The Omnifarium - Sudoku/47.html

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Sudoku #47

Category: Sudoku
Wed, 10 Aug 2005, 07:06

Today in history, 159 years ago, the Smithsonian Institution was established. The institution came about because of a clause in the will of James Smithson's. It stated that should his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, die without heirs, the Smithson estate would go to the United States of America for establishing an institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men". At the time, the estate was worth $500,000 ($8,790,303 in 2004 taking inflation into account).

Since then, the United States has become a powerhouse in scientific research and technological development. But that pre-eminent position is under tremendous pressure. Many in the US would like science curriculum to be determined by the government, and not by scientists. More and more these days, scientific policy is being decided by politicians who are poorly trained in science. The result is bad decisions made on the basis of either religious dogma or political ideology.

The science classrooms are considered by some a major battle ground for the hearts and minds of young Americans. Many people stubbornly stick to the naive notion that certain scientific results should not be taught since they think they're contradictory to their religious beliefs. Evolution is a popular target. Some would like "equal time" offered to other ideas, like creationism. Some go so far as dress up creationism in a less religious form and call it "intelligent design". Unfortunately, if you put lipstick and a wig on a pig, it's still a pig.

What's wrong with giving equal time to alternative theories in science classes? There's nothing at all wrong with that idea. Unfortunately, there's nothing scientific about creationism or "intelligent design". Those who advance those points of view offer nothing in the way of scientific evidence to support their theories. In fact, these ideas can't even be formulated into scientific theories at all. One requirement for any scientific theory is that it must be testable. As soon as you consider an "intelligent designer", you're into territory that's simply untestable. If there were an "intelligent designer", you would have to take into account the possibility that the "intelligent designer" could very well interfere with the experiment, rendering any results useless. Alternatively, if you believe that it's possible to design an experiment that the "intelligent designer" could not interfere with, then that would imply that the "intelligent designer" is not omnipotent.

As the "religious right" in the United States flexes its muscles more and more, influencing public policy, there's no doubt at all that the United States' dominent position in science and technology will diminish. This is already happening in certain areas like stem cell research. Another area shaped by political ideology is environmental policy. Important steps needed to stop global warming are not being taken since they might adversely affect the American economy. The long term health of the world is being sacrificed for short term comfort.

Look at this from the point of view of Sudoku. How do you solve a Sudoku puzzle? Do you look for guidance in some holy book? Do you choose a value for a cell based on a majority vote or political ideology? No, you solve the puzzle through a process of logical deduction. If logic is so important to such a silly game, why isn't it important enough when considering education and public policy issues?

Hans

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