Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

"The evolution wars" in Time [Time Magazine's cover story]
National Center for Science Education ^ | 11 August 2005 | Staff

Posted on 08/13/2005 3:49:15 PM PDT by PatrickHenry

The cover story of the August 15, 2005, issue of Time magazine is Claudia Wallis's "The evolution wars" -- the first cover story on the creationism/evolution controversy in a major national newsweekly in recent memory.

With "When Bush joined the fray last week, the question grew hotter: Is 'intelligent design' a real science? And should it be taught in schools?" as its subhead, the article, in the space of over 3000 words, reviews the current situation in detail. Highlights of the article include:

While Wallis's article is inevitably not as scientifically detailed as, for example, H. Allen Orr's recent article in The New Yorker, or as politically astute as, for example, Chris Mooney's recent article in The American Prospect, overall it accomplishes the important goal of informing the general reader that antievolutionism -- whether it takes the form of creation science, "intelligent design," or calls to "teach the controversy" -- is scientifically unwarranted, pedagogically irresponsible, and constitutionally problematic.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: crevolist; darwinschmarwin; headinsand; scienceeducation; timemag; timemagazine
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 121-140141-160161-180 ... 741-754 next last
To: WhiteKnight
I would suggest you find a good link or book on the Scientific Method.

Books on scientific method are, at best, just descriptions of what scientists do. At worst, they are just philosophers' wet dreams. Scientists in general never consult philosophers about what they should be doing.

Science does not seek truth. It seeks knowledge. There is a difference. Knowledge is always incomplete and tentative. Knowledge has the attributes of utility and degrees of confidence, but never has certainty and logical perfection.

141 posted on 08/14/2005 6:35:53 AM PDT by js1138 (Science has it all: the fun of being still, paying attention, writing down numbers...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 121 | View Replies]

To: RadioAstronomer

Astrology is nothing compared to the true doctrine of Scientology. Imagine how nuts Tom Cruise would be without the assistance of his auditors.

Actually, someone has imagined this, and made a movie about it.

Bowfinger.


142 posted on 08/14/2005 6:43:59 AM PDT by js1138 (Science has it all: the fun of being still, paying attention, writing down numbers...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 132 | View Replies]

To: Fester Chugabrew
Maybe you can explain the difference between "reasonable conjecture" and "theories that attempt to explain existing evidence."

OK, here goes. A reasonable conjecture is one that suggests further research to find confirming or contracicting evidence. Any conjecture that does not have within it the suggestion of possible disconfirming evidence is not part of science.

Theories are, in general, conjectures that are rich in detail and which have withstood many years of inquiry.

Regarding astrology, to the extent that it attempts to make predictions, the predictions are wrong. For the most part, what passes for astrology in newspaper colums is just randomly sorted platitudes that apply equally to everyone.

143 posted on 08/14/2005 6:52:20 AM PDT by js1138 (Science has it all: the fun of being still, paying attention, writing down numbers...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 139 | View Replies]

To: LogicWings; Fester Chugabrew
Fester I see you're still equating evolution with astrology.

You have such a way of presenting things that justify some people's erroneous preconceptions that it's amazing.

Anyway, the concept that one's birthday is related to their personality or "luck" is just ridiculous. The evidence of fraternal twins should easily demonstrate the falicy of astrology.

Science in no way supports astrology. Why you equate the two is a mystery. Except that it is a handy rhetorical tool for you to bash your demon, evolution, without any real argument in hand.

144 posted on 08/14/2005 8:15:01 AM PDT by narby (There are Bloggers, and then there are Freepers.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 134 | View Replies]

To: Gumlegs
Most of us don't have to worry; we aren't purple. Although I have no idea what the subtraction of a gall bladder does to one's hue.

Didn't notice much color change but my wallet got a lot lighter.

145 posted on 08/14/2005 8:38:34 AM PDT by VadeRetro (Liberalism is a cancer on society. Creationism is a cancer on conservatism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: narby
Science in no way supports astrology. Why you equate the two is a mystery.

When reaching for dung to fling, any old dung will do.

146 posted on 08/14/2005 8:39:38 AM PDT by VadeRetro (Liberalism is a cancer on society. Creationism is a cancer on conservatism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 144 | View Replies]

To: Drammach
Seems to me that in keeping with multiculturalism, if KS Board of Education decided to include Creationism as an alternative to Evolution they will be Required by Law to equally represent the other major religions as well.

I would not go so far as to insist on every American Indian creation myth, or other rare and esoteric religions, but one can logically find in a court of law that failure to equally represent say, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto would be "unconstitutional"...

That is one of the reasons I have been posting the creation stories! Very perceptive. But, why would the lesser ones be excluded? I'm partial to Old Man Coyote stories myself.

147 posted on 08/14/2005 8:58:43 AM PDT by Coyoteman (Is this a good tagline?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 136 | View Replies]

To: js1138

WOW. I never really looked at what Scientology was teaching.

