March 28, 2024

Can we agree that an education is a basic human right?

In an information based society, undereducated children are at a disadvantage. Besides a mind is a terrible thing to waste, right? Here is my speech at The Houston Museum of Science hosted by Houston Atheists in defense of accurate science education for everyone. It had a pretty good turnout of 250 which was the capacity of the room.

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It was part of a weekend of anti-creationism activities as a result of Ken Ham’s bullying and obdurate determination to sell creationism as science curriculum. At a creationism conference the same weekend, he boasted to 600 people that we had gathered only a handful of supporters. As if he had gathered even 6 billion people that would make him right. He mocked me to the crowd and they had a laugh at my expense.

Despite that, I’ve come a long way in my fear of public speaking. It is important to speak out against scientific illiteracy.

8 thoughts on “Can we agree that an education is a basic human right?

  1. Yeah, we can agree on it. Some might claim it’s not in the Constitution, but they ignore the opinions of both Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Also, they ignore the 9th Amendment which notes that the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights are not meant to suggest that people don’t have other rights.

    1. Of course, now the problem is in convincing people that the creationists aren’t educating people. Good luck on that one. That’s patience I just don’t have, and the patience I do have is about to run out these days. Is it too much to ask that people just be sane and intelligent for once?

  2. I once read a short story by (IIRC) sci-fi author and university professor Edward Llewellyn. The story is first told from the view of the populace, and the end told from the view of those being destroyed.

    The story begins with the masses rising up and demanding “freedom”, a mob seeking to destroy the “oppressive priesthood” that runs and controls their lives. They eventually overpower the guards at the “temple”, break in and destroy their oppressors and win their freedom.

    Then the story ends with those working in the laboratory – not a temple – where meagre and dwindling resources are being managed carefully by a scientific elite to ensure survival of society and the planet. After the computers and laboratories are destroyed by the ignorant mob, after they destroy the means of ensuring survival, the society eventually breaks down and the planet suffers catastrophic environmental collapse.

    It sounds eerily familiar to what’s going on now. If it was Llewellyn, he died in 1984, so his story was at least three decades old, if not more.

      1. many much wiser then myself have seen this comming for years, decades if not centuries. sad bit is its just not understood by those that beleive they already have all the answers they want and need nothing more.

        then there are those that fear the educated and will fight at every turn, the “evils” of “snobish educated”.

        i think we can go with 1 less aircraft carrier or a few less B-2 bombers and put that cash to good use educating those derserving and interested in becoming educated.

        1. “…and put that cash to good use educating those derserving and interested in becoming educated.”

          No, let’s educate the undeserving, and uninterested in becoming educated. They are far more important.

    1. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, ignorance fighting intellect in a situation such as this is clearly not in the best interest of the entire populace. On the other hand, it sounds a bit like an Ayn Rand novel where she pretty much demands that the proletariat be extremely grateful to the bourgeoisie regardless of harsh or oppressive treatment because Atlas could just shrug at any time. I’m much more in line with Kurt Vonnegut. Such a system is bullshit, but the cure is mass education.

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