Life and meaning are the deepest of questions, and we all seek true answers from the bottom of our hearts. In these fragile states of mind and strong emotions, we must carry an extra burden of skepticism against those who might take advantage of us.
Last Thursday, the Mustang Daily published an article on the Veritas forum. The story’s unmatched, misleading advertisement under the guise of journalism is dishonest. We readers deserve full journalistic disclosure of the reporter’s Christianity and former involvement with Campus Crusade for Christ (SLO Crusade). Veritas is not an open discussion of life’s big questions — it is a funnel of directed lectures promoting the Christian worldview. I have attended every forum since 2006. To my knowledge, it is not now, nor has it ever been an equal or open stage for all worldviews.
Veritas, Latin for truth, claims balanced inquiry into the historical evidence and contemporary relevance of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. It is sponsored by SLO Crusade and our Associated Students, Inc.
Which definition of “truth” are we using?
(1)the property of being in accord with fact or reality, verified
(2)ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience
The testable, verifiable, naturalistic, scientific method-refined reality of the first definition is symbolized by our empirical instruments, like microscopes. Veritas uses a microscope as a logo. This false advertising is troublesome. These misdirections and evasions are made at the expense of us students. When Veritas wants credibility, it reaches for the empirical knowledge gained without gods by using the instruments of science, but Veritas is not bound by science’s methods and rules of evidence. The credibility of science is a consequence of the methods.
Debates are excellent for policy, but obtaining good evidence puts limits on our options. Evolution and the origin of life cannot be debated. The evidence is presented and the best models are tentatively drawn up. Predictions are made on possible future evidence to search for. Chelsea Morrell encourages discussion over a spread spectrum from creationist to evolutionist. A spectrum must be continuously comparable, but creation is to evolution as homeopathy is to modern, clinical, peer-reviewed medicine. One is placebo and the other has evidence and usefulness in spades.
Evolution is the backbone of biology. It is used in fields as far as computer science for its proven usefulness in genetic algorithm searches. Veritas is harming our intellectual community by undermining the early education of university students in fundamental matters like evolution. America is slowing down its technological ability to compete — and economical ability follows. It needs more scientists and engineers educated in reality. Veritas is sowing weeds among our future food crops under the guise of equality for ideas. We will pay a high future cost for our gullibility.
I love having Veritas on campus. I want as many ideas as possible in our population. This diversity gives us strength and flexibility. I do not want any one idea to become so dominant that it kills off this diversity. I want better ideas to be selected for and acted on. One good idea we act on is Cal Poly’s learn by doing philosophy. It encourages empirical knowledge — ideas derived by experiment and observation to be useful. Theory, modeling and analysis equally strengthen our knowledge.
We must wear our skeptical hats when people offer us that which is too good to be true. It takes self-reflection and courage to honestly approach life and the meanings we project on it. Critical thinking and skeptical inquiry have served as our best sources of knowledge for centuries. Veritas makes a parody of this honest inquiry. Curiosity on our spectrum of cultures allows a question more noble than “Is there God?”; ask instead “Why are there gods, what is the purpose of religions, and how do they exist over time?”
Nicholas Utschig is a computer engineering senior and Mustang Daily guest columnist.