Why should ID be taught in science classes...

If I may try to answer this question, I'd say that any mutation that reduces the number of alleles in a population would also decrease that population's genetic information.”HM

If your DNA molecule lost an allele by way of mutation why doesn't that mean that your DNA molecule suffered a decrease in genetic information?”HM

I see your point. Questions: On a very broad scale of genetic information, would you say a bacterium has more or less of it than a human? On a narrower scale would you say a hummingbird has more or less of it than a crocodile? My point is that somewhere there must be measurable differences in genetic information. I don't know why mutations couldn't accomplish that, because corrupted alleles would be nulled, as you dsay.”HM

Because it would be useful as a negative example to demonstrate the value of the scientific method?”HM

I'm a little confused by this. Do you mean ID would be proven to have or not to have empiricism? I'm not sure who needs to differentiate philosophical materialism from methodological materialism? Isn't that already pretty obvious to everyone? Or, alternatively, just say that God is not empirical and therefore falls off the table of scientific consideration.”HM

I don't know why a real scientist should give a sh!t about any of this. Science has a much to do with religion as a volcano has to do with the uplifting powers of salvation. Scientists don't ever go to religion for validation, but the reverse certainly is true. That's what creationism and ID are attempting to do”to invoke scientific principles to "prove" their points. The most important thing a biology student can learn is difference between empiricism and faith.Yes, creationism and ID should be discussed in an entry-level biology class that adresses evolution. It would be the best way I know of to break that senseless notion that science and religion are compatible or related to each other.”HM

I know I'm risking an Admin's ire for slipping off topic again. Sorry. But I'm confused about how Shannon information and entropy could apply to genetic information. Information theory of the Shannon variety is about the stochastics of communication from a source signal to its destination with noise interferring along the way. Is there an equivalent measure of information or entropy that flows from the encoded gene to its decoded destination as a protein?”HM

Paraphrasing what I have said before: You can't get a pig to fly over the barn and you can't get a true believer to see over the wall of blind faith.”HM

Science shouldn't care a twit about religion, period. Science had to be invented to cast off the falacies and foolishness of religion. I differ from you in my opinion that religion is totally unnecessary, or even worse. It's a crippling enterprise because it forces the faithful into gastly intellectual compromises. Instead of being serious about learning about nature the faithful must believe in spirits and doctrines and miracles and omnipotent powers. I don't want to see that kind of stuff encouraged. Do you? I regard it, on balance, and a useless and costly institutional burden on our society.But then again I am not a spiritual person, unless empirical knowledge of nature has its own spiritual value, which I doubt.”HM

What lie? Science is the enemy of religion from a religion's standpoint, but science itself doesn't care about religion, only about its own operational principles; excepting Richard Dawkins, of course, who thinks scientists should attack religious dogma with a vengence. I think most scientists see themselves as some sort of enemy of religion.”HM

...and as for inciting the natives to riot, I say let 'em do and get what's coming to 'em.dewise1, maybe the power of mass hysteria is what needs to be brought out in high-school education. How much difference it there between a woman in Somalia who is threated with public execution for naming her stuffed animal "Mohammed" and the ongoing threat from evangelists that we will burn in hell forever if we don't get saved properly by the Lord Jesus?Hysteria 101 would be a useful high-school course.”HM