Real Controversies About Evolution

[catsittingstill]

I have been exposed, rather more than I would like, to the arguments of the anti-evolution people who try to work up political and social controversies and blur them with scientific controversies to which they don't apply, trying to make them sound as if there were real doubt about the theory of evolution.

These always struck me as being like a rube watching two mechanics sitting on the front porch, listening to someone trying to start a car behind the building.  Mechanic 1 says "It's a Ford F 150, made in 1997.  Hear that slight metallic edge as the starter disengages at the end?"  The other one says "No, it's a Ford F 150, but it was made in 1998; the pitch of the engine has that slightly higher note that they got when they switched to aluminum cladding on the outside of the carburetor."

The rube says "See? They can't even agree on what kind of car it is.   I told you all along; it's a horse."

Now John Timmer at Nobel Intent has put up an excellent post analyzing the real scientific controversies in the field of Evolutionary Biology, and comparing them to the "controversies" manufactured by the Creationism/Intelligent Design/Discovery institute crowd.

It's an excellent article; if you have time I recommend it to your attention.

Comments

Re: Biblical retcons

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

It makes "sense" now (inasmuch as any argument that assumes its conclusion makes sense) but it was hotly disputed at the time; the conflict even made it into Paul's letters. A lot of the Jewish story had to be rewritten before it could become the Christian story. And of course the Jewish story itself had been rewritten in the past.