As intellectually harmful as it is sometimes to listen to proponents of Young-Earth Creationism, it can often be instructive. Having read more articles from Answers in Genesis and listened to more YEC babbling than is healthy for a sane person, at the least I believe I understand how they operate. One such example is the look some creationists get when confronted with the "just one piece" of evidence for evolution. It is the look of a mind going right into autopilot, the glazed eyes of delusion.
You can see an example of this process in Richard Dawkin's documentary series "The Genius of Charles Darwin" when he interviews Wendy Wright (both the clip from the documentary itself as well as the full interview can be found on YouTube). "Show me the evidence," the President of Concerned Women for America says; when Dawkins responds with evidence, she pleads for "just one" fossil, one "carcass," in her words, that shows the transition from one species to another. All the while, she keeps a bright but suitably engaged smile on her face as her eyes start to glaze a bit. It's the look of a mind going into autopilot.
It is a remarkable process to watch. The mouth keeps moving but the mind has walled itself off against all opposition. "Teach the controversy" comes out (as if there really were one, in the scientific community at least) and the "problems of evolution" are trotted out (not as big or as problematic as the creationists would have you believe). But nothing is allowed to circumvent the wall of creationist logic. It cannot; no matter how many respectable scientists are brought to bear, no matter the parade of fossils, the importance of the genetic code, for most Young-Earth Creationists there is no openness of thought, no self-reflection that the reason most scientists accept evolution isn't because they hate God but because they love the truth.
Watching a mind close is a sorry sight, once the initial humor of it passes. A mind closed is a stagnant intellect, a tragic waste of potential. The evidence for evolution is readily available to anyone who truly wants to know. The evidence is unequivocal. Open your intellect and witness the wonder of one of the greatest ideas in the history of science.
You can see an example of this process in Richard Dawkin's documentary series "The Genius of Charles Darwin" when he interviews Wendy Wright (both the clip from the documentary itself as well as the full interview can be found on YouTube). "Show me the evidence," the President of Concerned Women for America says; when Dawkins responds with evidence, she pleads for "just one" fossil, one "carcass," in her words, that shows the transition from one species to another. All the while, she keeps a bright but suitably engaged smile on her face as her eyes start to glaze a bit. It's the look of a mind going into autopilot.
It is a remarkable process to watch. The mouth keeps moving but the mind has walled itself off against all opposition. "Teach the controversy" comes out (as if there really were one, in the scientific community at least) and the "problems of evolution" are trotted out (not as big or as problematic as the creationists would have you believe). But nothing is allowed to circumvent the wall of creationist logic. It cannot; no matter how many respectable scientists are brought to bear, no matter the parade of fossils, the importance of the genetic code, for most Young-Earth Creationists there is no openness of thought, no self-reflection that the reason most scientists accept evolution isn't because they hate God but because they love the truth.
Watching a mind close is a sorry sight, once the initial humor of it passes. A mind closed is a stagnant intellect, a tragic waste of potential. The evidence for evolution is readily available to anyone who truly wants to know. The evidence is unequivocal. Open your intellect and witness the wonder of one of the greatest ideas in the history of science.
huzzah
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