I don't know if I totally understand where you're coming from here,
but I simply posted some info about a publication that anyone can
download for free and read. If you read the publication, you will see
that it addresses the fact that many scientists are also religious;
the publication does not mock religion and its practitioners, and I
did not intend to mock them with my posting, either. I simply
intended to encourage people to access the publication, read it and
think about it/discuss it with other people. There is even a
"Frequently Asked Questions" section of the publication, in case you
have unanswered questions about the subject.
I felt this was pertinent to this list serve as the topic of biology
and evolution (with respect to troglobitic creatures) is a common one
in caving.
Diana
On Jan 9, 2008, at 6:46 PM, Brian Riordan wrote:
Addressed to the many evolution vs. creationism e-mails i've
recieved the last few months:
What alarms me the most, is not only how often this list serve is
used to debate science, evolution and creationism, but how there
are no questions about creationism, only derogatory comments
towards creationists and the sad, misguided people who can't get
through life without an imaginary friend holding their hand (on a
side note, if you only make criticisms, YOU are the narrow-minded
one, usually a faux paux among such a liberal crowd). If you get
an ego boost by boasting how scientifically superior you are by
mocking Christians in a crowd of people you know are almost sure to
support everything you say on the matter (which is pretty
cowardly) then fine. But this isn't the forum for it (at least I
thought it wasn't).
If you have QUESTIONS on the matter, state your thoughts/
arguments/ questions in a non-argumentative way, as if you're truly
hungry for another perspective, and not simply hoping to hear your
sentiments echoed back off a crowd of like-minded people, and I
promise I'd do my best to answer from a different point of view.
Besides, constructive criticism or questioning only encourages
thought- which I welcome.
I hope this is recieved the way I intended.
-Brian
PS. Most Creationists i've talked to don't argue against evolution
as a process in life. It's the evolution as a cause of life that
science and logic breaks down.
On 1/9/08, Diana Tomchick <diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu>
wrote: While perusing the latest issue of Nature magazine, I
happened upon
this editorial. You can download the 88-page booklet from the
National Academies Press web site for free (you must register with an
email address and a zip code first). It looks like an interesting
read.
I reprint the editorial below for your interest:
Nature volume 451 (10 January 2008)
"Spread the word:
Evolution is a scientific fact, and every organization whose research
depends on it should explain why."
Three cheers for the US National Academy of Sciences for publishing
an updated version of its booklet Science, Evolution, and Creationism
(see http://www.nap.edu/sec). The document succinctly summarizes what
is and isn't science, provides an overview of evidence for evolution
by natural selection, and highlights how, time and again, leading
religious figures have upheld evolution as consistent with their view
of the world.
For a more specific and also entertaining account of evolutionary
knowledge, see palaeontologist Kevin Padian's evidence given at the
Kitzmiller v. Dover trial (see http://tinyurl.com/2nlgar). Padian
destroys the false assertions by creationists that there are critical
gaps in the fossil record. He illustrates the fossil-rich paths from
fish to land-based tetrapod, from crocodile to dinosaur to feathered
dinosaur to bird, from terrestrial quadruped to the whale, and more
besides.
Creationism is strong in the United States and, according to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, worryingly on the
rise in Europe (see http://tinyurl.com/2knrqy ). But die-hard
creationists aren't a sensible target for raising awareness. What
matters are those citizens who aren't sure about evolution — as much
as 55% of the US population according to some surveys.
As the National Academy of Sciences and Padian have shown, it is
possible to summarize the reasons why evolution is in effect as much
a scientific fact as the existence of atoms or the orbiting of Earth
round the Sun, even though there are plenty of refinements to be
explored. Yet some actual and potential heads of state refuse to
recognize this fact as such. And creationists have a tendency to play
on the uncertainties displayed by some citizens. Evolution is of
profound importance to modern biology and medicine. Accordingly,
anyone who has the ability to explain the evidence behind this fact
to their students, their friends and relatives should be given the
ammunition to do so. Between now and the 200th anniversary of Charles
Darwin's birth on 12 February 2009, every science academy and society
with a stake in the credibility of evolution should summarize
evidence for it on their website and take every opportunity to
promote it.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Diana R. Tomchick
Associate Professor
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Department of Biochemistry
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Rm. ND10.214B
Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A.
Email: diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu
214-645-6383 (phone)
214-645-6353 (fax)
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Diana R. Tomchick
Associate Professor
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Department of Biochemistry
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Rm. ND10.214B
Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A.
Email: diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu
214-645-6383 (phone)
214-645-6353 (fax)
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