The opponents of evolution sure have evolved, said Ellen Goodman in The Boston Globe. Just 20 years ago, they were insisting that Genesis' account of a six-day creation was literally true, and wanted public schools to teach it as an equal to Darwin's theory of evolution. Having lost that battle, the creationists regrouped, and cooked up a theory they call 'œintelligent design.' A clever reworking of creationism, intelligent design postulates that the universe is too complex to have been created by chance mutations and evolution'”thus proving the existence of an intelligent designer. At the very least, the creationists say, children should be taught about this 'œscientific' alternative to Darwinism. This sneaky new strategy is working. The state of Kansas just completed an extraordinary series of hearings on intelligent design, amid signs that officials will soon give the theory 'œequal time' in the classroom with evolution. A dozen other states are considering similar proposals.
Nothing wrong with that, said Brian McNicoll in Townhall.com. Scientists seem to think that 'œall issues regarding the origin of life are settled.' But science is forced to admit error all the time. And while evolution clearly has some merit, it cannot account for the great leap in which apes, 'œdriven by nothing but instinct to survive,' somehow evolved into 'œa thinking, discerning, right-from-wrong-knowing human being.' Scientists say it's 'œbeneath them' to even consider the possibility that something outside the natural realm was at work. But science always performs better when it approaches the world with 'œa little humility,' and if any subject lends itself to humility, it's the origin of life.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why is Labour struggling to grow the economyToday's Big Question Britain's economy neared stagnation in the third quarter of the year
-
Best of frenemies: the famous faces back-pedalling and grovelling to win round Donald TrumpThe Explainer Politicians who previously criticised the president-elect are in an awkward position
-
Quiz of The Week: 9 - 15 NovemberHave you been paying attention to The Week's news?
