Darwin on the Right: Why Christians and conservatives should accept evolution

Scientific American ^ | October 2006 issue | Michael Shermer

[andysandmikesmom]

Astute observation...

[King Prout]

thank you. we must all avoid vitriol as well as we may, after all.

[js1138]

There are lots of volcanoes an floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. In central America they even have a word for jaguars falling out of the sky. All this centuries before the NFL.

With things like this happening in an average person's lifetime, why do we need to suppose that cultural memories are likely to be passed on for tens of thousands of years.

[andysandmikesmom]

Yes, indeed, vitriol avoidance is a virtue, which hopefully we can all adopt...

[NewLand]

Republicans are slitting their own throats by abandoning science

Still waiting for your proof on this statement...

crickets...

[King Prout]

I expect you'll have to wait until the mid-Novembers of '06 and '08 for any reasonable chance of receiving the "proof" you demand

[King Prout]

In central America they even have a word for jaguars falling out of the sky.

???

[js1138]

It's a matter of voter perception as much as anything. People in the science community have this perception, and the Luddites on FR feed the perception.

Take a look at the posts condemning empiricism, naturalism, funding of basic research. Take a look at the posts favoring abandoning the teaching of scientific reasoning and methodology. We have a guy, an intelligent, literate guy on FR, arguing geocentrism. None of the anti-evolutionists have the courage or the knowledge to confront him. This seems to be the new majority among Republicans.

[King Prout]

just for braggin' rights

[King Prout]

ooo! you stole my bragging right!

[js1138]

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~leeman/geol108_impacts.html

[js1138]

You can hold out for 6969

[Celtjew Libertarian]

There are lots of volcanoes an floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. In central America they even have a word for jaguars falling out of the sky. All this centuries before the NFL

With things like this happening in an average person's lifetime, why do we need to suppose that cultural memories are likely to be passed on for tens of thousands of years.

Why should we suppose it was forgotten?

There are many myths in many cultures, but the flood story seems pervasive in almost every culture, with many similarities between cultures that are widely spread apart.

We have an apparent genetic bottleneck in the human race. We have an apparent megadisater that happened about the time of the bottleneck. We have widespread myth that seems that it could be a orally passed-on account of that disaster. Why not suppose that is what it is?

I believe evolution has been the primary mechanism for the development of life on Earth. I do not believe in a six-thousand year old world and universe. However, I don't feel any need to go out of my way to debunk the Genesis account, particularly when I think Genesis can be interpreted to be in general accord with science.

I simply don't have a need in either/or. I have a belief in both. I try to make them mesh. And when they don't I'm quite content to shrug my shoulders and live with the contradiction, until I can resolve it to my satisfaction.

[King Prout]

that sounds... lewd.

[PatrickHenry]

Yes, indeed, vitriol avoidance is a virtue, which hopefully we can all adopt...

Stick with Geritol.

[NewLand]

I hope you do science better than you do political analysis.

[js1138]

No one is going to be around to remember a supervolcano. There is hardly any orally transmitted history of the year without a summer, or the little ice age, or the seven mile wide tornado that ripped through the American midwest last century.

On the other hand, there are lots of vague stories and legends of catastrophes. There are plenty of them in every generation.

[js1138]

Worse than 888?

[King Prout]

that page's format makes my eyes hurt.

[King Prout]

did I beat js1138?