February 13, 2008

Survival of the falsest witnesses

Over at Pharyngula, the thorough debunking of a painfully incoherent and ignorant screed, the authorship of which is claimed by "the producers" of the forthcoming Ben Stein vehicle, Expelled.

The idiotic creationist screed, "We'll Take Lincoln Day Over Darwin Day," attempts and utterly fails to portray Charles Darwin as a racist whose racist views inform contemporary science (although contemporary scientists don't like to admit it).

As should be clear to anyone with an adequately functioning brain stem, both Lincoln and Darwin were products of the 19th century, and both held to similarly unenlightened views of "race."

More to the point, the science has long since moved well beyond the particular understandings of Darwin, although he's obviously still credited with initially framing the central questions that inform it today. Why is this so difficult to understand?

And if "intelligent design" is such a powerful scientific theory in its own right, why must its proponents lie, dissemble, and generally behave like unrepentant, quote-mining weasels* at every available opportunity? That's what I'd like to know.

* Apologies to pet owners, keepers of the honest weasels.

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