We don’t know what we don’t know

I take no issue with the premise [March 5 Maurer column] that politics far too often prevail over wisdom, but his argument that “religious right groups are manipulating religion to further their intolerant political agendas” is far too short-sighted for a man of his character and wisdom.

Politics at all levels of government has been reduced to manipulation and intolerance by every conceivable party of interest that clamors for attention and money.

The argument that “creationism is not scientific theory” is by definition bound by our own human limits and logic. Creationism simply seeks to have people contemplate the limits of our own human thinking and the arrogance of scientific theory, as it is after all defined, designed and limited by its “creator”—human beings.

What is taught in our schools relative to sciences is not as important as how the children are taught. Instead of singularly forcing current theories bound by and constructed by our own human limitations upon our school age children, let’s encourage children to expand their thinking with far-reaching and competing theories—lest we fear our own fallibility! As my high school biology teacher often said (and yes he discussed Creationism in class), “We don’t know, what we don’t know, but for all we know, I bet there’s a whole lot more we don’t know.”

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David Meisenhelder
Carmel