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How alarming! I generally have little more reaction beyond complacent derision for creationism, but this essay delivers a powerful wakeup call. If America slides inexorably back into the grips of creationist obscurantism, it will slip into the twilight much the same as the Ming and Qing dynasties oversaw China's demise in a past era. But, what to do?

Are we now, with all these examples before us, to ride backward into the past under the same tattered banner of orthodoxy? With creationism in the saddle, American science will wither. We will raise a generation of ignoramuses ill-equipped to run the industry of tomorrow, much less to generate the new advances of the days after tomorrow.

We will inevitably recede into the backwater of civilization, and those nations that retain opened scientific thought will take over the leadership of the world and the cutting edge of human advancement. I don't suppose that the creationists really plan the decline of the United States, but their loudly expressed patriotism is as simpleminded as their "science." If they succeed, they will, in their folly, achieve the opposite of what they say they wish.

RE: Post 12

How alarming! I generally have little more reaction beyond complacent derision for creationism, but this essay delivers a powerful wakeup call. If America slides inexorably back into the grips of creationist obscurantism, it will slip into the twilight much the same as the Ming and Qing dynasties oversaw China's demise in a past era. But, what to do?

Yeah, being a creationist really hampered Sir Issac Newton, Michael Faraday, Louis Pasteur, Joseph Henry, Johann Kepler, Blaise Pascal, Ambrose Fleming .... We are so much poorer for the works of these ignoramouses who believed that the purpose of science was to learn God's thoughts by studying His creation.
Of course, Darwin inspired men such as Karl Marx (who wanted to dedicate one of his books to Mr. Darwin) and Adolph Hitler - and we are so much better for it... We can learn much from the communist countries that insist in the dogma of evolution and treat Darwin as one of their gods.

Of course we could also consider the words of Romans 1, and wonder if there truly isn't anything new under the sun:

Rom 1:18-24

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

"How alarming! I generally have little more reaction beyond complacent derision for creationism, but this essay delivers a powerful wakeup call. If America slides inexorably back into the grips of creationist obscurantism, it will slip into the twilight much the same as the Ming and Qing dynasties oversaw China's demise in a past era. But, what to do?"

The roots of our modern science began among men who beleived in God or were influenced by religion. These men formed the "root" sciences from which all modern science and their technological achievements have descended. Many modern scientists have been complaining that there have been no more "root" sciences established in the last 150 years, just off shoots from established science.

When it was decided amongst certain "thinkers" that notions of God, and morality, should have no place in modern scientific reasoning, it was as if the stream of knowledge was cut off from its source. A break from classical rationalism with its emphasis on proceeding from a given viewpoint and deductive analysis of data was made in favor of pure scientific empiricism with its emphasis on "inductive" reasoning based on observation and measurement of data. The real fault with inductive reasoning is that it ends up being at the whim of the biases that the experimenter applies in order to make "sense" of what the data is telling him; forcing him in the end into a rationalistic thought process as explained above.(whether or not the "given" or "theory" is valid or not valid)

God exists or God exists not is really the only primary question each individual is faced with. The rest of a man's thought process is colored by what he decides about that question. The fallacy of the materialists is their view that religious folk can't make good scientists; they forget about Newton, Mendel, Pascal(inventor of the Calculas), the inventors of the use of zero and algebra(muslims), the ancient Greeks who saw God in the invention of euclidian Geometry, and hosts of others who founded root sciences under the aegis of religious belief.

"The fool says in his heart, there is no God"Proverbs

We will inevitably recede into the backwater of civilization . . .

You mean compared to stridently secular states like -- France? Actually, since the late Asimov was writing that in 1984, he probably was thinking of the Soviet Union. :-)

Something to think about: a child born in 1984 is likely not to have ever heard of the Soviet Union considering the state of our public schools.