Evolution Controversy -- What?
31/03/11 21:29 Filed in: Human Nature
I’m afraid, I don’t get the evolution controversy. God created the earth and the whole universe, from the simplest superstring to the greatest nebula to the hottest galaxy. He may have even created an unlimited number of universes, as scientists seem to think today that multiple universes exist. In all of this creating, God made the human person -- homo sapiens sapiens. He gave homo sapiens some things they share with other creatures and some things they do particularly better or only by themselves: speech, advanced reasoning, art, philosophy and science. We are closer to God than any other created material being (except, perhaps, elves, as Peter Kreeft argues). The fact that we evolved from the same evolutionary line as the great apes cannot and does not lessen who we are.
I am not sure, then, why people are still fighting the evolution wars, as this post reports about schools in Tennessee. A bill was proposed that would allow an instructor to teach whatever her beliefs were about science or evolution despite the fact that it has no scientific backing -- as in the case of creationism or intelligent design. Why would we allow our children to be taught something that is not true or to be taught that what is true is not true?
It must be because we believe science threatens our dignity. What nonsense!
Imagine you are an artist and you paint, and you’ve created an oeuvre of hundreds of paintings. Do you love all of them equally? Did you invest more energy in some than you did in others? Do you not have one or two that, when a guest comes over, you say -- this is my favorite. They all came from the same pallet. They all came from the same colors. In fact, some painting evolved from other ones -- you modified lines, concentrated on particular themes, highlighted various elements. Does this make the painting any the less valuable?
Just the contrary.
But, as I said, I really don’t understand the hot air.
I am not sure, then, why people are still fighting the evolution wars, as this post reports about schools in Tennessee. A bill was proposed that would allow an instructor to teach whatever her beliefs were about science or evolution despite the fact that it has no scientific backing -- as in the case of creationism or intelligent design. Why would we allow our children to be taught something that is not true or to be taught that what is true is not true?
It must be because we believe science threatens our dignity. What nonsense!
Imagine you are an artist and you paint, and you’ve created an oeuvre of hundreds of paintings. Do you love all of them equally? Did you invest more energy in some than you did in others? Do you not have one or two that, when a guest comes over, you say -- this is my favorite. They all came from the same pallet. They all came from the same colors. In fact, some painting evolved from other ones -- you modified lines, concentrated on particular themes, highlighted various elements. Does this make the painting any the less valuable?
Just the contrary.
But, as I said, I really don’t understand the hot air.
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