I never get tired of reading about evolution. So, I’m either a boring geek or a heretic depending on your worldview. I’m astounded with the progress of science in deciphering evolution and writing the story (a story that can be tested and verified) of how we got here.
I just finished reading Dr. Jerry Coyne’s book Why Evolution Is True
The statistics on the percentage of Americans who reject evolution (over half) is disgraceful. Turkey is the only country with a higher percentage of its population who don’t “believe” in evolution. I put “believe” in quotations because evolution is science that has to be understood not believed in and that means making the effort to read a few books. Blind faith is easier than understanding and that accounts for its greater appeal.
Another contributing factor to our national ignorance about evolution is fear. Demagogues tell us that without God we will decay into a morally bankrupt society and lose all sense of purpose in our lives. That argument is ridiculous on multiple levels starting with the fact that understanding evolution doesn’t require discarding God.
Ironically, the widely held belief that we are separate from the natural world allows us to persist in our morally reprehensible pollution of the environment. We are part of nature and understanding evolution is the best way to maintain that perspective. It may also be the best way to save us from ourselves.
Read the book.
Monte