“Among the words that can be all things to all men, the word ‘race’ has a fair claim to being the most common, the most ambiguous, and the most explosive.” — Jacques Barzun, Race: A Study in Superstition, 1937 We start with a quiz: what did Eve look like? Quickly, now! Sorry, there’s no…
In the 200th anniversary year of Darwin’s birth, I traveled to Down House from my home in Lincoln, Nebraska, to confront the origin of specious beliefs about evolution, and in my own small way try to uproot them.
Can it be true that the laws of physics hold, and that God acts in the world? I think so. And I think evolutionary biology (with a dash of physics) can help us see how.
“…Jesus said to him: Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead. And when he entered into the boat, his disciples followed him: And behold a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves, but he was asleep. And they came to him, and awaked him, saying: Lord,…
In “The Far Future Universe,” George Ellis poses an overarching question: “Will human life and all intelligence inevitably come to an end as the universe evolves, or is there some way in which they could survive until the end of time?”
Does a biology professor’s refusal to write letters of recommendation for a student unwilling to embrace evolution amount to unfair discrimination? For conservative Christian advocacy groups, the answer is a thunderous yes. For Texas Tech University, where the issue has lately arisen, the answer is a milder no. For those concerned with science-religion issues, the…
“If you’re living like there’s no God,” a popular bumper sticker warns, “you’d better be right.” A fringe of flames at the sticker’s base provides a clue to the hellish price of error. Whether consciously or not, this modern folk wisdom sums up “Pascal’s Wager,” the living legacy of Blaise Pascal, a brilliant 17th century…
“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…” — Richard Dawkins “We’re leaving the fortress and heading behind the lines to blow up the other side’s headquarters, its ammunition store.” — Philip E. Johnson In…