evolution

Darwin and the Descent of Morality

An important part of the current controversy over the theoretical status of evolutionary theory concerns its moral implications. Does evolutionary theory undermine traditional morality, or does it support it? Does it suggest that infanticide is natural (as Steven Pinker asserts) or is it a bulwark against liberal relativism (as Francis Fukuyama argues)? Does it rest on a universe devoid of Read More ›

PBS’ “Evolution” generates a debate

Larry Witham discusses the PBS series “Evolution” in an article published for The Washington Times: The PBS documentary “Evolution” has generated a cultural debate that its producers expected. … The Discovery Institute, a public policy organization in Seattle, commissioned a public poll finding that eight in 10 Americans said a public television program on evolution should present scientific arguments for Read More ›

PBS’s ‘Evolution’ series is propaganda, not science

“It is absolutely safe to say that, if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that).” Leading Darwinist Richard Dawkins The wicked and insane will presumably have to fend for themselves, but for the rest of us, PBS has undertaken a massive new Read More ›

Evolution for the masses

America is the most scientifically advanced nation on Earth, yet a majority of its citizens reject Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Gallup polls have shown that about 45 percent of Americans believe God created living things in their present form a few thousand years ago; about 40 percent believe that things evolved over a long time with God’s guidance; while Read More ›

Santorum Language on Evolution

Congressional Conferees Language on Controversies Such as Evolution(Revised “Santorum Amendment”):2001-107th Congress-1st Session-House of Representatives Report-107 334 No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1 The Conferees recognize that a quality science education should prepare students to distinguish the data and testable theories of science from religious or philosophical claims that are made in the name Read More ›

Deconstructing Darwin

Textbooks often answer where life came from with a simple answer: Evolution. But for William Harris, a medical professor at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, the usual mechanisms of evolution are not enough. “I’ve found that there are a lot of holes in Darwinian theory that most people don’t want to acknowledge,” says Harris, who holds an endowed chair Read More ›

Nature’s Diverstity Beyond Evolution

Leaving fundamentalist dogma behind, a new species of anti-evolutionists has arisen under the banner of “intelligent design” — now at the heart of a bitter debate erupting in Ohio about how science and evolution should be taught in the public schools. Intelligent-design advocates delve into the minutiae of biology in search of evidence that random mutation and natural selection are Read More ›

Word Games

Since the late nineteenth century most biologists have rejected the idea that living organisms display evidence of intelligent design. While many acknowledge the appearance of design in biological systems, they insist that Darwinism, or neo-Darwinism, explains how this appearance arose naturalistically — that is, without invoking a directing intelligence or agency. Following Darwin, modern neo-Darwinists generally accept that natural selection Read More ›

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Peppered moth (Biston betularia)

Second Thoughts about Peppered Moths

Every student of biological evolution learns about peppered moths. The dramatic increase in dark forms of this species during the industrial revolution, and experiments pointing to differential bird predation as the cause, have become the classical story of evolution by natural selection. The same careful scientific approach which established the classical story in the first place, however, has now revealed Read More ›