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March 7, 2006
Neither Rhyme Nor Reason
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I ride a bicycle.
Can you swim?
This is the poem my father would recite whenever he wanted to point out that something made no sense at all. It wasn't until today that I finally came to understand the meaning of this poem. Over on The Panda's Thumb, Reed A. Cartwright quotes the words of Kentucky’s governor, Ernie Fletcher in response to a resolution of the Kentucky Academy of Science which opposed the teaching of evolution. While the whole silly thing should be read to see just how nutty it is, here is my favorite paragraph.
Thank you for contacting me regarding the teaching of “intelligent design.” My educational background provided me with thorough understanding of science and the theory of evolution. Our nation, however, was founded on self-evident truths. Among these truths are inalienable rights “endowed by their Creator.” From my perspective, it is not a matter of faith, or religion, or theory. It is similar to basic self-evident objective truths that are the basis of knowledge. For example, 2 + 2 = 4. It disappoints and astounds me that the so-called intellectual elite are so concerned about accepting self-evident truths that nearly 90% of the population understands. In fact, this acknowledgement led to the intellectual curiosity Einstein spoke of that, in turn, led to the exploration of new knowledge.
Is there anyone who can make even the slightest sense out of this? It doesn't even rise to the level of free word association. Just what is he saying? Is it that our nation was founded on self-evident falsehoods that even his supposed "thorough understanding of science and the theory of evolution" shows to be false? What does 2+2=4 have to do with the price of tea in China or with evolution or the founding principles of our nation? And then there's the strange reference to Einstein and intellectual curiosity.
In so far as there is a coherent thought in this paragraph, it is that a naive intuition supported by a large percentage of the general population should somehow trump the results of over one hundred years of work of scientists who actually study the origins of the diversity of life. Nearly every science has shown us an amazing world that is far more complex and wondrous than what our naive intuitions would have us believe. There is no reason to think that evolutionary biology is an exception. In fact, evolutionary biology provides a constant source of wonder that it is clearly beyond Governor Fletcher's ability to comprehend. For that reason alone, he has no right to attempt to deny it to others.
Posted by Duane Smith at March 7, 2006 8:41 PM | Read more on Evolution |
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