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Larry Krauss wants schools to teach doubt

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About anything except what he thinks?

Some of us would be curious to know where he stands on falsifiability?

Comments
Great article.
News: About anything except what he thinks?
That's the key point. We need to replace religion with the sacred dogmas of scientific opinion. Then we can all be the way Mr. Krauss wants us to be. Obedience is an important religious virture - and we need to be obedient to our scientific masters. Because they said so.
A 2014 Yale Law School study, for example, demonstrated that the divergence between religious and non-religious peoples’ views on evolution actually grows wider among those who are familiar with math and science.
The more evolution-doubters know about math and science, the more they reject evolution. (Apparent) Conclusion? Education is making some people stupider. Solution? Don't allow evolution doubters to get more education in math and science.
If we want to raise citizens who are better at making evidence-based judgments, we need to start early, making skepticism and doubt part of the experience that shapes their identities from a young age.
Good point, Lawrence. If we want children to reject religion, we should start indoctrinating them earlier to accept scientific speculations and to doubt that there is any meaning or purpose in life. That way, they can be molded into the kind of citizens we want them to be. The great thing about children is we can generally force them to think the way we want them to -- and that's ideal for sowing seeds of doubt about things we don't like (God mainly).
But it seems fair to say that, on average, religious faith appears to be an obstacle to understanding the world.
Religious faith is a big obstacle to accepting Lawrence Krauss' fantasy world. As far as understanding his mindless world, religious faith is a tremendous asset.
learning about science that has finally liberated him from the spectre of religious fundamentalism.
Josef Stalin did a very good job in liberating people from religion. He discovered that by enslaving them to an atheistic tyranny and by killing them, they would be liberated from religion.
In a recent decision, Pope Francis officially recognized, under canon law, the International Association of Exorcists. He called exorcism “a form of charity.”
Learning about, and having respect for, religion is the best way to become liberated from scientism. Mocking things you don't understand, however is the kind of childish thing we expect from atheists, unfortunately.
Is it naïve to imagine that we can overcome centuries of religious intransigence in a single generation through education?
I guess he will keep trying to overcome religion -- apparently he thinks that's the goal of science education.
One thing is certain: if our educational system does not honestly and explicitly promote the central tenet of science—that nothing is sacred—then we encourage myth and prejudice to endure.
Interesting. Atheistic-materialism is proposed as the sacred belief here and if enough people are indoctrinated in it, they will believe that nothing is sacred (not the memory of loved ones who have passed away, love of spouse and children, honor to heroes who give their lives ... none of it sacred at all). This works as long as atheism, or even merely Lawrence Krauss' opinions are kept as sacred teachings for future generations. Doubting them would be a disaster to this entire plan.Silver Asiatic
March 17, 2015
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Exactly BFast. Feynman's "Cargo Cult Science" lecture was aimed at SCIENTISTs. Keeping doubt alive in Science class and Science careers. Silly to teach "doubt" in Faith Based classes. What part of Faith does Larry not understand?ppolish
March 17, 2015
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Keith S:
Did you bother to read the article, Denyse? Or even the first few paragraphs? Krauss writes: Doubt about one’s most cherished beliefs is, of course, central to science: the physicist Richard Feynman stressed that the easiest person to fool is oneself. But doubt is also important to non-scientists. It’s good to be skeptical, especially about ideas you learn from perceived authority figures. Recent studies even suggest that being taught to doubt at a young age could make people better lifelong learners. That, in turn, means that doubters—people who base their views on evidence, rather than faith—are likely to be better citizens.
Keith S, did you read the article? The article says: > We should be open minded > People who are religious are closed minded about science. > We should be willing to teach "the open minded" even if it causes people to loose their religious belief. While Krauss expresses, "Doubt about one’s most cherished beliefs is, of course, central to science" the core of his article is the belief that the great Krauss, has mastered the science of objectivity. If Krauss was saying to scientists something like, "we need to practice what we preach. We need to welcome descent in the classroom. Then our 'doubt is key' message will be more believable. But he doesn't get there, he doesn't get close, he just bashes religion and the religious from one end of the article to the other, declaring that the scientists have defeated confirmation bias.bFast
March 17, 2015
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Thus far the best example of Newspeak.Enezio E. De Almeida Filho
March 17, 2015
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Good topics for Doubt class: 1) Darwinian Evolution 2) Multiverse Those are classic examples of Feynman's "Cargo Cult" Science.ppolish
March 16, 2015
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Krauss: That, in turn, means that doubters—people who base their views on evidence, rather than faith—are likely to be better citizens.
Well, we all know what is meant by "evidence" and what is meant by "faith" here.Box
March 16, 2015
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News:
About anything except what he thinks?
Did you bother to read the article, Denyse? Or even the first few paragraphs? Krauss writes:
Doubt about one’s most cherished beliefs is, of course, central to science: the physicist Richard Feynman stressed that the easiest person to fool is oneself. But doubt is also important to non-scientists. It’s good to be skeptical, especially about ideas you learn from perceived authority figures. Recent studies even suggest that being taught to doubt at a young age could make people better lifelong learners. That, in turn, means that doubters—people who base their views on evidence, rather than faith—are likely to be better citizens.
keith s
March 16, 2015
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