The Showdown

Recently famed scientific prognosticator, William Nye, aka Bill Nye “The Science Guy”, spoke out about the foolishness in denying evolutionary theory.  Some may remember Mr. Nye and his science show geared toward children, which ran from 1993 to 1998 on Disney and PBS.  The crux of Mr. Nye’s comments is that adults can choose to not believe in evolution, but should not dissuade their children from believing in evolution because “we need them to believe in science.”  To be fair to Mr. Nye, he has defended his comments on CBS This Morning and said he was not attacking religion but said that we cannot abandon provable science. 

Provable science?  Let us come back to that comment in a minute. 

Another famed scientist, Richard Dawkins, has also made the news when he did an interview in a certain “gentlemen’s” magazine (as reported by the Blaze.com).  Dawkins, not to be confused with Richard Dawson of hit game show “Family Feud”, has been an opponent of religion on creationism for many years, perhaps most his most notable work was his book “The God Delusion (2006).”  Unlike Nye, however, Dawkins is not ashamed to outright bash on people’s religious beliefs.

I am certainly no Rhodes Scholar and probably couldn’t hold my own with these two science giants in an intellectual grudge match, but I thought it would be interesting to try.

The Champions 

Richard Dawkins – famed evolutionary biologist, author and evolutionary pundit
Stats
-        PhD from Balliol College in Oxford, England, in Zoology.
-        Published 12 books, and dozens of published articles and academic papers the world over.
-        Hates God and religion as a whole
-        Born in England
 William Nye – famed television actor and science educator
Stats:
-        Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University in Mechanical Engineering
-        Educated young children from 1993-1998 on his own PBS show
-        Has several movie and television show credits including being “Speedwalker” a speed walking superhero
-        Has a full head of really nice hair 

The Challenger 

L Kyle – amateur blogger and winner of two of my last three Words with Friends games
Stats:
-        Public school education and PhD in common sense
-        Nine published blogs
-        Fired from a job by Willie Aames-        Former community college adjunct faculty member (not trying to toot my own horn folks, just stating the facts)

Okay, turns out that Mr. Ney and PhD Dawkins were not immediately available for the challenge so I guess I will have to just use their published and or spoken words for their side of this intellectual showdown. 

Round 1 – Evolution is Scientific Fact

PhD Dawkins – “We are highly evolved apes.” 

Mr. Nye – “If you are an adult and don’t want to believe in evolution and live in your…your world that is completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that’s fine, just don’t make your kids do it because we need them to be science literate.”

Rebuttal: These to chaps want us to believe evolution is science fact and not just a theory.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Evolution is merely a theory; nothing has been proven to be fact.  Gravity is fact.  Newton’s three laws of motion are scientific fact.  Evolution is not.  Science is defined as “the state of knowing” by Merriam Webster’s.  It is also defined as: knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method. 

So using that definition let’s see what else Mr. Nye and PhD Dawkins have to say.

In an episode of “Bill Nye the Science Guy” on evolution Mr. Nye is trying to explain to children where evolution started and he says “As near as we can figure.”  That doesn’t sound like knowing to me.  That sounds like figuring. 

In an interview PhD Dawkins was asked how did the evolutionary process began. His response was “Well nobody knows how is began.” 

Yet both men would have us believe that evolution is science fact, not just a theory.  But at the same time they cannot say for certain how evolution began nor can they replicate the process.  And in scientific terms if something cannot be observed and repeated then it is nothing more than a theory or hypothesis.  It is not proven as Mr. Nye stated it was.  Evolution is just a hypothesis taught as fact.

Round 2 – Belief in evolution is necessary to accept the rest of science

Mr. Nye – “Your world becomes fantastically complicated when you don’t believe in evolution .”

Rebuttal – It’s funny that William uses the word believe when talking about evolution.   The word believe means to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.  No one has to believe in gravity because gravity happens to us, even if you don’t understand how it happens; you understand that it is there.  But evolutionary science is very much a belief system.  Which is why William Nye and PhD Dawkins cannot wrap their heads around the fact that people don’t believe.  They are so sold out to their belief that they cannot comprehend anything else.  Much like the Christian doesn’t understand how when presented with the facts of their religion that other people don’t believe as they do.

Fortunately for the evolutionary scientist they have the full weight of the scientific community which is to say they have virtually unlimited resources.  This translates into unfettered access to our education system.  Once the scientific community and certain groups were successful in removing Christianity from our education system it has allowed any mention of creation or a Creator to also be removed.  Mr. Nye and PhD Dawkins want you to buy into their belief system rather than a religious belief system, but both require faith.

Round 3 – Science and Religious belief are not compatible

Mr. Nye – ““If you are an adult and don’t want to believe in evolution and live in your…your world that is completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that’s fine, just don’t make your kids do it because we need them to be science literate.”

PhD Dawkins – “It’s not that I shun [religious people]. It’s that the circles I move in tend to be educated, intelligent circles, and there aren’t any religious people among them that I know of.” Emphasis mine

Rebuttal – So pretty much PhD Dawkins and the Science Guy think that religious people are stupid or at least ignorant.  Nye rebuke’s parents for teaching their children that evolution is false.  He believes that children who believe in Creation will not be productive members of society.  That their mere unbelief in evolution will hamper their ability to be literate in scientific matters.  I wonder what these two gentlemen think about the hundreds of scientists who belong to the American Scientific Affiliation,  or the Christians in Science, societies for those who are both Christians and scientists  Most of the people are far more qualified on scientific matters than Mr. Nye, minus of course the acting credentials. 

Further more belief in God does not mean that one cannot find science extraordinary or the findings of science study fascinating.  One can believe in God and still look at the stars and still be amazed by their beauty.  Belief in God just means that there is a different starting point when thinking about creation. 

That is really the rub between science and Christianity and the reason why Bill Nye and Richard Dawkins want so desperately bad to have evolution be the right answer.  If we are just a cosmic accident, a happenstance, a convergence of chemicals then what is our purpose?  Who are we accountable to?  Their answer is no one.  In the end they don’t want there to be a God, not because God and science don’t mix, but because they don’t want to answer to someone higher than themselves. 

Leftovers enjoy.

L. Kyle