Evolution Vs The Other Thing
Despite the fact that the issue ought to have been firmly settled by now, with creationism set deep in the back of the curio closet where it belongs, there are still regular reports of school boards being pressured here and there to include it in public school curriculums, even to the point of pushing aside the teaching of evolution, if possible.
I wonder what these parents do about the great wealth of all sorts of useful information to be found on the various Discovery Channels?
For that matter, what do they do about dinosaurs? How do they explain to their children how it is that, just a few thousand years after they were created, none of those remarkable beasts are anywhere to be found, except as scattered bones embedded in rock, while fleas, ticks, gnats, rats, and many other of what you would think would be God's less desirable creations are still alive and kicking and all around us by the millions?
Somewhere I have a book that may answer those questions, though I doubt it. It was given to me years ago by a young woman who was one of those Jehovah's Witnesses doing their thing. While I was building my house here in the woods, she dropped by several times in her attempt to draw me into the local Kingdom Hall. She was unsuccessful there, but she almost sold me on the folly of believing in evolution.
I knew perfectly well, however, that her personal being was the sole source of all that persuasiveness.
I never thought to inform her that, ironically, she was in and of herself a most wondrous result of the process of evolution. A creator would have made her far less distracting.
I wonder what these parents do about the great wealth of all sorts of useful information to be found on the various Discovery Channels?
For that matter, what do they do about dinosaurs? How do they explain to their children how it is that, just a few thousand years after they were created, none of those remarkable beasts are anywhere to be found, except as scattered bones embedded in rock, while fleas, ticks, gnats, rats, and many other of what you would think would be God's less desirable creations are still alive and kicking and all around us by the millions?
Somewhere I have a book that may answer those questions, though I doubt it. It was given to me years ago by a young woman who was one of those Jehovah's Witnesses doing their thing. While I was building my house here in the woods, she dropped by several times in her attempt to draw me into the local Kingdom Hall. She was unsuccessful there, but she almost sold me on the folly of believing in evolution.
I knew perfectly well, however, that her personal being was the sole source of all that persuasiveness.
I never thought to inform her that, ironically, she was in and of herself a most wondrous result of the process of evolution. A creator would have made her far less distracting.
posted by Carl (aka Sofarsogoo) | 7:11 AM
1 Comments:
Carl, if you haven't already read the popular works of the late, great paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, I am certain you will find them worthwhile. His first popular book that I am aware of is Ever Since Darwin; another is The Panda's Thumb. There are about twenty books in all, most of them compilations of his columns in Natural History over the years. The early ones, from the late 70's, are a bit dated by now, and Prof. Gould's own theories are not universally accepted, but he is the great explainer, not only of evolution, but of the process of science, of our time. His works are challenging and fascinating... no beautiful women are needed to sell them. :)
(Remind me someday to tell you a story of an incident I witnessed at one of Prof. Gould's lectures.)
I noticed your own link to the web site called The Panda's Thumb. You might also appreciate Pharyngula, by PZ Myers. Give it a look and see what you think.
Full disclosure: my late father was a secondary school science teacher who served on the Texas state textbook committee, trying to keep the science in, and the religion out, of our textbooks. I'm not exactly unbiased in this matter.
Steve Bates
The Yellow Doggerel Democrat
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