Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Dear sir,
I think that in most cases writing replies to creationism just encourages them. You are unlikely to rationalize someone out of such a deeply irrational stance. So, I thought, I should leave those letters that I wrote about yesterday well alone.
Then I thought a little more. It seems to me these ideologues shouldn't just get away with trying to rob people of some of the beauty of the natural world. So, I did write a letter (you'll recognise alot of it) that briefly showed how silly their bleating was and tried to show a little of how demeaning their fundamentalism can be. Below is the result, which I have sent off, I don't know when or if it will be printed.
It is sad to think the kind of ignorance displayed by the series of creationist's letters published on January 22nd can be found in New Zealand. The scientific misgivings they present are easily assuaged: Monkeys still exist because there is still a good living to be made asa monkey and apes only remain apes to the (very real) extent that A. H. Wall is an ape. I know of no adaptation in existence (eyes and wings included) that cannot have evolved by a series of small steps each being advantageous to the owner. Silvio Famularo may be interested to learn about lungfish, which can live on land, and seals and hippos which are both mammals that have recently taken up a semi-aquatic life style. The rest of his letter deals with Lamarckism - a theory that predates Darwin's. More worrying is the rationale behind, as David Bush suggests, allowing people the luxury of ignorance. In the 38 million centuries that have passed since life first formed on this planet only the last two have contained a species able to answer the greatest question life presents. Why are we here? To turn your back on that opportunity because of words Iron Age desert nomads scrawled on animal hides is not just small minded ignorance, it's philistinism.
2 Comments:
Hi. I believe in evolution, but I still don't have an aswer to the question that you presume to know the answer to: "why are we here?"
Evolution seems to go a way to answer how we developed into our current form, but does it really answer why we are here?
I am interested to know why we are here. Please elaborate.
Evolution seems to go a way to answer how we developed into our current form, but does it really answer why we are here?
I am interested to know why we are here. Please elaborate.
Sorry it's taken a little while to get back to your question Mr Steve. Things have been a little hectic recently.
I guess what I mean is that our modern understanding of evolutionary theory has removed any need to presume we are 'here' for any reason greater than the same combination of mutations and selective pressure that has generated every other living form on earth.
You could justifiably answer the question "why are we here?" with "Because in the recent past a population of jungle dwelling African Apes lived in an environment that over time lead to a selective advantage to be had by individuals with larger brains, a bipedal gait and who showed some degree of neoteny." Of course there were many more things driving our evolution than those listed, but still there is no need for a supernatural explanation.
Of course, anyone that wantas to is free to believe that there is some greater reason for our existance, we just don't have to.
I guess what I mean is that our modern understanding of evolutionary theory has removed any need to presume we are 'here' for any reason greater than the same combination of mutations and selective pressure that has generated every other living form on earth.
You could justifiably answer the question "why are we here?" with "Because in the recent past a population of jungle dwelling African Apes lived in an environment that over time lead to a selective advantage to be had by individuals with larger brains, a bipedal gait and who showed some degree of neoteny." Of course there were many more things driving our evolution than those listed, but still there is no need for a supernatural explanation.
Of course, anyone that wantas to is free to believe that there is some greater reason for our existance, we just don't have to.