|
|
Please learn what an alternative theory is.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I really never care to get into arguments over whether or not the theory of evolution is true, though I run into this all the time even when there are not places where people are trying to get ID taught in schools. So many people want an alternative theory to evolution to be taught in schools because they do not want their kids learning this. Granted, I don't know a lot of people who really went over evolutionary theory much in high school, where the focus is, so I am really unsure why this gets pushed so much. Though, I honestly do not think people understand either what the theory of evolution seeks to explain or what an alternative theory really is.
I think a lot of the problem stems from people's perceptions of Darwin himself, which started when he first published On the Origin of the Species. He wasn't looking to circumvent theism, and to be honest he worked hard to really avoid it ever touching upon the subject. Atheists and theists alike have worked in their own theological idealogies onto his theory. He only had one purpose when he started his work, to explain the taxonomic differences between different species. That's it. There is really nothing else which the theory, even today, is explaining. Now, there are many uses of the theory, as there is to any scientific theory, which I think gain more scorn than the theory ever does. Taxonomy is highly dependent upon the theory. Which really makes a lot of sense considering that is what the theory was seeking to explain.
So what is our alternative theory? Intelligent design. A theory, for those who call it that, which does not seek to explain the taxonomic differences between animal species but to show a pattern of design which could only be the result of an intelligent designer. Let's be honest though, the intelligent designer is a creator deity...so it is a theistic theory only. It has an agenda, which of course makes it suspect to many people. Though, what I do not get is how is it an alternative theory? They do not seek to explain the same thing. In fact they are not even in the same ballpark. Their perspective phenomenon to explain doesn't fit into being competing theories. At best one could try to say that irreducible complexity would be the alternative theory, though it doesn't really try and explain the differences in taxonomy as much as it seeks to put holes in the theory of evolution.
A lot of people think these are two theories, or a theory and an argument etc., to explain the same thing. Not even just theists but atheists too. Just as it was in Darwin's time, we have too many people putting their own ideologies into the theory. I often wonder how the theory would have evolved, pardon the pun, if we had not been doing this. Would the theory be as strong as it is today? Would we have competing theories now instead of one single theory? Would evolutionary theory have died out completely otherwise? There's no way to tell, though I can see all of these as possible outcomes if there had been no ideological bias in play with this one theory.
I saw someone claim that "Intelligent Design and Creationism are simply critiques of Darwinism, at face value." Which I think is probably closer to the truth. Though, our problem is that so many are claiming otherwise and trying to legitimize it as the alternative to evolution. We really need for people to stop this. Be honest and admit what this is, a use of a scientific theory to argue atheism vs. theism. The same old shit that goes on otherwise, just wrapped up in pretty paper with a bow wrapped around it. This was the arguments which had been going on in philosophy which have mostly died out and now science is the new method of doing so. We honestly lose too much by doing this.Labels: atheism, creationism, evolution, ID, science, theism
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home