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Evolution's Trap

Submitted by Scott Baker, May 24, 2007 11:02

Mr. Blackwell is wrong on everything. First, there is no difference between macro and micro evolution. One is just a longer more complicated version of the other. Second, intermediate forms abound all through nature. Eyes that can only see light and dark exist in some fish and moles, and they are better than no eyes at all. Third, new species are created all the time - by gardeners and farmers. Darwin's genius was applying the pricipal of Artificial Selection (what farmers and horticulturalists do) to Natural Selection. Evolution is a fact - we can DO evolution. Natural Selection is a theory, yes, but oh, what a theory. Nothing else even comes close to explaining the diversity of life on this planet. Fourth, our understanding of evolution has itself, evolved, as scientific theories are wont to do, so that we now have puncuated evolution - or evolution sped up in response to broad environmental shifts - see Dr. Stephen Jay Gould's work. Fifth, the candidates should support that which is true, not that which polls say a majority of Americans, or anyone else, believes. And no, believing something does not make it so - was the Earth really flat because the majority of people believed it to be so 500 years ago? (I'm assuming here that the author is not a member of the Flat Earth Society). Sixth, if America is to regain its preeminence in technological and scientific leadership, we can't waste time reteaching what every fourth grader should have already learned. That's why this question about evolution is not a trap, it is a chance to see if the next President understands science and more broadly, reason, or if he or she is little better than the Taliban, with their seventh century beliefs derived from a musty old book.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
If evolutionists want to end the arguments all they have to do is, get their brilliant heads together and assemble... [MORE]	James Collins	Jun 1, 2007 11:01
At the end I would change "opposition to conservative Christian beliefs" to "opposition to religious beliefs". Christians do not have a monopoly... [MORE]	D Hollander	May 27, 2007 21:49
They believe, to generalize broadly, that evolution is just one of the ways that a deity or deities works in... [MORE]	MPW	May 28, 2007 13:02
One does not "believe" in evolution anymore than one believes in gravity. Gravity exists, and exerts its influence throughout the... [MORE]	MacTurk	May 25, 2007 13:01
MacTurk comments that "One does not believe in evolution any more than one believes in gravity. Gravity exists ... "... [MORE]	Steve Bartholomew	May 27, 2007 22:00
Regarding those writers who believe that evolution is an absolute fact have yet to show me the creatures or whatever... [MORE]	E. Koos	May 25, 2007 04:51
Dear Sir, This was a deliberate, scripted, planned in advance question designed to embarass the candidates. It was posed by a... [MORE]	Roy Lofquist	May 25, 2007 01:41
It'shard to believe that anyone claiming to be aware of the science in biology would at this date still be... [MORE]	Harry Eagar	May 24, 2007 23:37
There have been 22 species of human alone. Perhaps if we weren't in the unusual point of our evolutionary history... [MORE]	Scott Baker	May 24, 2007 16:49
When a politician is asked about evolution the question could be rephrased: "Does religion trump science in the arena of... [MORE]	Del Dodge	May 24, 2007 14:52
Its even easier to just say yes, and that evolution is just one of many laws (gravity, electromagnetism) and processes... [MORE]	Charles Miller	May 24, 2007 14:15
Mr. Blackwell is wrong on everything. First, there is no difference between macro and micro evolution. One is just a...	Scott Baker	May 24, 2007 11:02
We can't DO evolution. We can DO hybridization (aritifical selection). We can breed animals to our hearts content, and my... [MORE]	Pepper	May 24, 2007 13:24
Scott Baker made a misstep when he talks about intermediate forms in nature. It is true there exist fish and... [MORE]	Paul Hamilton	May 24, 2007 13:50
If one is longer and more complicated then that is in fact a difference. A fish eye is a fish... [MORE]	Wallyhuck	May 24, 2007 14:31
Mr. Baker, you seem to be needlessly blind on just about every subject Mr. Blackwell mentions. 1. Microevolution and macroevolution, as... [MORE]	Mark Romer	May 24, 2007 18:31
No intermediate forms? Then why do horses have "chestnuts"? Why do whales have vestigial pelvises? Could a flying squirrel be... [MORE]	Thomas Collet	May 25, 2007 14:28
Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. Blackwell should really learn some real science, and not the religion infused garbage he's been reading. The... [MORE]	Grant Canyon	May 24, 2007 09:55
As the previous two comments demonstrate, "evolution" is an emotionally freighted term that is broadly defined. It seems to be... [MORE]	Charles Putnam	May 24, 2007 14:02
There is a myth propagated by opponents of Darwinian evolution that many credentialed scientists question evolution's veracity. The only serious... [MORE]	Thomas Collet	May 24, 2007 17:59
There are a plethora of scientists that will say evolution does not have a leg to stand on. Many of... [MORE]	Chris Leach	May 25, 2007 07:52
Dr Scott Todd, an immunologist at Kansas State University: ‘Even if all the data point to an intelligent designer, such an... [MORE]	Donald Dunnam	May 25, 2007 14:13
If any scientist can disprove evolution he needs to get his paper typed up and off to the Nobel commitee... [MORE]	Thomas Collet	May 25, 2007 17:33
You start out by claiming there are a bunch of atheist scientists who have come out against evolutionary theory. One... [MORE]	MPW	May 28, 2007 14:07

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