Scientists have doubts about evolution

[Lord MJ]

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/ ... ution.html


It seems like the people here in Georgia are debating whether a skeptical view of Darwins theories should be taught.


This kind of scares me since I always believed the majority of scientists supported evolution. Also evolution is (one of) the points I use to debunk the teachings of my (soon to be former, maybe) church, which is highly devoted to the idea of biblical infallibility.


It seems discomforting to me that evolution is so disputed by real scientist (not the creationist idiots produced by Bible colleges) even if some of them are from U(sic)GA.[/url]

[Tosho]

Don't worry about it. Evolution has been proven again and again, a few morons isn't going to stop its validity.

[Patrick Degan]

From the article cited:

Alberts, who saw a copy Friday of the Georgia Scientists for Academic Freedom petition, noted that most were not biologists, whose expertise could include evolution. The net effect of the Cobb policy and textbook disclaimer, he said, will be to discourage teachers from covering evolution, the underlying theme of biology.

"You're just taking the guts out of biology to the point where it makes no sense," he said.

It is quite possible to be trained in one field to the point of expertise and still be superstitious, or mistaken, or simply downright foolish. Even scientists are subject to their personal prejudices, and its pretty evident that the bunch calling themselves "Georgia Scientists for Academic Freedom" are allowing their superstitions to override their critical thinking.

Furthermore, the effort by creationists to back their arguments by citing GSAF is simply a wrinkle of the Appeal to Authority fallacy. Evolution's validity is not dependent upon the exact number of academics who believe in it but upon the strength of the evidence for it, which has been demonstrable over the course of the last 150 years, and of the weaknesses in the creator god theory which starts from first principles in assuming that Intelligent Design is the only valid explanation for complex life and works to distort the facts around the presumption.

[NecronLord]

Heres a phrase I learnt as a child which i think would ba appropriate

empty vessels make most sound

in other words, idiots are good at making a fuss.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

They're Southerners, what do you expect?

They're not going to be any better at disproving Evolution than those Fundie nut jobs.

[Shadow WarChief]

I know...It's times like these that I sometimes wish the South had won the Civil War so that we wouldn't have to deal with these idiots.

[XaLEv]

Heres a phrase I learnt as a child which i think would ba appropriate

empty vessels make most sound

in other words, idiots are good at making a fuss.

Or, in the words of James Hetfield "The empty can rattles the most".

[Durandal]

The title of this thread is misleading. Biologists are not having doubts about evolution any more than physicists are having doubts about the general theory of relativity.

[ArmorPierce]

[quote="Lord MJ"]http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/ ... ution.html

Seems to me that Lord MJ is either very ignorant of evolution or is very ignorant of evolution and id hoping that it' s wrong

[Joe]

It seems to me like they aren't advocating throwing out Darwinism, just maybe including some other theories in teaching.

And these guys make a very good point; you can't question Darwinism these days without being ridiculed and dismissed as a heretic (kind of like the way Christians treated Darwinists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries).

[Lord MJ]

Seems to me that Lord MJ is either very ignorant of evolution or is very ignorant of evolution and id hoping that it' s wrong

Ugh, I believe in evolution you fool!!!!



The problem is that with so many real scientists from schools like Emory and even U(sic)GA coming out with criticism of evolution, it does make accepting evolution theory much harder, seeing as I am not a biologist.
Just talking with people on my campus (Georgia Tech) there are plenty of engineering and science students with much greater scientific knowledge than the average American, that don't believe in evolution.


Fortunately if evolution was proven false tomorrow, Genesis is debunked by so many other fields of science, I will have plenty of ammunition against those who say I will be tormented for eternity if I don't believe that the bible is 100% literally true.

[Joe]

I go to UGA, and I'd just like to say that while there is a vocal group of professors who subscribe to creationist theory and/or skepticism of evolution, they are very much the minority. I mean, take a walk through the Biological Sciences building and you'll find the walls and doors and covered with anti-creationist literature.

[Rhadamanthus]

And these guys make a very good point; you can't question Darwinism these days without being ridiculed and dismissed as a heretic (kind of like the way Christians treated Darwinists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries).

Geee....teach valid scientific theory, or turn public education into extended Sunday School......while we're at it, throw out the teachers, you really only need Pastors, after all, they know best

[Durandal]

It seems to me like they aren't advocating throwing out Darwinism, just maybe including some other theories in teaching.

All of which are blatantly unscientific in every conceivable way. The proposed "alternate theories" have no place in science classrooms.

And these guys make a very good point; you can't question Darwinism these days without being ridiculed and dismissed as a heretic (kind of like the way Christians treated Darwinists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries).

Ridicule is a result of stupidity. The people who question evolution usually do so based on horrifically unscientific grounds, and they are ridiculed for their ignorance. There is simply too much evidence for evolution, so it's a very accurate theory.

No one would dare question the theories of relativity, even though they hold the exact same standing in scientific terms as evolution. If someone said that general relativity was "just a theory," they'd be laughed out of any scientific forum. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise when the same happens to people who say the same about evolution.

[Setesh]

I would like to point out that Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina still have laws forbidding the teaching of evolution in school.
The fine is currently $15.37 per class. Of coarse the laws haven't been enforced in decades I'd just like to point out they're still on the books.

[Utsanomiko]

No real news here. Scientists always debate and question eachother's theories, in the hope that they'll discover new information; that's why their scientists.

Though it would be nice if American schools would 'teach' their students all the varying theories out there concerning each subject. Finally, I would be able to get recognition for my theory of gravitational forces. Think of it: students all over the nation would read publications that cite the possibility that the Earth's gravity is generated by numerous seven-mile-wide gyroscopes, built deep within the planet, constructed by Gnomish monks from the ancient Johmon era.

[Patrick Degan]

It seems to me like they aren't advocating throwing out Darwinism, just maybe including some other theories in teaching.

Unfortunately, that would be akin to including, in astronomy classes, the Flat Earth Theory, the Nested Crystal Spheres Theory, and the Giant Cosmic Turtle Theory.

And these guys make a very good point; you can't question Darwinism these days without being ridiculed and dismissed as a heretic (kind of like the way Christians treated Darwinists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries).

A point which makes no point has no point. Creationism is ridiculed for the same reason the Flat Earth Theory or the Giant Cosmic Turtle Theory is ridiculed. Because it simply makes no damn sense.