ATTN: Kai and other science spags.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Hey, I took that class too! A version of it, anyway.

Arguing dudes, it's a philosophy of science class. Of course the professor knows the answer to that question. He just wants his student to think about it, and defend their reasoning. That's a good part of what college is for. It's pretty old-hat to us old farts, but just remember that most of the students in that class are 18-22, and most of them are hearing and thinking about this stuff for the first time.

That class is actually a really good introduction to critical thinking, and one of the reasons it's so effective is that in the hands of a good professor, students are put in the place of researching, weighing information, coming to their own conclusions based on the available evidence, and then are asked to defend their conclusions in their own words.

I wish they offered this class in high school. Fundies would blow their tops, though, because they consider objective thinking to be an assault on their freedoms.