A science minister that doesn't believe in the fundamentals of science. Are you fucking kidding me?
He then clarifies (after a shit-storm of bad press coverage) "of course" he believes in evolution, but he should not have to answer that question because "anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate.”
I'm sorry I can't ask my Science Minister what he believes is scientifically relevant? We need to know these things to maintain bias-free science in our country. Other countries are not so lucky.
How does Canada, one of the top countries in the world in science, have a Science Minister that is a chiropractor (albeit a very successful chiropractor) while the US has a Secretary of Energy who won the Nobel prize in physics? This guy's particular beliefs don't bother me, what bothers me is that we have many competent scientists in the Canada who are more qualified to serve than this guy. We should expect our government to appoint qualified individuals.
See, my issue is not so much that he may (or may not) believe in evolution - my issue is that he took a science question and turned it into a faith question, immediately shutting down any discussion. If scientists have faith, more power to them. I think it has the potential to breed better ethics in science, something that I think is critically important.
ReplyDeleteI just think it's a problem when his faith comes up as the response to a science-based question, rather than being the force that guides his moral and spiritual decisions. Does that make sense?
Also, ensuring "bias free science" doesn't mean that we have to grill our ministers on their religious beliefs. An atheist doesn't necessarily practice "bias free science." Boots, you should read "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut. It's this apocalyptic story about how people put all their faith in these huge institutions (science/religion/marriage). It's the best.
Of course we should know what are ministers beliefs are. Would you want to know if a Jehovah's Witness is running Canada Health? It is a faith that has a doctrine against blood transfusions. That is an important fact to know.
ReplyDeleteIt absolutely wouldn't matter if a Jehovah's Witness was running Health Canada. A person has the right to practice their religion (it's guaranteed under the Charter). It's only an issue if they allow that religion to interfere with their role as a statesperson (i.e. if a Jehovah's Witness Minister decided that due to her religion, she would no longer permit blood transfusions under national healthcare).
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the issue is not his religion nor his (dis)belief in evolution - it's when that fuels his decisions over policy and law. For example, my beef with that interview is that someone asked him about evolution (science) and he turned it into an issue of religion rather than addressing it as a scientific question. That's what's sketchy.