Lee sent this along to me, and I thought I'd share. It's famed evolutionary ecologist Richard Dawkins reading the hate mail he gets from Creationists. This clip's audio straddles the line between Safe for Work and Not Safe for Work, so I'd turn the speakers down a bit before viewing.
It blows my mind that people could not realize evolution to be the truth. If the Catholic Church can reconcile evolution with faith why can't these people?
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This like this just absolutely blow my mind. Forget the fact that i believe evolution to be true and any sort of belief in god or the devil to be false. Its crazy that some people cannot even accept something contradictory to their closed minded point of view to even be a viable theory, let alone proven science.
The responses that he gets arent really surprising to me though, since evolution vs creationism is a very inflammatory topic no matter where you go. But the extent that some of these nutjobs go to in telling him how hes going to hell...apparently their god is ok with that sort of threat making.
I could go on for pages, but ill leave it at that.
I hear ya Roadie; I wish I could say it blows my mind too, but I think I'm just becoming too accustomed to willful ignorance.
I've come to the point where I think the argument has just gotten silly. Facts, empirical evidence, and theories derived from the scientific process cannot reasonably be contested with faith, conjecture, and a couple of books written during an era of relative ignorance. They're just not on the same level; it's like trying to take out a tank with an orange.
What a lot of creationists are failing to grasp is that science is not about belief, it's about knowing or the quest for knowledge. Religion is about belief. Put another way, one could say that the purpose of science is to figure out the "how" of the universe, while religion is a vehicle for finding out the "why" of the universe. I think that the problem stems from them trying to answer "how" with their particular brand of "why", if you catch my meaning. To borrow a cliche, they're using the wrong tool for the job.
And I do equate the creationist/anti-evolutionist argument against evolution to largely be a stance against science in general. Ever hear the quote "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution"? It reflects the idea that life on earth has a shared history, and that biological science inherently pre-supposes this as a solid base. Thing is, it doesn't stop there... Other sciences assume this too; chemistry, archaeology, and anthropology, just to name a few (to say nothing of biology "offshoots" such as biochemistry, microbiology, paleontology, etc).
But all of this assumes a planet of a relatively old age, which also assumes a universe that is certainly older than 6000 years. Evolution supports the theory of an old(er) planet and universe, and vice-versa. Many other sciences rely on the theories of an older planet/universe, such as astrology, geology, and astrophysics. I think you can see where this is going, since so many of the different sciences are so closely interconnected...
But I also think that science and faith, or evolution and creationism, do not have to be mutually exclusive. For example, one could have faith in a god/religion but still learn about evolution. A scientifically minded individual often can accept other "theories" about something, and can separate belief from fact. In contrast, it seems that the dogma that is taught by religion tries to shut out evolutionary theory as being contrary to their beliefs or belief system. Some people can separate the two in their head, others cannot. Maybe they just don't have the intellectual mechanism for it?
I'm sure a lot of that comes from the idea that religion had evolved at one point (pun intended) to control, pacify, and placate the masses. Some of it also comes from hubris; many religions teach that its way is the only way, and that its adherents are the only ones "in the right". This hubristic line of thinking often places humanity above just about all of creation (pun intended) in importance as the pinnacle of life. Evolution challenges that notion and thus challenges the foundation of their belief system.
Maybe they just find science "too hard" and find it easier to just accept what they're told, using only a small part of their intellect to think about it... AKA, willful ignorance.
Some examples...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNC117UYsHs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbcWKWp2UE4
Well, that's my take on it. I could (and have) write more.
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