What's to be done about high school science?

In our November, 1999 News in Brief (p. 26) we carried the story of a Catholic board in B.C. which censored a science textbook which presented a deficient view of the human person. Here, our contributing editor, Dr. John Shea, and Rado Krevs, science teacher, take a critical look at a couple of science textbooks used by the Toronto Catholic school board. They wanted to see if these texts upheld, implicitly or expicitly, the Catholic understanding of man and his world.

It is of fundamental importance that all subjects in a Catholic high school be taught in the context of the Catholic faith. This became evident in July, 1999, when two textbooks on Science for Grade 9 were offered to high schools. One is Science Power 9 (published by McGraw Hill) and the other Science 9 (published by Nelson). Their chapters on sexual biology present a challenge (chapters 2 to 4 in Science Power 9, and chapters 7 and 8 in Science 9).

Science 9

Science 9 contains many passages under the heading "Understanding Concepts" in which a subjectivist ethics is taught implicitly. (In subjectivist ethics individual feeling--rather than reason or Revelation--is regarded as the ultimate criterion of what is right or wrong). For example, on page 246 comes the question--"Why might in-vitro fertilization be used?" In "making connections", also on page 246, a further question is asked:

"What reproductive technologies could a woman with a weak cervix use if she wanted to be a genetic mother?"

Both questions presuppose that if a technology is available for such procedures, then it is licit to use it. In other words, whatever the individual or the class might decide to do is unrelated to Revelation and objective morality.

On page 178 one reads: "Why are humans different from each other?" The emphasis here is on the physical constitution of human beings and the laws that govern this constitution. Nothing is said about the spiritual aspects. This reduces man to the status of a material being only.

Science Power 9

The following are two examples from Science Power 9, page l45, under the title, "Making Choices".

"A genetic counsellor can provide scientific information about the chances that a child will inherit a particular genetic disorder from his or her parents. This is an estimate of the risk that a disorder will be present and does not mean that the child will or will not have the disease. What other factors would you consider important in deciding whether or not to have children if you, or a family member, were affected with an inherited disorder? How would you weigh, or assess the information provided by these individuals?"

Please note that there is no reference to what factors ought to be considered, such as moral considerations.

Page 126, under the heading "Thinking Critically: Gene Therapy may eventually lead to technologies that can alter human reproductive cells (sperm and eggs). Why are some people opposed to this?"

No distinction is made between applying biological techniques and procedures to plants and animals on the one side, and human life on the other.

Science without reference to morality

The students are presented with what, in fact, are many complex moral problems in the area of human reproduction and are expected to arrive at solutions to these problems. But nowhere is objective morality, or Catholic teaching, adverted to. Science 9 had been adopted by eight Catholic high schools in Toronto as of June 1999. Fortunately, the other textbook does not have this high degree of commitment to relativistic ethics.

Brebeuf High School in Toronto has adopted the Science Power 9 text, which is less offensive. This book will be used to create a school web site that will handle moral issues in reference to Catholic moral principles.

The idea is that Science 9 and its relativistic ethics (which recognizes no moral absolutes) can be used by the classroom teacher to help students become aware of such subjective tendencies. These then can be justified or criticized, accepted or rejected. The people involved will be teachers in science, religion, and physical education. When the site is up and running, teachers in other schools in these disciplines will be able to design their course around this website and exchange views via email.

Website for reflection

This course in the biological sciences and moral aspects of human sexuality will be loyal to the teaching of the Church. It will provide an opportunity to get practical experience in the use of concepts in researching topics for study. This website could be the start of a richer program of evangelization within the school, as its range of subject matter is enlarged. Such a program is one answer to the question of Pope John Paul II, "How can the Church of Christ make itself understood by the modern spirit, so proud of its achievements, and at the same time, so uneasy for the future of the human family?" ("Address to the Pontifical Council for Culture", June 15, 1985.)

It also answers the urgent need to rethink the relationship between education and catechesis and the need to find a way of relating the need for exact and impartial information--which is in danger of vanishing-- to the overriding importance of witness. "Choosing teachers who can link these two areas is indispensable if this demanding but promising challenge is to be met successfully" (Ibid, no. 30). The Church, as the Pope says, must be alert to the contributions, questions and challenges of science, of the technologies and of the new biotechnologies. We hope that this website will be able to make a contribution.

The following is a website where you can download every subject on the Catholic course profiles:

NEW: http://www.curriculum.org / 9profl.html http://www.tcdsb.on.ca/ice/index.html The Brebeuf science page web address is: http://www.tcdsb.on.ca/external/schools/brebeuf/science/index.html