(no subject)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/02/kansasevolution.ap/index.html
I don't know how these people can even form a coherent thought.
Okay, here's a little description of Theory vs. Fact.
A theory is actually a set of facts correlated so that they explain an expression of those facts. For instance, you have (most likely) never seen a naturally occurring pink-and-purple polka-dotted elephant. It is a fact that you have never seen one nor do you know anyone else who has observed this particular type of pachyderm. In fact, you're pretty damned sure, to the point of betting the whole farm, that there is no such damned thing. You have a theory that these sorts of elephants only exist in the delusional minds of recovering alcoholics. Because, if you are a reasonable human being, like many scientists are, by nature, then you realize that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is possible, though not bloody likely at all, that some hose-head has genetically engineered one of these bastards of science.
The Theory of Gravity, for instance, is a set of facts that, in short, tells you that two objects of any mass will be attracted to one another. This theory is based on observable facts that have been proved through the ages with various means at our disposal. Newton actually measured the attraction between two huge iron balls. This thing works. We're not necessarily sure how, but we have a pretty good idea it's not going to just abandon us now that we know what's going on.
Evolution is about the same as gravity. We have observed it at work. We know the mechanics, even. DNA, heredity, mutation, all that jazz. We have our facts together and we have formed a theory on the matter. We might not know the particulars of each individual that has come before us, but we know that things started at around A (just after the origins of life on this planet) and wound up at Z (now). We're not REALLY sure how things got started. We're still working on that but we have a pretty damned good idea. We have found pieces that indicate the various stages between A and Z that pretty much confirm things as we theorize them to be. All we need, now, is the particulars. We even have some particulars! A LOT of particulars whose evidence seriously is a neon sign saying that our "theory" is a fairly foregone conclusion. There is real evidence on this matter and there is no reasonable argument that can ignore that evidence. It's the big grey elephant in the room that some people want to ignore. We have evolution at work NOW. We can see it going on. Things become extinct and things mutate. Dog breeders can tell you how this kind of thing works. Communist Russia, if it could speak from the grave, would tell you the deadly dangers of stifling scientific advancement in the name of ideology.
I don't know why these people have picked evolution to pick on. It's so true and neat. It's easily understood and readily available and useful to us as human beings today. Back in the middle of last century we have a green explosion in this country that came from the use of the principles brought about by knowledge of heredity and genetics. This is how we came to have the abundance of food we have in this country and why we can spend so little time, effort, and space just to get food for our burgeoning population. Some day the world might just adopt these methods and feed themselves.
In short, anyone who tries to stifle the teaching of evolution in the classroom is a dangerous moron. The teaching of creation myths (including that intelligent design malarkey) has no place in a science classroom. If you're going to teach that drivel, then it needs to be in a class of comparative religions where creation myths from all over the world are given some time.
I'm sure the Bush and the 700 Club would just LOVE that.
I don't know how these people can even form a coherent thought.
Okay, here's a little description of Theory vs. Fact.
A theory is actually a set of facts correlated so that they explain an expression of those facts. For instance, you have (most likely) never seen a naturally occurring pink-and-purple polka-dotted elephant. It is a fact that you have never seen one nor do you know anyone else who has observed this particular type of pachyderm. In fact, you're pretty damned sure, to the point of betting the whole farm, that there is no such damned thing. You have a theory that these sorts of elephants only exist in the delusional minds of recovering alcoholics. Because, if you are a reasonable human being, like many scientists are, by nature, then you realize that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is possible, though not bloody likely at all, that some hose-head has genetically engineered one of these bastards of science.
The Theory of Gravity, for instance, is a set of facts that, in short, tells you that two objects of any mass will be attracted to one another. This theory is based on observable facts that have been proved through the ages with various means at our disposal. Newton actually measured the attraction between two huge iron balls. This thing works. We're not necessarily sure how, but we have a pretty good idea it's not going to just abandon us now that we know what's going on.
Evolution is about the same as gravity. We have observed it at work. We know the mechanics, even. DNA, heredity, mutation, all that jazz. We have our facts together and we have formed a theory on the matter. We might not know the particulars of each individual that has come before us, but we know that things started at around A (just after the origins of life on this planet) and wound up at Z (now). We're not REALLY sure how things got started. We're still working on that but we have a pretty damned good idea. We have found pieces that indicate the various stages between A and Z that pretty much confirm things as we theorize them to be. All we need, now, is the particulars. We even have some particulars! A LOT of particulars whose evidence seriously is a neon sign saying that our "theory" is a fairly foregone conclusion. There is real evidence on this matter and there is no reasonable argument that can ignore that evidence. It's the big grey elephant in the room that some people want to ignore. We have evolution at work NOW. We can see it going on. Things become extinct and things mutate. Dog breeders can tell you how this kind of thing works. Communist Russia, if it could speak from the grave, would tell you the deadly dangers of stifling scientific advancement in the name of ideology.
I don't know why these people have picked evolution to pick on. It's so true and neat. It's easily understood and readily available and useful to us as human beings today. Back in the middle of last century we have a green explosion in this country that came from the use of the principles brought about by knowledge of heredity and genetics. This is how we came to have the abundance of food we have in this country and why we can spend so little time, effort, and space just to get food for our burgeoning population. Some day the world might just adopt these methods and feed themselves.
In short, anyone who tries to stifle the teaching of evolution in the classroom is a dangerous moron. The teaching of creation myths (including that intelligent design malarkey) has no place in a science classroom. If you're going to teach that drivel, then it needs to be in a class of comparative religions where creation myths from all over the world are given some time.
I'm sure the Bush and the 700 Club would just LOVE that.