Pharyngula::Watch out, mathematicians, you're next!

Pharyngula has moved to http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Watch out, mathematicians, you're next!

PZ Myers • 19 Comments

Two weeks ago parent volunteer Holly R. Thanthow took a break from passing out Jack Chick tracts in the school's courtyard to visit her son's fourth period class taught by newcomer John Scopes. What she saw there shocked her to the core.
"He asked them to find the area under a curve- without using cubits at all. I raised religious objections since the lesson completely goes against Genesis 7:20, but he said my son had to do the work anyway. When I asked Mr. Scopes to refrain from teaching from his so-called 'math textbook' he flat out refused. I know, I couldn't believe it myself."

But you never know anymore.

Really, I know the linked site is a joke, but…take a look at this article on Cosma Shalizi's page. Would you believe a course in Christian Mathematics, with devotional titles and scripture references?

Trackback url: http://pharyngula.org/index/trackback/2096/MWUgduV8/

Comments:

#20347: Jeremy Osner — 03/29 at 10:07 AM
Reckon it's satire... Michael Bérubé has a new post on the challenge posed to traditional atmospheric science by the up and coming discipline of Intelligent Meteorology.

#20348: Chris Clarke — 03/29 at 10:07 AM
Next thing you know, those dang fundies will be insisting we teach their irrational numbers.

"I do not think we should antagonize the religious when it is not warranted, though I think we should be willing to do so whenever it is.”
-- Glen Davidson

#20351: — 03/29 at 10:27 AM
Well, and look at the name. Scopes?

#20354: Leah — 03/29 at 10:40 AM
rrt, I totally agree with you. The name? The over-the-topness of it all? That great photoshopped graphic?

Definitely satire, and it's funny as hell.

#20356: Angie — 03/29 at 11:13 AM
LOL
Cute!
But you know, this might actually be happening in some areas!

#20361: Stephen Stralka — 03/29 at 11:37 AM
Holly R. Thanthow? Definitely satire. The thing is, though, you don't want to give these buffoons any ideas. Even now, som know-nothing zealot out there is reading that and thinking, "Hey, that's right! Math is unbiblical!"

#20363: icecube — 03/29 at 11:46 AM
is the trinity christian college website for real? it's pretty spooky...though not strictly anti-mathematical, I don't particularly like the idea of bringing gospel-stories into algebra101 (or whatever...)

#20364: — 03/29 at 11:58 AM
You biologists are just jealous because you know the fundies can't touch us.

#20365: PZ Myers — 03/29 at 12:12 PM
Hah. Read the Spider Kama Sutra, and see why we aren't jealous of anybody.

PZ Myers
Division of Science and Math
University of Minnesota, Morris

#20368: — 03/29 at 12:27 PM
"Math in Trinity College is fun because the professors present different ways to look at the problems. They encourage us to be creative when approaching math, instead of focusing on one point of view", explains a smiling girl on their web site. "This is a principle we can apply in other arenas..." I am afraid this is NOT satire.

Always thought 2 + 2 = 4 but that is a very narrow way of looking at the problem. Applying a creative approach instead of focussing on one point of view, it may be 2 + 2 = 5.

Quod natura non sunt turpia

#20376: — 03/29 at 01:30 PM
2+2 can only equal 5 for very large values of two...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/science/60f5/

#20378: icecube — 03/29 at 01:46 PM
There's nothing wrong with a goal to teach children to think creatively about mathematics, ridicule the idea how you will.

(of course I know you're just ridiculing the site, but you should be more careful about what you pick holes in. really. .

#20381: icecube — 03/29 at 02:02 PM
Actually, I did myself try to write a spoof article about what would happen if creationist-types got serious about mathematics (linked to on the homepage button of this comment), but it ended up being more weird than satirical...I'd like to see someone do it properly though

#20382: Douglas — 03/29 at 02:19 PM
Good stuff! I took a class in Pagan Differential Equations. Finding the partial derivative of Apollo is a bear!!!

#20389: — 03/29 at 03:49 PM
And I'm pretty sure this isn't satire:
http://www.geocentricity.com/creationism/entropyandnwo.pdf
I was doing some online research for my statistical mechanics class. The second page of Google results for "thermodynamic probability" has this. I think I still have bruises from when my jaw hit the floor.

#20399: — 03/29 at 05:44 PM
Christian mathematics was a staple at the Baptist elementary school I attended in Miami in the early '80's. "If Jesus has to feed 5000 disciples, but only has 10 loaves of bread, how many new loaves did He create from each?" The history textbooks were full of Jesus references as well, and were violently anti-Communist. For "entertainment" we occasionally got to watch movies about how the Rapture was coming. Best of all, my parents aren't even Christian.

#20419: — 03/29 at 11:19 PM
I can say with certainty that the Geocentricity site referenced in #15 is indeed authentic, and that I used to work for the company that hosts it -- a web development company run by YECs. The stories I could tell...oy.

#20428: — 03/30 at 12:35 AM
Anonymous's link, as far I can judge, is real. The math is the conventional one I know and not of the creative type. Moreover, the population logistic curve is widely applied in infrastructure design. Except for the references to God, the essay is not excentric. The author seems to me one of the many scientists who are absolutely conventional in their daily work, but practice a mainstream religion.

How do you distinguish a normal scientist from a crazy one? By regular shop talk, you will never know. So you take a walk together and if he warns you "Jaimito, dont step on that black spot", "Why?", "You may fall in a black hole" - he is one.

#20517: R J Keefe — 03/30 at 07:21 PM
Spoof or not, the anecdote suggests why the Roman Catholoic Church, which has certianly made mistakes, was right to forbid laymen to read the Bible without priestly supervision.

Page 1 of 1 pages

Next entry: Spider Kama Sutra

Previous entry: PBS and the 'debate'

<< Back to main

Pharyngula has moved to http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Watch out, mathematicians, you're next!

Info