a brave stand for the cause of Science against craw-thumping ignorance, but which was a test case that both sides wanted. In spite of an admittedly dumb law being passed by a local politician who wanted to virtue signal and gain votes, there were so few Brave Heroes of Science being persecuted for teaching evolution in schools that they had to fix up a test case. The town fathers were happy to be cast as the prosecuting baddies, since Dayton was dying on its feet and they felt that national publicity and notoriety could only do it good. The Brave Heroes had to find a willing guy who wasn't too sure if he had actually ever taught evolution, but he was happy to be the patsy.

So what really was the result there? A victory for teaching science in schools? Not really, Scopes lost the trial but the verdict was overturned. Keeping religion out of schools? Maybe, but I think it was a win that cost too much, since now America seems to have an entrenched battle between creationists and 'I love Science' crowd, where it is possible to have "evolution cannot be taught in school" enforced and textbooks denying it used if the local school district bends to that influence.

So instead of a dumb law being quietly ignored and dying away, the whole thing was given fresh life and the pitched battle between Science and Religion in schools continues to be fought.

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