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Those gosh darned Darwinists, always wanting to cram their silly theory down out throats. As if that hair-brained Newton and his theory of gravity, or that lunatic Maxwell with his theory of electromagnetism weren't bad enough. Don't even talk to me about a theory of relativity - that's nothing more than the rantings of a deranged patent clerk. I say we round up all these crack-pots, walk them to the edge of this flat earth, and toss them overboard.

Seriously, the evolution-creationism issue is not really a legitimate debate. The experts in the relevant fields certainly don't engage in it. When paleontologists convene, it's not on their agenda, zoologists don't hold seminars to resolve the conflict, and serious biologists and geologists don't seek grants and conduct research to settle the matter. They all accept that life appeared about three and a half billion years ago in a simple, single-celled form, and evolved into more complex forms later. No this is not a real debate, it is an argument for laymen and fundamentalists.

The creationists are quick to charge that evolution is only a theory. Yes, that's true, but it is also completely irrelevant. Anyone brandishing that point clearly does not understand the definition of a scientific theory. The aforementioned works of Maxwell and Newton, as well as Dalton's atomic theory and Mendel's theory of genetics are prime examples. They were both inspired and sound, but not the final word. Scientific theories are consistent, dynamic and progressive, and they are useful - they offer the power of prediction. It is true that scientific theories, by definition, must be "falsifiable" (in principle, capable of being disproved) and perhaps this confuses some. However, the term in no way implies unsupported speculation or weak logic. Creationism on the other hand, is not a scientific theory, it is a myth - a myth in the truest sense of the word. A debate on creationism versus evolution is an apple-to-oranges comparison.

This issue often comes up in the context of primary education - what should be taught to young children, and how. Answering that question requires a choice. Do we educate our young in the sciences, or indoctrinate them into our mythology. I think that is possible to do both. Perhaps we should teach the theory of evolution in science classes, and present creationism in classes on religious mythology, or maybe just save it for Sunday school.

Learn more about this author, Jim Mcinvale.
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