Should we teach both sides of the argument in public school?

Question

Psychology teaches that we behave in accordance to the activity in our brain and based on experiences we've had.

Astrology asserts that we behave as a reaction to the alignment of stars and planets.

Is it fair that one be taught and not the other? Why?

Answer 1

LOL... it's not fair to make me spill my coffee this early in the morning!

p.s. I don't think your intended audience will be able to understand the implications of this question. Critical thinking is NOT one of their finer traits.

Answer 2

It depends what you mean by 'teach'. Both relevant sides of the argument should perhaps be COVERED, but only the scientifically accepted version should be taught as fact. For example, if my religion says that 3*5 is 17, should they teach that side of the argument in public schools? No, of course not, because it is scientifically accepted that 3*5 is really 15 and the evidence demonstrates this. The same goes for every other subject, such as evolution, history, etc.

Answer 3

Theological discussions belong in a class on theology. Considering how many parents complain when the teachers are trying to teach World or US History, I can hardly imagine the whiny complaints that would come from a theology class though. ADD: Science is science. An Atheist agenda would be teaching that there is no god that created the system in the first place.

Answer 4

There's only one side of the argument. The bible is not an argument, and it delivers no argument to be taught at school. At least not in science classes. Almost everything in science contradicts the bible. There are soo many creationist stories, from all around the world, and they're all different. Many of them originate from way back before the christian myth even started to develop. Which one should be taught? Or just the christian one, because that's what you happen to believe in? And which "christian" one? Young earth, old earth, intelligent design? There's no science behind creationism, only bad and false science, and the filling in of gaps of scientific knowledge by a creator. At least scientists dare to admit there are things we don't know, and maybe even never will know, but that doesn't automatically mean "goddidit".

Answer 5

We can measure activity in our brain.
The alignment of stars/planets in relation to our behavior and fortune has been studied for thousands of years, and there is still absolutely no correlation to be found. No proof. No way for one person to say, "I believe that astrology is real. I have proven it by doing x and y. You, also, can do x and y and will see the same thing that I saw."

No one has said that because it isn't true. There isn't a correlation, so astrology can't be proven. The fact that there are chemical reactions in the body and electrical impulses in the brain are fact. Therefore, the two aren't truly two sides to an argument. One is based on fact. The other is known to be unprovable.

This question's premise is similar to that of the argument between creation and evolution. One is based on fact. The other is known to be unprovable and based on faith.

Answer 6

Maybe the first thing on the agenda in public school should be reading. Can everyone past the 5th grade read at a 5th grade level? No one should be graduating from high school if they are unable to read - we have "dumbed down" public education with these silly debates for years now. Alignment of the stars and planets - sure - in science class - Astronomy - but first KIDS NEED TO KNOW HOW TO READ.

Can the kids add / subtract / multiply / divide without the use of a calculator? If not, how can they ever come up with anything new? If they can only do what someone before them has already done - - - - - - -

I am so passionate about this because I work with teenagers and about 50% of them do not read well enough to get a job after high school that doesn't include the phrase "do you want fries with that?".

The greater question may be - why are we allowing children to decide what they want to learn - why are we allowing any one faction to decide what will be taught in public schools? Let's back up - just a little. Let's get the schools back on track by teaching basics - real basics. Reading, writing, math, and science. Basic science - let's drop the evolution/creation debate and teach the difference between acid and alkaline, the difference between plants and animals (breathing oxygen vs. CO-2). I think you get the point here. Let's teach 2nd-graders what 2nd-graders need - not what their parents need. Teach your children about God at home and in Sunday School - let the schools teach them to read Dick and Jane. Obese kids - give them recess daily and phys ed class weekly. Phys ed for everyone (might even help keep the teacher healthy)

Passionate, you bet. The children in the U.S. fare worse on most tests than most other developed countries. Want to fall even further behind in the world markets, engineering, childhood development - keep 'dumbing down' the schools. Kids that need extra help should be able to get it - student mentors (those on their way to college) often helped, and there were classes to help those who were LD - they were taught, not babysat and allowed to play video games (come on now - you know that happens too often).

Our kids are smart, very smart; and we do them a disservice by not expecting them to perform in school. They will live up (or down) to expectations - this has been proven over and over and even documented by Hollywood in several films.

BTW - I'm a Christian, but I wanted to teach my kids about the Bible - I didn't want someone with a certain "spin" to do it. I taught my kids to pray - and we didn't have this continual focus on everything BUT their education.

I don't care about the thumbs down or the points - I care about the kids and their futures.

Answer 7

I've heard that more violent crimes occur during a full moon because of its effects on tides and that because our bodies are 98% water, it affects men more than women. A case for astrology in the classroom? Hmmmm......nah.
Supposedly, science explains this phenomena. Not being a science person, I wouldn't know. But I do know that religion belongs in the church, mosque, temple, etc.- not in the classroom. Kids fight and shed each other's blood over the clothes they wear, or the music they listen to. Imposing differing religious teachings in school would unleash an even bigger, dumber monster for kids to misunderstand and fight over.


Keep psycholgy. Trash astrology.

Answer 8

There is no argument among the vast majority of the respected scientific community and in the world.

Creationism is mainly a fundamentalist Christian and an AMERICAN issue.

I believe that we should all hear all sides of every story but in High School, our children need to have a solid scientific foundation and learn what respected biologists, geologists and earth scientists know and accept.

In college they can delve into philosophical and religious arguements if they so desire.

Answer 9

My stepson actually had a history class where they studied all the major forms of world religions/spiritual practices and I thought that was fantastic and YES it was a public school. The teacher wanted to expose them to all schools of religious and spiritual thought that cultivate societies. It was done in a way that presented no sides, just the major teachings etc. It was pretty cool.

Answer 10

Teach? I dunno; Probably not. Make aware of? Yes, definitely.

Students should know that a lot of people really have a strong belief in astrology, and others think it's a "pseudoscience."

I've been in a few high school psychology classes and the teachers did make it clear that psychology offers theories about mind and behavior that not everybody agrees with.

The same should take place with creationism. Students should know about it, but I don't think it should be taught on a par with the science of evolution.

Answer 11

No, we need to teach the most relevant info that children will need to succeed in life. School isn't about some fairness doctrine. It is about cramming as much useful info into kids' heads as we can, and we are notoriously bad at that.

I'm afraid, since creation and astrology play no significant role in our basic function in the world, they get the ax.