Darwin, Intelligent Design, and Freedom of Discovery on Evolutionists' Holy Day
ID proponents are making their case in the mainstream scientific literature, but some Darwinists have sought to stifle the debate by pretending that teaching about ID—or even raising mere scientific challenges to evolution—contravenes the scientific method and brings religion into the classroom.
In 2005, such Darwinists even managed to convince one federal judge to ban ID from a school district and rule that ID is not science. Darwinists today continue to cite this wildly inaccurate and activist judicial ruling as if one federal judge can settle this entire scientific debate.
Unfortunately, the bluffs and authoritarian tactics of Darwinists create a climate of intolerance that leads to discrimination against academics and educators who dissent from neo-Darwinism.
The latest example took place last week when economist, comedian, and Darwin skeptic Ben Stein withdrew from offering the spring commencement address at the University of Vermont because, as the Chronicle of Higher Education put it, "his invitation drew complaints about his views on biological evolution."
The main instigator of complaints against Stein was University of Minnesota Morris biologist P.Z. Myers, who in 2005 demanded "the public firing and humiliation of some teachers" who support ID or doubt Darwinism. This time, Myers incited his blog's followers against Stein, proclaiming that "it's a real slap in the face for the university to drag in this disgrace who has been a figurehead for a movement that is trying to replace science with superstition."
The truth about Stein's withdrawal has leaked out in media interviews where UVM's President Dan Fogel made it clear that ID proponents deserve second-class treatment. Parroting Myers's rhetoric, Fogel was quoted saying, "It's an issue about the appropriateness of awarding an honorary degree to someone whose views in many ways ignore or affront the fundamental values of scientific inquiry."
Fogel's statement is simply a pretext for discriminating against scholars who hold a minority scientific viewpoint. The reality is that Fogel has demonstrated plain old intolerance for academics that support ID.
Like many persecutors, Fogel appears blind to his own prejudices. He thus added, "This is not, to my mind, an issue about academic freedom." But Fogel's actions refute his own words: The very fact that he won't give an honorary degree to a scholar because of that scholar's support for ID demonstrates the lack of academic freedom for ID proponents in the academy.
People who have the evidence on their side don't behave like this. Science and education are suffering because Darwinists are using bluffs about the evidence, fear-mongering about religion, and discrimination against minority viewpoints to stifle the debate over evolution.
Let's drop the pretexts, the intimidation, and the strong-arm tactics, and let freedom once again reign in academia on Feb. 12, 2009.
Reader Comments
Creations vs Evolution
Creation and Evolution are both wrong. We came from worse than incest because Adam had sex with his own flesh. Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. It wasn't God who gave Adam and Eve the power to have sex and create. It was one of God's angels named Lucifer. All God wanted was Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the animals on the earth. That would have gone on for eternity. Jesus came from Mary committing worse than incest with a Roman soldier. Jesus was a 33 year old virgin who found out the truth from the Priests who didn't get married and have sex. Jesus came out at 33 and found 12 single virgins and told them the truth. Then he tried to tell all the Christians, Jews and Romans that they were committing incest by getting married. They all got upset and crucified him. Jesus went back to the dust like everyone before him and after him. Long before Jesus was born a large group of men and boys left and ended up in Africa. Some men took female Orangutans to South America and had sex with them and created the American Indian. The men and boys who stayed in Africa caught female Gorillas and had sex with them and created the Black man. When scientists found the bones in Africa they thought we evolved from a female Chimpanzee. But it wasn't a natural evolution it was a man made evolution. So we are worse than incest and worse than beastiality. The earth will either be destroyed by nuclear war or over population. Either way is going to be bad. BS
ID in the literature?
Suggesting that pro-evolutionists are stifling freedom because they will not let the half-baked tautological "reasoning" of ID/creationist supporters into respectable journals of scientific debate and discussion is at best ludicrous. When ID has had the opportunity to defend itself in a public forum--as in the judicial case in Dover, PA--the best they could muster was "God created this because God must have". That's not the sort of evidence that's going to get a pass anywhere but in an already biased mind. Not surprisingly it was soundly rejected in that court case as it has been in others.
Darwinists have repeatedly admitted they don't have all the answers. And, yes, Darwin's original theory has been revised and revised and revised...which is what science does. It replaces theory that doesn't match observation with theory that does. It does not reach down into some dubious belief system and say "I don't know how this works so I'm going to give all the credit to an invisible superbeing." That puts you right back at the Flying Spaghetti Monster theory of the universe.
What was the point?
If the point of this article was to point out Darwin's original and evolving theory has flaws and unanswered questions - no problem. If the point was that ID is actually scientific and offers anything beyond desire, hope, and faith - it fell way short.
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