Momma Angel wrote:Chumly,
What of the Sci-Fi movies with all the different species? The technology? Are these real? Are they anti-reason? I would say some definitely are, wouldn't you? Sure, it is commonly accepted that these are "fictional" I understand that. But, are they fictional in a child's mind? Don't some believe in this kind of thing?
I'm with Setanta on this one (don't faint anyone 
), the right to have this museum is clear. Not visiting it is also a clear right.
That is a fair enough rationale except that is my understanding that the people and impetus behind the museum act and affiliate to enforce their brand of ardent Christianity on the "great unwashed" and therein in lies the difference between different brands of fantasy and imagination such as SF might represent and/or Disney, and overt anti-science action-oriented agendas such as creationism's mandate of "equal time".
Let's not confuse these three things: 1) my tacit acceptance of the museum per se, 2) Creationism's overt agenda through political and other means, 3) my interest in Science Fiction Literature. As an aside there have been very few Science Fiction movies as almost all are Speculative Fiction / Horror not Science Fiction.
It is true I like Science Fiction, Hard Science Fiction specifically which tends to extrapolate on known premises. I am not much of a fan of Speculative Fiction / Horror which is more the branch you allude to, although I can be up for a good allegorical tale. BTW some believe religious tomes represent allegorical tales, inclusive of the Christian Bible).
Many people bunch all Science Fiction together into one lump and figure it's all pretty much the same. Not so. For example Gregory Benford and David Brin are two authors I like, both strongly emphasize the science in SF and both are scientists.
Greg Benford
http://www.newmars.com/archives/000062.shtmlQuote:
Dr. Gregory Benford is no slouch as a scientist. In an impressive career researching plasma turbulence and astrophysics, he has written over 150 research papers, holds an Associate Professorship at University of California, Irvine, has received the prestigious Lord Foundation award for scientific achievement, and advises NASA on national space policy. Benford was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Mars Society.
Somehow, Benford has found time along the way to become one of the most respected modern writers of hard science fiction, having received the Campbell and two Nebula awards in an impressive career spanning more than thirty years and including such works as 'Timescape' and his six-novel galactic center sequence including 'In the Ocean of Night' and 'Great Sky River.' Mars Society president Robert Zubrin calls his novel 'The Martian Race', "one of the finest novels about human exploration of the Red Planet ever written."
David Brin
http://www.davidbrin.com/Quote:He recently posted a page to assist teachers interested in using science fiction to teach science. He has been both a NASA consultant and a physics professor. THE WAR ON SCIENCE: Will the first decade of the 21st Century be known as the time when our Scientific Age came to a whimpering end? The one trait shared by anti-modernists of both left and right appears to be disdain for our ability to learn and do bold new things. My review of Chris Mooney's The Republican War on Science (published in the San Diego Union-Tribune), explores how partisanship can explain much of this collapse of confidence... and why partisan interpretations don't cover everything.
On a related note, two recommended books that tout assertive problem solving are The Past and Future of America's Economy: Long Waves of Innovation that Power Cycles of Growth By Robert D. Atkinson and Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity is Near. The first explores measures that would allow us to play our roles better in the world economy. The latter pursues Kurzweil's argument that our scientific competence and technologically-empowered creativity will soon skyrocket, propelling humanity into an entirely new age. I don't entirely agree. But boy, what a ride.
) The only thing that we can do is have the expectation that many of these children will see through the falsity of this museum, and question it as they mature. You may very well see young people who enter college, totally confused by the dichotomy of learning what science says, and comparing it to what they have been taught as kids.
