Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Darwin: Headed for the Ash-Heap
And Rightlyso...Conservative Book Club ^ | 1-20-2006 | Jeffrey Rubin

Posted on 03/14/2006 1:37:33 PM PST by joyspring777

Of the three intellectual pillars of modern liberalism -- Marx, Darwin, and Freud -- only one is still standing. Marx fell in 1989, along with the Berlin Wall. Freud's demise is more difficult to date; suffice it to say that, by the end of the century, no one, with the possible exception of Woody Allen, took him seriously any more. Darwin, I predict, will suffer a similar fate within the next ten to fifteen years.

That may seem counterintuitive in light of recent legal and public-relations setbacks suffered by critics of Darwinism -- notably a federal judge's decision forbidding the teaching of "Intelligent Design" (a term for one aspect of the anti-Darwin critique) in Dover, Pa., public schools. But it is a sign of weakness, not strength, when one side in an ostensibly scientific debate resorts to silencing the other. If the case for Darwin is such a slam-dunk, why not welcome the chance for its opponents to make fools of themselves?

No, Darwinists are running scared. Even their attempts to declare victory on scientific grounds betray more than a whiff of desperation. Case in point: the year-end edition of the journal Science hailing "evolution in action" as its "Breakthrough of the Year." Among the "dramatic discoveries" said by the magazine to make 2005 "a banner year for uncovering the intricacies of how evolution actually proceeds," none in itself demonstrates whether evolution proceeds, and they only shed light on how if you first assume that it does.

Here, for instance, is Science editor Donald Kennedy describing "one of my favorites" in this evidentiary explosion: "the European blackcap, a species of warbler that spends the winter in two separate places but then reunites to breed, with birds selecting mates from those who shared the same wintering ground. Assortative mating of this kind can produce a gradual differentiation of the two populations. Biologists have shown that new species can arise because of geographic barriers that separate subpopulations, but the divergent evolution shown in this case could result in new species arising within a single range."

If it seems that the bare facts adduced here don't quite amount to a clear instance of "evolution in action," that's because they don't. At best, they demonstrate what's known as "microevolution" -- modification within a species -- which no anti-Darwinist disputes. What is disputed is "macroevolution," the change of one species into another, which is the central claim of Darwinism. If macroevolution occurs, the "assortative mating" of the European blackcap might help to explain how it works, but it does nothing to prove that it does occur.

The fact is,nothing proves that macroevolution occurs, or ever has occurred. And, at a certain point, the absence of proof, especially where it ought to be abundant, constitutes, if not positive disproof, at least strong reasons for doubt. According to Darwin's theory of descent through gradual modification (by way of random mutation and natural selection), the fossil record should contain near-infinite numbers of ever-so-slightly-different "transitional" forms, and even greater numbers of evolutionary dead ends. Despite the best efforts of archaeologists, not even a hint of that has materialized in the fossil record. Instead, what we should not expect to find, according to Darwin's theory, is what we do find: the sudden appearance of innumerable distinct species, as we have in the so-called Cambrian Explosion.

Needless to say, a debate like this can't be settled in the space of a column. Neither, however, can it be settled by shutting out the other side. Darwinists, of course, would have us believe that there is no other side, only a bunch of anti-science religious fanatics who don't deserve to be heard. That approach can succeed, but not for long. As I say, I give them fifteen years, tops.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: anotheratheist; christianscience; christiantaliban; creatards; creation; crevolist; darwinism; dreamonmacduff; evolution; headinsand; idiocy; idispseudoscience; ignoranceisbliss; ignoranceisstrength; intellectualdesign; morons; ohplease; pridefullyignorant; pseudoscience; religionisnotscience
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 761-769 next last

1 posted on 03/14/2006 1:37:35 PM PST by joyspring777
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

Have at it my friends....


2 posted on 03/14/2006 1:37:55 PM PST by joyspring777
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

What a load of....