Bowfinger? Haven't seen it yet.


148 posted on 08/14/2005 9:09:00 AM PDT by RadioAstronomer (Senior member of Darwin Central)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 142 | View Replies]

To: VadeRetro; Gumlegs

Will be my turn next.


149 posted on 08/14/2005 9:10:29 AM PDT by RadioAstronomer (Senior member of Darwin Central)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 145 | View Replies]

To: RadioAstronomer

Perhaps you could go into Radio Astrolgy. I bet it pays better.


150 posted on 08/14/2005 9:51:04 AM PDT by js1138 (Science has it all: the fun of being still, paying attention, writing down numbers...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 148 | View Replies]

To: js1138

Worked for Syndey Omar.


151 posted on 08/14/2005 10:01:31 AM PDT by Gumlegs
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 150 | View Replies]

To: js1138; PatrickHenry
Perhaps you could go into Radio Astrolgy. I bet it pays better.

LOL! I bet it would too. :-)

However, my morals would not let me fleece someone.

152 posted on 08/14/2005 10:08:27 AM PDT by RadioAstronomer (Senior member of Darwin Central)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 150 | View Replies]

To: Gumlegs

LOL! Guess it did.


153 posted on 08/14/2005 10:09:35 AM PDT by RadioAstronomer (Senior member of Darwin Central)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 151 | View Replies]

To: RadioAstronomer
However, my morals would not let me fleece someone.

"If God didn't want them to be fleeced, He wouldn't have made them sheep." (attrib. Tuco Ramiriz)

154 posted on 08/14/2005 10:37:50 AM PDT by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 152 | View Replies]

To: Doctor Stochastic

LOL!


155 posted on 08/14/2005 10:39:40 AM PDT by RadioAstronomer (Senior member of Darwin Central)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 154 | View Replies]

To: Doctor Stochastic

156 posted on 08/14/2005 10:41:13 AM PDT by PatrickHenry (Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas. The List-O-Links is at my homepage.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 154 | View Replies]

To: Doctor Stochastic
More Tuco quotes:

"I like big fat men like you. When they fall they make more noise."
"When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk."
".. . you're the son of a thousand fathers, all bastards like you."

157 posted on 08/14/2005 10:54:16 AM PDT by PatrickHenry (Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas. The List-O-Links is at my homepage.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 154 | View Replies]

To: js1138

First you say the predictions of astrology are generally "wrong," then you say they are platitudes that could just as easily apply to anybody.

I do not consider astrology to be a strong science. It fails, by and large, to connect direct observation and testability with predictability. But I consider it to be science inasmuch as it is a body of "knowledge" collected over time.

Evolutionism, to the extent it attempts to reconstruct history, is not much different. The assumptions of evolutionism make for an easy way to construct platitutdes that could just as easily apply to any thing. It is apparent that evolutionism may be confusing common ancestry for common design.

It it no mystery that, if one takes the fundamental assumptions of evolutionism seriously, he will be able to interpret the evidence accordingly. The same goes for creationism. I don't think either one belongs in the science classroom per se, but I think both views are worthy of consideration and discussion.

I happen to be a young earth creationist. Although I do not have an exact figure and can only surmise from texts and evidence that have come my way, millions and billions of years are not necessary to explain what we see today. My understanding is based on what has been recorded in human language and reported through the generations that have preceded me. So far the manner and degree of order demonstrated by the universe leads me to agree with the biblical texts which declare it to be the subject and object of an almighty Creator.

If others want to come along and say this it not so, then I'll leave it for them to explain how order can come about apart from an intelligent agent. So far, as you know, I have hardly been convinced.

But again, this whole discussion, while it has a place, is outside of what science in the strict sense is all about.


158 posted on 08/14/2005 11:46:49 AM PDT by Fester Chugabrew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 143 | View Replies]

To: narby
. . . I see you're still equating evolution with astrology.

"Evolutionism" is the word I have been using. By that I mean the notion that all life is derivative of a common ancestor. I do NOT equate it with astrology in terms of certitude, but consider it to be similar because it takes inferences and declares them with certitude. At least astrology deals with a body of evidence currently operative and does not make claims about billions of years of unobserved, unrecorded history.

159 posted on 08/14/2005 11:57:37 AM PDT by Fester Chugabrew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 144 | View Replies]

To: Fester Chugabrew

I suppose if you consider astrology to be a body of knowledge, that pretty much says it all.

There are popular writings about evolution that indeed sound circular in their reasoning. I will grant you that. But there are also dreadfully written articles and books about physics and mathematics.

And religion.

If you wish to score points by picking apart straw men, go for it.


160 posted on 08/14/2005 12:02:05 PM PDT by js1138 (Science has it all: the fun of being still, paying attention, writing down numbers...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 158 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 121-140141-160161-180 ... 741-754 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson