At the end of horror movies, there's always a bit where the monster (or serial killer or whatever) is thought to be dead and then abruptly, covered with the battle's blood, ichor and other bodily fluids, stumbles back to life.
Similarly maimed and mutilated, the antievolutionists have raised their ugly heads down in Texas. Following the precepts of natural selection, they have adapted from creationists to intelligent designers and now attempt to teach the "strengths and weaknesses" of evolution. The NYT has a good article covering this here.
Watching this rough beast lurching towards Bethlehem to be born is like watching evolution in action. The species (creationism) attempts to compete and only a small population survives (intelligent design). When that population tries to expand its niche (think Dover, PA) and fails a population of ideas comes forward again. Evolution?
Nah. Evolution is much more elegant and well constructed. This is more like the monster mentioned before.
The "strengths and weaknesses" argument is yet another attempt to fool those who are not conversant with science. The very fact that other branches of science, many less proven than evolution, don't have to be singled out shows the malignant nature of the attempt. You don't see anybody legislating the "strengths and weaknesses" of germ theory, quantum physics or electrical engineering, do you?
Look at the website for yourself. It's rife with the same shrill hysteria other creationist websites like to use. "they can't tolerate any criticism of Darwinian theories at any level". Not to mention that they take the Expelled vs Yoko Ono case as an exercise in censorship. For a view of what that case was actually about, as opposed to what the creationists think it was about, see here. Similarly, the Institute of Creation Research attempted to offer a master's degree in science education. Such a degree qualifies graduates to teach science in Texas schools. The board refused to accredit such a degree since the program didn't accept evolution. (Yay!) The website views this as blatant bigotry. No doubt science teachers who taught the earth was flat and the sun moved over it would be similarly discriminated against. See an article here.
Well, from these guys, duh! What they want isn't scientific debate-- which is the only sort of "criticism" that should be considered-- they want criticism of scientific thought to be taught. After all, this is the Texas and as Texas school books go, so goes the nation. Okay, boys and girls. This is science. If you don't like it or think it's too hard or it challenges your idiotic little preconceptions of the real world, feel free to decide not to think. It helps dumb down the nation and keeps the Republicans in power.
Nobody has ever suggested that evolutionary theories not be subjected to scientific debate. In point of fact they are subjected to this sort of rigor every day. All the time. By people far more intelligent than creationists. But when a scientific principle predicts accurately and well time after time, when it yields a wealth of knowledge over and over whenever it is applied, and when all other approaches fail miserably, it's probably time to consider it real.
This is the part that I keep failing to understand. It's like denying gravity or the utility of breathing. Look, folks, it's right there. It's as predictable as physics and as useful as electricity. Everything supports it and nothing refutes it. I've looked at the "criticisms" and they are completely bogus.
Yet well meaning, fairly intelligent people keep refusing to see the nose on their face.
The only reason I can think of is that people don't like the implications of their own religious dogma, the unlimited power of God. They must have extremely shaky faith and a very silly concept of their deity not to accept the world they believe their deity made. Science is about the world as it is. And if one believes in an all power God, then science is showing us what and how that God made it.
The weakness of creationist faith trembles before the strength of evolution.
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Links of Interest
Hedy Lamarr as brilliant inventor. Who knew?
Article on Herkimer Diamonds
Sugar vs. Artificial Sweeteners: the brain knows the difference
Musical Kit Catalog: Go wild
Resveratrol Redux and here
Crab Nebula: still interesting after all these years
Points of views on physics
Bacterial help frogs fight fungus: fades fears
New map of the Milky Way
Contact pictures of uncontacted tribes
Toxic Nudibranchs
Afghani treasures
TED Talks
Nathan Myrhvold: very funny, very interesting. See here.
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