3 posted on 03/14/2006 1:38:35 PM PST by RadioAstronomer (Senior member of Darwin Central)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777
BWAAAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!
4 posted on 03/14/2006 1:38:44 PM PST by orionblamblam (A furore Normannorum libra nos, Domine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

Is this from Pravda?


5 posted on 03/14/2006 1:40:06 PM PST by somniferum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

TOE isn't going away. It just is being ignored.


6 posted on 03/14/2006 1:40:21 PM PST by mlc9852
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

What hurts more?




Being called liberal?

Or being considered headed for the ash-heap?


7 posted on 03/14/2006 1:41:25 PM PST by wallcrawlr (http://www.bionicear.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

There is no theory of evolution, just species Chuck Norris allows to exist.


8 posted on 03/14/2006 1:41:39 PM PST by Firefigher NC (You light ‘em, we fight ‘em!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777
Darwin said it.

I believe it.

That settles it.

9 posted on 03/14/2006 1:42:06 PM PST by Lakeshark (Thank a member of the US armed forces for their sacrifice)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

Is this scrappleface? Because it ought to be.


10 posted on 03/14/2006 1:42:41 PM PST by mysterio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

Marx is nowhere near dead enough for me, and Gramsci is as bad, or worse.


11 posted on 03/14/2006 1:43:00 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Firefigher NC

LOL. Wonder what the dinosaurs did to earn that deadly roundhouse kick?


12 posted on 03/14/2006 1:43:40 PM PST by mysterio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

And then, ten to fifteen years after that, we'll fight down the encroachments of the so-called "science" of Chemistry, heralded by the Frenchman Antoine Lavoisier and the Russian Mendeleev! Their lies will fall on deaf ears, and we can all go back to turning lead into gold using tried-and-true principles of trismegistic alchemy.


13 posted on 03/14/2006 1:44:06 PM PST by Omedalus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PatrickHenry

Evidently, Darwin's on the outs for the 150th straight year.


14 posted on 03/14/2006 1:44:42 PM PST by Junior (Identical fecal matter, alternate diurnal period)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777
According to Darwin's theory of descent through gradual modification (by way of random mutation and natural selection), the fossil record should contain near-infinite numbers of ever-so-slightly-different "transitional" forms, and even greater numbers of evolutionary dead ends.

That, my friends, is the fart in the Darwinian-Evolution Religion. It stinks and it's ruining the whole charade, but all of the blindly faithful try their best to pretend it's not there.

15 posted on 03/14/2006 1:44:46 PM PST by GLDNGUN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Firefigher NC

Chuck Norris hit a monkey with a roundhouse kick, and back in time Darwin suddenly found himself wearing his ass for a hat.


16 posted on 03/14/2006 1:44:57 PM PST by Scourge of God (What goes here?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777
Why bother; there will always be an abundance of bible toting people who thrive on ignorance.
17 posted on 03/14/2006 1:45:58 PM PST by ARCADIA (Abuse of power comes as no surprise)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: GLDNGUN
That, my friends, is the fart in the Darwinian-Evolution Religion. It stinks and it's ruining the whole charade, but all of the blindly faithful try their best to pretend it's not there.

Don’t see anyone disputing those missing fossil records.

18 posted on 03/14/2006 1:46:27 PM PST by Scourge of God (What goes here?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: joyspring777

Darwin bites his own bung?


19 posted on 03/14/2006 1:48:13 PM PST by Miss Behave (Beloved daughter of Miss Creant, super sister of danged Miss Ology, and proud mother of Miss Hap.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wallcrawlr
What hurts more? Being called liberal? Or being considered headed for the ash-heap?

I'm not an evo, but if I were, I think being called a liberal would be worse. Going to the ash-heap isn't as bad as it sounds. Everyone ends up there eventually anyway, some ignobly some with their dignity intact.

But being a liberal means dignity doesn't even exist for you.
20 posted on 03/14/2006 1:50:52 PM PST by JamesP81
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 761-769 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson