Over on SciblogsNZ we had a bit of a discussion around the issue
of science & belief systems. How far should scientists, & those
who communicate about science, go in ‘pushing’ against strongly-
held beliefs? (These could include creationism, but also beliefs
about ‘alternative therapies’ such as homeopathy & TCM.) It is
an area where care is needed, because if you ‘push’ so hard that
people feel their ideas are threatened, they may become
defensive & those ideas more entrenched. Neither’s a desirable
outcome from science’s point of view. On the other hand, in
teaching about science, from time you actually need to put
students in an ‘uncomfortable’ place regarding their conceptions
about the world, if they’re to examine those questions
critically & perhaps reshape them in the light of the new
knowledge they’ve acquired. (If that doesn’t happen, then that
new knowledge is likely to be learned only superficially –
quickly gained & just as quickly forgotten.) I’d like to
reproduce a comment from that thread, partl