Do the indigenous people of British Columbia have a special way of knowing that's better than science?

I once participated in a discussion about introducing indigenous ways of knowing in the Ontario science curriculum. The idea was to have high school students visit local indigenous (First Nation) communities and talk to the wise elders of the community in order to learn their insights into topics such as evolution.

I pointed out that one of the main goals of education is to teach critical thinking and reasonable skepticism. If we are succeeding in that goal, then we should expect our students to ask embarrassing questions, such as what evidence to the elders have to support their myths about evolution and any other "ways of knowing" that conflict with science.

The proposal was dropped.

Clearly, scientific education ought to mean the implanting of a rational, sceptical, experimental habit of mind. It ought to mean acquiring a method – a method that can be used on any problem that one meets – and not simply piling up a lot of facts.

George OrwellBritish Columbia made a different decision. They decided to incorporate indigenous ways of knowing into the high school curriculum. This includes various Raven Myths where magical ravens create the universe (see photo). It's difficult to see how this is going to be received by students who are also learning about science and the nature of science.

I imagine many British Columbia high school teachers will have to face some pretty challenging questions from students who may be a little bit skeptical about magical ravens. I happen to know a few young high school students who would have a field day if those topics came up in class.

Lawrence Krauss has posted an article about the B.C.curriculum and it's well worth reading: Treating Myths as Science.

You should also read Jerry Coyne's take on the subject: Indigenous “ways of knowing” invade Canadian science classes. Both of those scientists have a long-standing interest in the dumbing down of science education.

Note: Some authors and writers have controversial social lives and controversial political positions. You can respect and learn from some of their positions on certain topics without necessarily endorsing everything they say or do.

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