Tuesday, February 12, 2002

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARLES DARWIN Creationism is dead, but don't expect that to shut it up. Creationism, creation 'science,' and intelligent design theory are all attempts by Biblical literalists to undermine the theory of evolution. The motivations behind such attempts haven't changed since the days of the Scopes trial: the idea that Man arrived on this planet by accident or natural processes is incompatible with certain traditional religious views about Man's origins and purpose. The attacks, whether in Tennessee or Kansas or, most recently, Ohio, usually focus on the public schools and science classes. The attacks have gotten more sophisticated in recent years, as it became clear that the religious motivation behind them had to be masked. Intelligent Design theory actually conceded much of the theory of evolution in an attempt to masquerade as science, and focused on certain tricky questions that still remained unanswered in evolutionary theory, especially the question of how evolution can explain the big jumps that produce new species. That puzzle has now been solved, just in time for Charles Darwin's birthday, and its solution cuts the legs out from under intelligent design theory, giving impressive new support to the theory of evolution, which was already one of the most solidly established theories in science. Where will the creationists go now? If intelligent design theorists were really engaged in science rather that disguised religion, they'd welcome the new results, but that won't happen. No they'll just regroup and come back under a new banner. They won't go away, because they have a serious problem: their fundamental beliefs are in conflict with the way the world really is. And that's a bad position to be in because, powerful as beliefs can be, reality always wins in the end. Here's to the shy, gentle, and entirely non-confrontational scientist who changed the world. Happy birthday, Charles Darwin. 9:04:18 AM