Creationism doesn't measure up as science

Kingsley Guy Commentary

April 16, 2008|Kingsley Guy Commentary

A society declines through the corruption of the ideals that made it great. In the United States, one of those ideals is equality. Intended by the founders of the country to mean equality of individuals under the law, the concept has degenerated into a crass egalitarianism that posits the equal validity and merit of ideas and expression.

Elvis Presley's music has equal value to Mozart's, egalitarians insist. Jackson Pollock's artwork is as worthy as Da Vinci's; the biblical account of how humans came into being has merit equal to that of the scientific, and should be taught side-by-side with evolution to give students a choice of what to believe.

Such egalitarianism results in a devaluing of aesthetics and critical thinking and impedes progress in both the arts and sciences.

The Florida Evolution Academic Freedom bill now moving through the Republican-controlled Legislature is an example of such egalitarianism. Supported by the religious right, it proclaims that teachers or students cannot be punished for "objectively" presenting scientific information offering alternatives to evolutionary theory.

The bill sounds innocent enough, but what qualifies as objective and scientific? Some so-called "scientists" have broached the idea that creation took place about 6,000 years ago, and claim to have the data to back this up. But what is the origin of their hypothesis?

In the mid-17th century, an Anglican churchman named James Ussher examined the chronology of events in the Bible, including the "begats." He concluded creation began on the eve of Oct. 23, 4004 B.C. A colleague later pegged the time at 9 a.m., although he failed to specify whether this was Standard or Daylight Savings Time.

Ussher's mode of thinking isn't accepted by all or even most Christians. The Catholic Church in the 1950s endorsed the Big Bang theory as consistent with Catholic doctrine. Pope John Paul II acknowledged the validity of evolutionary teachings, although he did not sign on specifically to Darwin.

The concept of "intelligent design" has now made it into the spotlight. Advocates claim life is so complex it could not exist without the participation of an intelligent, creative force. That's an intelligent hypothesis, but not a scientific one. Someday, science may prove the validity of intelligent design, but as of now, it requires a leap of faith.

Scientific progress, of course, is as much about correcting mistakes as uncovering truths. Newtonian physics put men on the moon, but Einstein's physics demonstrated its flaws and limitations. When Darwin published his findings in 1859, scientific concepts such as systems theory and feedback loops didn't exist. Today, some bona fide scientists are exploring the idea that consistent patterns influence the evolutionary process.

Scientists need to keep an open mind, for there's no telling what the future will bring in the way of knowledge. As Florida moves into that future, however, its public schools need to deal with real science, and not pseudo-science based on the begats or equally questionable foundations.

Republicans in government should remember Terri Schiavo. They pandered to the religious right by trying to keep her hooked up to a feeding tube, but their actions appalled millions of other Floridians, and they felt the backlash.

The same could hold true for evolution. Legislators may win some votes through an egalitarian approach toward biological science, but they risk alienating plenty of other Floridians who want to live in the 21st century rather than the 17th.

Commentary by retired Editorial Page Editor Kingsley Guy appears on alternate Wednesdays. Readers may e-mail him at

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