[Thatcherite]

Michael Faraday said something apposite on the matter.

But technological usefulness aside, would Mamzelle genuinely prefer us to remain ignorant of the natural world except where it gives her convenient gadgets to play with? Isn't study of the natural world a noble calling? Understanding God's creation?

[RadioAstronomer]

Isn't study of the natural world a noble calling? Understanding God's creation?

Yuppers! For example, Without QM we would not be talking this way.

[Mamzelle]

You'll only catch glimpses, and what you find will never rise above the merely plausible.

Plausible is not a bad thing in stories, though. Life would be very bland without those stories, but one ought to be careful of how much one invests in them. I find the argument for the relationship between species (the DNA record, the fossil record is not so persuasive), but the argument from past to present is far harder to make than from present to past.

And evo-doubters will have their place at the political table. To try to exclude them from the argument will impact unfortunately on your freedom.