The Way of Science: Finding Truth and Meaning in a Scientific Worldview

A biomedical engineer takes aim at the poor state of science education in this impassioned diatribe. Taking a cue from St. Francis Xavier (who once said, “Give me the children until they are seven and anyone may have them afterward”), Trumble—a gentler version of Richard Dawkins—argues that children raised in Creationist households (and/or schools) are being burdened with strings of unsubstantiated facts and are not supplied with the critical faculties necessary to assess the veracity of said claims. The consequences of such scientific illiteracy, he argues, extend far into adulthood: a populace ignorant of widely agreed-upon scientific truths is a poorly informed voting populace, and overzealous adherence to religious dogma can lead, in extreme cases, to terrorism. He goes on to argue that religions, far from being bastions of moral guidance, in fact fail to curb immoral behavior and frequently entail “unrealistic expectations” and disappointment when reality fails to jive with doctrine. In lieu of what he perceives to be fanciful explanations of phenomena once inexplicable but now within the “purview” of scientific understanding, Trumble offers this well-articulated, fact-based worldview, all in clear, accessible language. (July)