Posted: Jun 21, 2010 4:06 pm
Will S wrote:Sophie / Cassie
It's an interesting line of thought - though I do wish that some real theist would deign to join the discussion. In the meantime, may I have a go?
I believe that (a) evolution happened and (b) the evidence for it is overwhelming. So plainly I have to face the question: Why should anybody think that evolution didn't happen? I can think of various explanations which might apply, singly or in combination, in different cases:
1. They've got a wrong idea of what the theory of evolution actually claims.
2. They've never studied the evidence for evolution in sufficient detail
3. They're too dim to understand the evidence, even if they did study it
4. Their religious beliefs and indoctrination have put them into a state of what psychologists call 'denial'
5. They've got some ulterior motive for pretending to disbelieve in evolution, whilst knowing perfectly well that it's true
(I've listed these explanations in rough order of insult.)
But, I hope, that before I say anything so derogatory about my fellow humans, I'll look very hard and critically at my own beliefs about evolution, and make sure that I can find no fault with them.
I have often asked myself that question! I temporarily rejected evolution when I was about 15 and the reasons were a combination of Jehovah's Witness propaganda and the realisation that my science teacher did not understand the subject very well and was merely engaging with the evidence as received opinion- like most of my many changes of opinion that phase only lasted a couple of weeks!
I am always surprised by how many reasonable people have severe doubts and the ones I interrogate usually have a very firm commitment to another scientific field- usually engineering- have problems with the latest ideas of deep time and/or are not very interested in biological theories even if they are fascinated by less abstract aspects of reality- eg current affairs , military history or the natural world. They seem to be less the victims of credulity than subscribers to pragmatism!