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Permanent revolution

Started by Tank, August 16, 2018, 10:21:49 AM

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Tank

Permanent revolution, Nature.com

QuoteTo defend evolution against misguided attacks, we need to consider how evolutionary biology is perceived by outsiders.

Attacks on evolution are sadly commonplace, and of themselves hardly worth the attention of an Editorial in this journal. However, the fact that the attacks come from a diverse range of sources is indicative of the cultural divide that can separate scientists from both popular culture and other branches of intellectual opinion. Two recent threats illustrate this point.

The news that Turkey has removed evolution from its school curriculum is depressing but unsurprising. The friction between evolutionary biology and fundamentalist versions of all the Abrahamic faiths is a constant irritant, and new manifestations of it have all to do with the political balance between moderates and extremists, and little to do with any developments in either science or religion. The global situation is made worse by the considerable financial clout of the creationist lobby in the United States, whose international reach has been recently demonstrated by the funding of an Intelligent Design institute in Brazil1. The best that scientists can do is continue to reach out beyond their academic bubble, using all media available to them, and engage patiently with those legislators, religious moderates and members of the public who will listen. The EvoKE team, whom we interviewed recently, is an admirable example of this2... read more via link

Worth a read.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Dave

Quote from: Tank on August 16, 2018, 10:21:49 AM
Permanent revolution, Nature.com

QuoteTo defend evolution against misguided attacks, we need to consider how evolutionary biology is perceived by outsiders.

Attacks on evolution are sadly commonplace, and of themselves hardly worth the attention of an Editorial in this journal. However, the fact that the attacks come from a diverse range of sources is indicative of the cultural divide that can separate scientists from both popular culture and other branches of intellectual opinion. Two recent threats illustrate this point.

The news that Turkey has removed evolution from its school curriculum is depressing but unsurprising. The friction between evolutionary biology and fundamentalist versions of all the Abrahamic faiths is a constant irritant, and new manifestations of it have all to do with the political balance between moderates and extremists, and little to do with any developments in either science or religion. The global situation is made worse by the considerable financial clout of the creationist lobby in the United States, whose international reach has been recently demonstrated by the funding of an Intelligent Design institute in Brazil1. The best that scientists can do is continue to reach out beyond their academic bubble, using all media available to them, and engage patiently with those legislators, religious moderates and members of the public who will listen. The EvoKE team, whom we interviewed recently, is an admirable example of this2... read more via link

Worth a read.

Good find, Tank, thanks for the link. But I am reminded of:



There will always be those who refuse to accept evolution, many of them are in powerful positions. Whilst some nations fall behind through adherence to Genisis etc hopefully others will advance by being open minded. If it gets bad enough and unis are effected they may lose some of the best students, tutors and scientists in important fields. Maybe even companies.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

No one

The validity of evolution is not diminished by stupidity, or the inability to comprehend it.

Dave

Quote from: No one on August 16, 2018, 11:40:19 AM
The validity of evolution is not diminished by stupidity, or the inability to comprehend it.

True, No-one, but the quality of overall education and underdtanding is, unfortunately, diminished by such negative qualities.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

No one

Sure, the education process is harmed by stupidity, facts are not. I mean, if time travel is possible, then the science for it already exists, regardless of human ability to understand it.

Dave

Quote from: No one on August 16, 2018, 02:12:43 PM
Sure, the education process is harmed by stupidity, facts are not. I mean, if time travel is possible, then the science for it already exists, regardless of human ability to understand it.

True, my friend, but the denying of facts in the material world can do material damage. I'm getting out of the philosophical box here and thinking about the future of the species you hate so much.

This applies even more to the environment, hate to admit it but I would concentrate funding on preserving the environment rather than delving into past evolution. Look after genetic research into disease treatment though.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

No one

You can't curtail human stupidity, or their arrogance. Which in my opinion, is why humans deny evolution so vehemently.  There is also the gross miscomprehension of what evolution actually is.

As far as the future of the species. It's a done deal. Whether you're talking homosapiens evolving into the next link in the chain, or the eventual end of it all, the species is going away.

Dave

Quote from: No one on August 16, 2018, 02:32:09 PM
You can't curtail human stupidity, or their arrogance. Which in my opinion, is why humans deny evolution so vehemently.  There is also the gross miscomprehension of what evolution actually is.

As far as the future of the species. It's a done deal. Whether you're talking homosapiens evolving into the next link in the chain, or the eventual end of it all, the species is going away.

Yeah, but we have survive to get to the speciation point into the next iteration somehow!  Hmm, but yes, we may still be genus homo but h.sapiens will go the way if all previous models.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

No one

If the current iteration of the species survives they survive, if they don't, they don't.
Look, I'm not trying to be argumentative here, nor am I trying to belittle your view. Do i think humans will go the way of the Dodo tomorrow? Of course not. But if they don't make it, they don't make it. That's just the way it is.

Dave

Quote from: No one on August 16, 2018, 04:26:19 PM
If the current iteration of the species survives they survive, if they don't, they don't.
Look, I'm not trying to be argumentative here, nor am I trying to belittle your view. Do i think humans will go the way of the Dodo tomorrow? Of course not. But if they don't make it, they don't make it. That's just the way it is.

Sorry, No-one, I was not trying to be aggressively argumentative either - just stretching the conversation to see if it twangs.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

No one

No need to be sorry Dave. I was just saying I wasn't arguing for the sake of arguing.

Like I said before, science doesn't care what you believe or if you can follow along. The science of something is the science of it, no matter what anyone thinks.
As long as human ego plays a part a good number of people will refuse to accept evolution. Even though it's everywhere. Even die hard creatards like the hovinds and the comforts have come to accept microevolution. They so cleverly call it variation in kind. But, "believing" in micro but not macroevolution is akin to believing in seconds but not millennia.

xSilverPhinx

I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Icarus