Yahoo News is reporting today that the Smithsonian has uncovered 60 unpublished photos of the famous Scopes Trial which featured the battle between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan.
Thank goodness we have made a lot of progress since then!
Oh, by the way, do you think evolution is scientific, or just one of several theories that should be taught in schools?
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This is an issue near and dear to my heart. Under modern science, there is only (1) data, such as measurements taken during an experiment or fossils, and (2) theories, which attempt to explain the data. It is impossible to teach science without teaching theory.
ReplyDeleteA scientific theory can never be proven true, only false. To be a scientific theory, a theory must be precise enough that it can be proven false and deal with a subject that is possible to prove false using data obtained from the material world.
The Bible's account of the creation of the world, human beings, animials and plants and the "Intelligent Design" concept are not scientific theories, because one cannot test them with material-world data and determine if they are false. That doesn't mean these concepts are not true or are not important. They just are not science. They are issues of faith.
A recent column in Newsweek by George Will, a conservative commentator, made this same point.
Bill Connors
Here, here! My thoughts exactly. It is mind-boggling to me that we in the United States are still having this debate more than 100 years after the publication of Darwin's great idea. Of course, the debate is not really about whether or not plants and animals have evolved over time, but whether or not the Bible is inerrant in every way. The creationists have been incredibly successful in framing the argument so that the real issue is off the table. The real debate is a theological one and not a scientific one. An interesting question to ask a creationist sometime would be, "What evidence would it take for you to change your mind?"
ReplyDeleteIts not just the theory of evolution that Darwinism influences. The presence or abscence of certain structures is the basis for Taxonomic classification, the backbone of all biology. Therefore, evolutionary theory is a basic tenet of Biology. Biology without evolutionary theory would be like trying to teach chemistry without the periodic table.
ReplyDeleteI think if we teach the Christian theory of creationism, we should also take care to teach the Buddhist, Hindu, and Islam theory of how the world came to be. Each religon has an interesting theory that reads like a fariy tale. Whether it is Mohammed splitting his head open and his thoughts turning into the world and all its inhabitants- to two naked people, an apple, and a talking snake- how the world got here is nothing more than theory.
I think as a nation, we are being stupid by turning our attention to such matters. How the world got here isn't important. We have much more pressing matters, such as family destruction, poor overall health, and the fact that we base our infrastructure, economy, and food sources on non-renewable fuel sources.