Lighter posting this week on account of work travel. But check out Michael Schulson on Whole Foods and creationism. Money quote:
So, why do many of us perceive Whole Foods and the Creation Museum so differently? The most common liberal answer to that question isn’t quite correct: namely, that creationists harm society in a way that homeopaths don’t. I’m not saying that homeopathy is especially harmful; I’m saying that creationism may be relatively harmless. In isolation, unless you’re a biologist, your thoughts on creation don’t matter terribly much to your fellow citizens; and unless you’re a physician, your reliance on Sacred Healing Food to cure all ills is your own business.
There’s a big difference between Whole Foods and Creationist activism. We don’t see Whole Foods attempting to change public school science curricula to align with their views. Creationist activists OTOH have a long history in this country of doing just that.
In terms of schools you are correct. That’s why I oppose creationism being taught as science. But there are, I believe, other similarities between the two issues that make the analogy instructive.
I’m saying that Creationist activism, specifically regarding their attempts to influence public school science education, is harmful to such education. Thus I disagree with Schulson’s conclusion, that “unless you’re a biologist, your thoughts on creation don’t matter terribly much to your fellow citizens.” It’s the set of actions, namely “Creationist activism,” that’s harmful, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a biologist or not.