Anti-Darwinism

Overview

The term anti-Darwinism refers to the position or belief that Darwinism (which holds that the scientific theory of evolution by natural selection (EbNS) is the best explanation for the available evidence) is in error, and is held by a number of religious groups who seek to supplant the teaching of EbNS in schools with the Biblically-based doctrine of creationism (often in one disguise or another). Darwinism has been under attack by these groups since it was first elaborated, and the attacks have become especially focused since approximately the early 1980s (although mainly in the United States).

EbNS has mountains of evidence in its support and reflects the overwhelming scientific consensus on the question of species origin, and hence is entirely appropriate for a science class. Creationism has little or no evidence in its support and is in complete disagreement with the scientific consensus, and hence is completely inappropriate for a science class.

When early attempts to introduce creationism into American science classes failed in the 1980s due to the religious nature of the teachings and the American legal separation of church and state (Separation) which forbids teaching of religion in public schools, the anti-Darwinists next mounted a two-sided strategy by both attacking the validity of Separation while also stripping the overt religious references out of creationist doctrine and thereby creating intelligent design (ID).

The ID attack failed spectacularly in a 2006(?) court decision in Dover, PA; since then, the anti-Darwinists have continued their attacks on Separation while also promoting efforts to "teach the controversy" in science classes. They have also been trying, often via blatant propaganda such as the 2008 film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, to spread the idea that the scientific establishment is unfairly "expelling" and suppressing any alternative theories without a fair hearing, rather than simply finding the alternatives so far proposed (i.e. creationism and intelligent design) ridiculous and nonsensical (as is the case).

In general, anti-Darwinists do not seem to have any qualms about making up convenient details or even blatantly lying in order to advance their cause, which seems to be the universal rule of a particular brand of Christianity whose details are slowly coming to light (possibly Dominionism or something like it).

Prominent Anti-Darwinists

• Ben Stein, entertainer and speechwriter (see Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed)
• Michael Behe
• Roy Spencer (Wikipedia), also disbelieves global warming

Links

Video

• Richard Dawkins - Beware the Believers: animated rap video in support of the "expulsion" propaganda. The video stars the animated heads of Richard Dawkins, biologist PZ Myers, philosopher Daniel Dennett, and other prominent Darwinists as well as that of Charles Darwin himself. Rather than suppressing this video, however, Darwinists have generally been spreading it as it tends to come across as a rather amusing parody of the narrow-minded and ignorant nature of the anti-Darwinists rather than a serious attack on Darwinism. PZ Myers (who is featured prominently as a backup singerrapper) posted it on Pharyngula and it was even played at the Oregon evo-devo symposium Myers attended [1].