About a year ago, I heard a Science Friday episode (NPR) where they were discussing the evolution "debate." They made the point that it's only a "debate" here in the US -- in Europe, there's no debate. There, evolution is accepted as fact. Part of the problem is American fundamentalists, but part of the problem is also stations like Discovery (which I otherwise LOVE), that show programming designed to discuss the debate, hash out the details of the debate, allow people to DEBATE the debate, etc, to increase ratings and viewer numbers. BBC never shows crap like that -- evolution is boring, mundane, taken as the fact that it is. If you allow a crazy person to get on the air and spew his craziness, then you're allowing the craziness to spread, even if you put a scientist on to counter the argument. If you don't give crazy people airtime, you don't have as much of a problem.
the funny thing is this really makes us USians look like apes (ironic, don't you think). The "debate" annoys the hell out of me since I am a Catholic and a scientist and don't see why the two (religion and science in general, evolution specifically) need to be exclusive.
Your religion and evolution don't need to be exclusive. But evolution contradicts the factual accuracy of the bible, which goes against the religious beliefs of fundamentalist Christians.
Nothing is worse than claiming something like "religion and science are in separate domains" or are "separate ways of knowing" or anything of the sort. Anyone who believes that there is an invisible man in the sky who controls everything and can do anything if you ask him (but the answering of these prayers is either random or undetectible) is irrational. That doesn't mean that person might not be able to apply principles of molecular biology at the bench and help develop drugs. In that sense, the two need not be "exclusive." However that's ONLY because the person has decided to wall off their insanity in the PARTICULAR instance when they are at work sitting in front of their tissue culture. And that, of course, is only because when you're at work, you can't tell your boss you didn't get your in situ's done because god didn't answer your prayers to hybridize the antibodies for you. But you CAN tell your children that the reason their grandmother died is because god called her home, because there's no one to hold you accountable.
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About a year ago, I heard a Science Friday episode (NPR) where they were discussing the evolution "debate." They made the point that it's only a "debate" here in the US -- in Europe, there's no debate. There, evolution is accepted as fact. Part of the problem is American fundamentalists, but part of the problem is also stations like Discovery (which I otherwise LOVE), that show programming designed to discuss the debate, hash out the details of the debate, allow people to DEBATE the debate, etc, to increase ratings and viewer numbers. BBC never shows crap like that -- evolution is boring, mundane, taken as the fact that it is. If you allow a crazy person to get on the air and spew his craziness, then you're allowing the craziness to spread, even if you put a scientist on to counter the argument. If you don't give crazy people airtime, you don't have as much of a problem.
But crazy people get ratings
the funny thing is this really makes us USians look like apes (ironic, don't you think). The "debate" annoys the hell out of me since I am a Catholic and a scientist and don't see why the two (religion and science in general, evolution specifically) need to be exclusive.
Your religion and evolution don't need to be exclusive. But evolution contradicts the factual accuracy of the bible, which goes against the religious beliefs of fundamentalist Christians.
But science generally works against religion. What do you think of this?
Nothing is worse than claiming something like "religion and science are in separate domains" or are "separate ways of knowing" or anything of the sort. Anyone who believes that there is an invisible man in the sky who controls everything and can do anything if you ask him (but the answering of these prayers is either random or undetectible) is irrational. That doesn't mean that person might not be able to apply principles of molecular biology at the bench and help develop drugs. In that sense, the two need not be "exclusive." However that's ONLY because the person has decided to wall off their insanity in the PARTICULAR instance when they are at work sitting in front of their tissue culture. And that, of course, is only because when you're at work, you can't tell your boss you didn't get your in situ's done because god didn't answer your prayers to hybridize the antibodies for you. But you CAN tell your children that the reason their grandmother died is because god called her home, because there's no one to hold you accountable.
Amen, Mox.
mike, as a self-proclaimed Catholic and scientist you might find this interesting.
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