How the Anti-Evolution Debate Has Evolved

History News Network ^ | 20 December 2005 | Charles A. Israel

[canuck_conservative]

Yes, eliminating possible alternative explanations beforehand is wrong.

That's why I know you'll agree with me that the "MARTIANS-ACTUALLY-CREATED-US" theory must be taught as well, along with Evolution and Intelligent Design.

After all, there's no way to disprove it, so it's just as valid as well, right?

[Undivided Heart]

Does it matter? If it's reasonable to believe that all the stuff of the universe always existed, I don't think there's a great leap from there to the belief that a Mind that always existed created the universe.

[MrEdd]

I am unaware of any Anti-evolutionary debate per-se just debates by various proponents each espousing their own particular view... I.E. creationism, evolution, or intelligent design (forgive me if I left anyone's out). Virulent objections by any of the aforementioned parties of the first part does not entitle them to dismiss the parties of the second part as being merely Anti their position with no conviction or evidence supporting another view.

[FormerLib]

I wonder how much of this would go away if kids were allowed to study religion in school as an elective?

I send my kids to a Christian School were Evolution in taught in the Science class and they learn about the Creator in Religion.

It's just no big deal when Science and Religion both have a voice.

[Axlrose]

How about the Creationism vs Physics debate ? Creationism vs Astrology ? Geology ? Oceonography ?

Because before the first single cell organism existed the universe, galaxy, solar system, planet, and ocean needed to exist and creationism hasn't even come with a compelling explanation of these events, never mind anything else.

Or do creationists accept people who are expert in these branches of science have the most plausible explanations ?

[Undivided Heart]

The Martians All Created Us theory could work if we were only talking about who or what created/formed us. It fails to explain the existance of other created things we see, like the universe.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

I don't have a problem with that-the problem is when creationists try to push their views as legitimate science.

[Dimensio]

Does it matter?

Given that humans have worshipped thousands of deities -- many of them mutually exclusive -- throughout recorded history, yes.

If it's reasonable to believe that all the stuff of the universe always existed, I don't think there's a great leap from there to the belief that a Mind that always existed created the universe.

The "stuff of the universe" is directly observable. How can we observe or even infer this "Mind"?

[jwalsh07]

I don't have a problem with that-the problem is when creationists try to push their views as legitimate science.

You mean those luddites like Gregor Mendel and Georges Lemaitre?

[canuck_conservative]

Get real - we're talking about evolution, which talks about terrestrial life and has nothing to do with how the rest of the universe was created.

The "Martians Created Us" theory has the exact same amount of hard evidence backing it up as Intelligent Design does - absolutely nothing.

So if you can accept ID without any evidence, then surely you can accept the MCU theory as equally plausible, yes?

To do otherwise would suggest bias.

[PatrickHenry]

You need to add the "Can't be science if not in the lab" and then when natural speciation is repeated in the lab say "well, that's intelligent design because it was intentionally done in a lab."

D-12 is the first part of it. The rest of it just doesn't fit into a small grid. Besides, I'm avoiding Arthur Clarke's Nine Billion Names of God scenario. I've got to leave some out so we still have debates.

[muir_redwoods]

"Of course, to ensure the science is preserved in its entirety, we must assume from the onset that there was no composer involved."

No need to make such an assumption. This matter differs from creationism/ID because in this matter we actually have hard evidence of a composer.

[ThomasNast]

As soon as you take such evidence that DOES point to a composer and claim that must be the answer, then you are violating the premise from the onset that no composer be used to explain the origin of the piece.

Then you will be subjected to a lot of alternate arguments and how unscientific you are being.

[RightWhale]

The C/E debate is a counterbalance to the Global Warming debate on a different level. In one case science is being abused and in the other it is being used appropriately. But, which is which and by whom?

[muir_redwoods]

"As soon as you take such evidence that DOES point to a composer and claim that must be the answer, then you are violating the premise from the onset that no composer be used to explain the origin of the piece. Then you will be subjected to a lot of alternate arguments and how unscientific you are being."

I've deduced that there is no point in discussing this with you as we have no common ground for discussion.

[Dimensio]

As soon as you take such evidence that DOES point to a composer and claim that must be the answer, then you are violating the premise from the onset that no composer be used to explain the origin of the piece.

At this point your analogy falls apart, as science has no such assumption when invesitgating the origins of either life or the cosmos.

[PatrickHenry]

On reflection, if I can get a few more, I'll add another line to the toolkit. One will be: "Lab work proves ID." Another candidate is: "But it's still a mammal!"

[phantomworker]

"so little willingness to self examine."

OMG! An artificial intelligent iBot of God has been developed!

http://www.alicebot.org/


iGod Tops the Charts
This is the URL for God: http://www.titane.ca/concordia/dfar251/igod/

For the past several weeks, the most popular bot on Pandorabots, perhaps the most popular chat bot in the world, has been the iGod Virtual Machine. With a beautiful Flash Interface and a more or less standard clone of ALICE running on Pandorabots (the personality seems to differ only by the botmaster having changed the bot properties), this bot appears to have gathered a huge fan following.

[PatrickHenry]

Okay, I've expanded the Evolution Troll's Toolkit. D-12 and D-13 are what you want (D-13 is new). Also new is C-14. We still have two available spots in line 14.

[Gribbles141]

Because everyone that diasgrees with me is a troll!