EducatorEthan said:
@Danielle
What do you mean by a ‘metaphysical worldview’? Could you explain what that entails?
It’s sometimes called philosophical materialism or monism. Basically, it’s the idea that only physical matter exists. It’s a type of nihilism, meaning there’s no inherent value, purpose, or meaning to life or the universe.
@Danielle
Are you saying this worldview is taught in biology classes? How is that being communicated?
EducatorEthan said:
@Danielle
Are you saying this worldview is taught in biology classes? How is that being communicated?
It’s not taught directly, but it’s the environment we live in. The more perceptive students notice the lack of deeper meaning in their lessons, especially when it comes to topics like evolution. When they ask big questions about life’s purpose, the typical response they get is, ‘You have to create your own meaning.’ After years of this, I realized I couldn’t offer a better answer myself, and that realization was depressing. The growing sense of meaninglessness is affecting more and more students, which weighs heavily on me.
@Danielle
What do you mean by ‘the underlying philosophy of their schooling’ and ‘the broken metaphysics of our culture’? Are you saying schools are too secular or that they promote a materialistic worldview? Could you clarify what exactly you’re pointing to?
@EducatorEthan
It’s not a conspiracy. ‘The water we swim in’ is just my way of saying that our culture’s assumptions are so deeply ingrained, we don’t even notice them anymore. A thousand years ago, society was built on the belief in a higher power and a divine order. Those beliefs shaped every aspect of life, from school to government. Today, we live in a culture where materialism—the belief that only the physical world matters—is the norm. Evolution is just part of the bigger picture, serving as the story we tell about life’s origins. But now, there’s no grand meaning attached to it.
@Danielle
Couldn’t you address that by acknowledging that there are many different philosophies and religious views that explore life’s purpose? Maybe point out that biology is focused on the ‘how’ and ‘what,’ while other subjects or discussions explore the ‘why’? Schools teach values like empathy and teamwork without needing a religious framework. I also think it would help if schools offered a world religions class, but that doesn’t seem like it would belong in biology.
@Danielle
That kind of thinking comes from religious people who can’t imagine a worldview without their faith. To them, no religion equals zero meaning.
@Danielle
Trying to link evolution to eugenics is a huge misunderstanding of how evolution works and the timescales involved. Just because someone could make a bad argument doesn’t make it true.