Courtroom proceedings begin today in the challenge to a Dover, PA school committee’s misguided decision to require that a "disclaimer" (along the lines of "evolution is theory, not fact") be read to students with respect to the teaching of evolution (this requirement applies only to evolution, although it obviously applies to any scientific subject), to alert them to the "alternative" explanation of "intelligent design," and to mention a specific book available in the school library that advocates for "intelligent design."
Ironically, another news story published today reports that the decoding of the chimpanzee genome has allowed scientists to test one of evolution’s most important predictions – the rate at which harmful genetic mutations appear. Evolution passed with flying colors: the actual rate of harmful mutations in the chimpanzee matched what evolutionary theory predicted. Another testable prediction made and confirmed.
As I’ve said several times before, what is so frustrating about this whole debate is that it’s a debate at all. "Intelligent design" does not make any testable predictions. It therefore cannot be proven or disproven. And it is therefore not a scientific theory. Yet, the WaPo reports, ID’s proponents have the gall to say that "it is up to Darwinists to prove ID wrong." Nope – that is not how science works. It is up to ID proponents to prove that there is at least somewhere a shred of evidence tending to show that their "theory" might actually be true. Otherwise, their explanation is no better than this one, which hypothesizes that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created all life on earth. So far, ID has utterly failed the most basic test of the scientific method. The "Darwinists," on the other hand, have been doing it right: devising a coherent theory that makes testable predictions, and then testing them. So far, it’s doing quite well, which must have the ID crowd pretty scared.
Let us hope that the Pennsylvania judge hearing the Dover case cuts through the crap being spewed by the ID crowd and sends a strong message to them: put up or shut up. It’s time the conversation got a bit ruder on this subject.
thane-eichenauer says
Nay! The world does not need more rudeness, it needs more civility. Unfortunatly government run schools are the root of this issue. I haven’t heard anyone complain of creationism being taught at private religious schools or to home schooled children. Eliminate government schools and you eliminate this issue, until then it will be an issue until everybody has agreed on a common religion or lack of same (I think this might take a while).
ken says
^That guy’s a nutjob.
abby says
Agreed, Ken.
victor-levy says
Very well said – I am the product of a religious upbringing and suffice it to say that when I left the shrouded world of religion the first book I read was “Thus Spake Zarathustra”, Nietzche’s brilliantly, biblically written condemnation of the concept of god.Why do religious people so desperately need to shove their revelations down the throats of those they think do not believe? What insecurity do they feel in my absolute lack of religion? (Please note at no point did I say that I lacked spirituality – merely that standardized practice of religion…)
victor-levy says
(Sorry)Another thing I have noticed is that all proponents of ID are listed as conservatives. I would love for ONE proponent of ID NOT to be affiliated with any conservative or Christian group…And yet another thing I have noticed (by scientific observation natch ;)) is that the places online that are for ID do not have possibilities for feedback like this site does…Why do they not want to hear from their readers?
chris-ferry says
ID is not complete bunk. They do point out flaws in the Darwin Theory. But, because it is not possible to test the theory of ID, it doesn’t belong in a science class room.
michael-class says
Who wrote the following words describing the evolution of life on earth, and life’s beginning with the breath of God?”It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. … There is grandeur in this view of life, HAVING BEEN ORIGINALLY BREATHED BY THE CREATOR INTO A FEW FORMS OR INTO ONE; and that, whilst this planet has gone circling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.”Just imagine — God creates life and places it on the earth in a few forms, and then that life evolves according to the physical and natural laws that God put into place in the universe.So, who wrote those words? (ANSWER IS BELOW…)…………The words are from: