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Humor

Michael Lynch: Darwinism is a caricature of evolutionary biology

IDers like to portray evolution as being built entirely on an edifice of darwinian natural selection. This caricature of evolutionary biology is not too surprising. Most molecular, cell and developmental biologists subscribe to the same creed, as do many popular science writers. However, it has long been known that purely selective arguments are inadequate to explain many aspects of biological diversity.

Michael Lynch, May 2005

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Improved symbol for the Clergy Letter Project

The NCSE is shamelessly pandering to religious interests to advance their cause, and because I really like the NCSE, I’d like to help them out in their recent campaign to support The Clergy Letter Project.

The Clergy Letter Project is an attempt to recruit religious groups to support Darwin. To that end, let me suggest a symbol which the Clergy Letter Project should adopt to set apart the churches which have formed an alliance with Charles Darwin.

It is the symbol which Darwin himself swore by, and what better way for churches who are part of the clergy project to honor Darwin than by adopting a symbol which Darwin himself was so fond of.

The symbol I suggest is Darwin’s walking stick. Here is what it looks like as reported by the BBC news:
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Eugenie Scott defeats Ed Brayton

[photo of Eugenie Scott from www.ExpelledTheMovie.com serving as one of the Class Officers of The Big Science Academy. She will have a starring role in the best pro-ID movie yet.]

ID is a lineal descendent of William Paley’s Argument from Design (Paley 1803,)

Eugenie Scott
NCSE

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[quote mine] Charles Darwin: “all has been intelligently designed”

From Letter 3154 — Darwin, C. R. to Herschel, J. F. W., 23 May [1861] One cannot look at this Universe with all living productions & man without believing that all has been intelligently designed Charles Darwin, 1861 I think that would make a perfect textbook sticker.

The best evolutionary biologists think about intelligent design


It is evident by the fact that Richard Dawkins, Jerry Coyne, Ken Miller, Sean Carroll, and Michael Ruse have written book reviews of Michael Behe’s book, The Edge of Evolution, that the best evolutionary biologists think about intelligent design. That only makes sense because Darwin himself wrote much about intelligent design and devoted an entire book, The Origin of Species, in a failed attempt to refute intelligent design.

We see peer reviewed literature by Zuckerkandl, Ayala, Koonin, and others referencing intelligent design. Here is a peer-reviewed article by 3 scientists from MIT in the journal of Molecular Systems Biology: The intelligent design of evolution where the authors assert:

The debate between intelligent design and evolution in education may still rage in school boards and classrooms, but intelligent design is making headway in the laboratory…
….
Intelligent design, however, may be here to stay.

In preparing another thread, I came across the photograph of one of the most famous evolutionary biologists, John Maynard Smith. The photograph above was of Maynard-Smith when he was a bit younger. The photograph below is one of the last photographs of Maynard-Smith published, and it appeared in a memorial article written by Richard Lewontin in the prestigious Journal Science in 2004 [see: Retrospective: In Memory of John Maynard Smith (1920-2004)]

Look at the close up of the book on his shelf:

It’s none other than Michael Behe’s, Darwin’s Black Box, right beside Charles Darwin’s autobiography.
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With enemies like Coyne, who needs friends?

The attempted refutation of Behe’s work by the Darwinists has been so anemic that even the prominent names in the Darwinist blogsphere are beginning to lament the lackluster performance of their All-Stars against Michael Behe.

For example, Jason Rosenhouse, one of the most brilliant authors at PandasThumb, has decided to break ranks and openly criticize world-renowned Darwinist Jerry Coyne.

In Coyne Lays an Egg, Rosenhouse writes:

[Coyne’s] review of [Behe’s Edge of Evolution] EoE is a terrible piece of work. It’s all snideness and ridicule with very little in the way of good arguments. It really infuriates me when someone like Coyne is given such a terrific platform, several thousand words in a classy magazine like The New Republic, and then writes as if the whole project is beneath him.
….
Behe will have a good time lambasting Coyne for not reading very carefully.

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Darwinism Is Rocket Science!

As some UD readers may be aware, I earn my living in the aerospace research and development field, with a specialty in guidance, navigation and control (GN&C). When asked what I do for a living, I usually respond, “Well, it’s basically rocket science.” This brief audio file, which our aerospace engineers have studied with much interest, elucidates the essential principles of missile guidance algorithms. Upon reflection, I realized that Darwinian logic is indeed rocket science! After listening to the brief lecture provided above, the similarities between Darwinism and rocket science should be obvious to any unbiased observer.

“Scoundrel? Scoundrel…I like the sound of that”

Have you noticed that heroes are often scoundrels too (at least in the movies)? Can we say Rhett Butler or Han Solo?

Recall this romantic scene from The Empire Strikes Back:

Scoundrel I like the sound of that

Han: Hey! Your worship, I’m only trying to help.
Leia: Would you please stop calling me that?

Han: Sure…Leia.
Leia: You make it so difficult sometimes.

Han: I do. I really do. You could be a little nicer, though. C’mon admit it, sometimes you think I’m alright.
Leia: Occasionally, maybe, when you aren’t acting like a scoundrel.

Han: Scoundrel? Scoundrel…I like the sound of that. Read More ›

Friday the 13th in Africa

A rare glimpse of natural selection in action was captured today. Look at the bright side: At least the poor creature didn’t suffer, and the lions got an easy meal.

Blythian evolution explains antibiotic resistance, not Darwinism

I was nicknamed “Gas.”

Charles Darwin
Autobiography

Is evolution of antibiotic resistance by bacteria an example of Darwinism? Such a claim is very suspicious since Darwinism deals mainly with the origin of species.

Evolution of antibiotic resistance is an example of survival of the fittest within a species, not an origin of species. This phenomenon ought more properly to be credited to the ideas of Edward Blyth rather than Charles “Gas” Darwin.

Loren Eiseley, Professor of Anthropology and the History of Science at the University of Pennsylvania correctly argues:

the leading tenets of Darwin’s work—the struggle for existence, variation, natural selection and sexual selection—are all fully expressed in Blyth’s paper of 1835.

[For more details, read Was Blyth the true scientist and Darwin merely a plagiarist and charlatan?]

Despite this, Panda’s Thumb author Tara Smith continues her usual equivocations about evolution here. If by “evolution”, one means change, then everyone is an evolutionist, even creationists like Blyth.
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Off Topic: Personal Computer Humor

My daughter who works at Dell sent me this. I thought it might be appreciated by all who’ve witnessed the deluge of Mac vs. PC television adverts.

Debate between Alister McGrath and Peter Atkins

A special debate between Alister McGrath, Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University, author of “Dawkins’ God” and “The Dawkins Delusion” and Peter Atkins, Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University, well-known atheist and supporter of Richard Dawkins. As seen on Channel 4’s “The trouble with atheism”. This event was organised jointly by The University of Edinburgh Philosophy Society and The Christian Union. It was held in George Square Lecture Theatre which seats 500, however was overwhelmed by the number of people wanting to attend, over 300 people had to be turned away. The audio echos a little at first, but improves. These two start out with cordial presentations, but it heats up about mid way through. Some humor comes into Read More ›

Theory of Evolution as well tested as…

We often hear biologists claim the theory of evolution is as well tested as the theory of gravity. What we don’t often hear is physicists claim the theory of gravity is as well tested as the theory of evolution. Click here to learn why. 😆