Creationism piece no way to honor Darwin's birthday (Letter to the editor of the Boston Globe)

Boston Globe ^ | 7/20/2009 | Steven Pinker

[SeekAndFind]

SHAME ON you for publishing two creationist op-eds in two years from the Discovery Institute, a well-funded propaganda factory that aims to sow confusion about evolution. Virtually no scientist takes “intelligent design’’ seriously, and in the famous Dover, Pa., trial in 2005, a federal court ruled that it is religion in disguise.

The judge referred to the theory’s “breathtaking inanity,’’ which is a fine description of Stephen Meyer’s July 15 op-ed “Jefferson’s support for intelligent design.’’ Well, yes, Thomas Jefferson died 33 years before Darwin published “The Origin of Species.’’ And Meyer’s idea that the DNA code implies a code maker is just a rehash of the ancient “argument from design’’ - that an eye implies an eye maker, a heart implies a heart maker, and so on. Darwin demolished this argument 150 years ago.

In a year in which other serious publications are celebrating the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and the sesquicentennial of “Origin,’’ the Globe sees fit to resurrect his long-buried opposition.

The advantage that traditional newspapers have over the Internet competition is quality control. If the Globe repeatedly gives its imprimatur to the latest nonsense from an anti-science lobbying organization, what’s the point of going to it for reliable, intelligent commentary?

Steven Pinker

Cambridge

The writer is a professor of psychology at Harvard.

[SeekAndFind]

The above letter relates to this thread in FR :

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2294080/posts

[Migraine]

So... can rocks turn into people, or not? Inquiring minds want to know!

[SeekAndFind]

So... can rocks turn into people, or not? Inquiring minds want to know!

I don't know about rocks, but primordial slime apparently can -- given enough time.

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[bareford101]

so Boston Globe people just accepted a union negotiation so they could keep their jobs.... ‘tis a shame... I would love to see this disgusting piece of trash be put in the trash finally

[Doctor Don]

I have stood on Darwin’s grave in Wesminster Abbey....Darwin is no longer evolving!

[Doctor Don]

I have stood on Darwin’s grave in Wesminster Abbey....Darwin is no longer evolving!

[ryan71]

Some of us may have come from apes (cough cough Michelle) but I did not.

[FTJM]

The advantage that traditional newspapers have over the Internet competition is quality control.

LOL.

[DrewsDad]

Isn’t Pinker the one who advocated post-birth abortions?

[garjog]

"Darwin demolished this argument 150 years ago."

Darwin had no idea of the complexity of cellular biology. It is fantastically complex. This is why noted atheist Anthony Flew recently switched sides in the debate and now believes that the universe and life can only be reasonably explained by intelligent design:

"The second [reason for belief in ID]was my own insight that the integrated complexity of life itself – which is far more complex than the physical Universe – can only be explained in terms of an Intelligent Source. I believe that the origin of life and reproduction simply cannot be explained from a biological standpoint despite numerous efforts to do so."

http://www.tothesource.org/10_30_2007/10_30_2007.htm

[raygunfan]

daRwin was a DOOFUS

[elkfersupper]

Some of us may have come from apes (cough cough Michelle) but I did not.

You not only came from apes, you are in fact a great ape.

There is no other choice other than alien life form.

If you are an alien life form, you would be caged and studied, not using a computer on the internet.

[freespirited]

daRwin was a DOOFUS

Which of his books have you read?

[Alter Kaker]

Darwin had no idea of the complexity of cellular biology. It is fantastically complex.

Which is why it's fantastic that, without any knowledge of genetics or cell biology, Darwin nevertheless got it right. What's amazing is how right he was, given how little information he had access to. Today we understand how evolution's course is writ across the genome.

This is why noted atheist Anthony Flew recently switched sides in the debate and now believes that the universe and life can only be reasonably explained by intelligent design:

Flew is a philosopher of religion, not a scientist. Try again.

[Krodg]

but primordial slime apparently can

Yep, they evolved into lawyers and politicians.

[DrewsDad]

A little dyslexic on the initials. I was thinking of Peter Singer instead of Steven Pinker.

[rom]

Judges & Celebrities: Is there anything they don’t know?

[bezelbub]

So... can rocks turn into people, or not? Inquiring minds want to know!

Can clay be turned into people, or not?