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February 24, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR MISSY BROST
IN WA
My response is that you need to know all sides of an argument
to be able to debate it properly. So, whether you agree with
it or not, you need to learn about evolution, the big bang
theory etc.
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A: FROM MENTOR MINI VARUGHESE
IN MD
How do they intend to promote/defend creationism, without
knowledge of the opposing argument?
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A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK IN
RI
This is a tough one. The evidence for evolution is so strong
- nothing in biology makes sense without evolution. But if
religion makes people refuse to look for natural explanations,
if they prefer supernatural explanations, it's very hard for
many scientists to communicate with them. The assumptions
of the two groups are just fundamentally opposed.
But many scientists who believe in evolution also believe
in God. One of them, Ken Miller, is a Professor of Biology
at Brown and has written a book, Finding Darwin's God, that
both sides could take as a starting point for discussion.
He's also appeared on a Nova program discussing evolution
- your library might have tapes.
Ultimately there's no evidence to which someone couldn't
say, "it looks like this evolved, but God made it that
way all at once without evolution." I find evolution
a more intellectually and esthetically satisfying explanation
than the idea that we live in and are part of some gigantic
magic trick, decked out to appear so convincingly to have
evolved. But there is no way to _prove_ that we are not being
fooled by the apparent logic of of the world around us.
On the other hand, we ourselves direct evolution all the
time when we select plants and animals in agriculture and
when we see disease organisms acquiring drug resistance. If
we don't believe evolution happens we become helpless to use
it for good and to protect ourselves from it when it strengthens
pathogens. Belief in evolution is useful.
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