Beating the Ignorance Out of Them

So, in today’s lecture the professor did an excellent job of clearly explaining why evolution is factual, and explained what constitutes the theory of evolution and how it relates to the facts. He also explained how sub-hypotheses can be developed and tested within the framework of evolutionary theory. So if that lecture doesn’t get through to those ignoramuses I don’t know what will.

In fact there were several points in the lecture that I felt like cheering and clapping loudly, but out of respect for the learning of the other several hundred people in the theatre I opted out. One such moment was when he referred to Intelligent Design as a pseudo-science, and gave reasons why it was. It was also noteworthy that he made clear that he wasn’t attacking religion, as that would probably have made many of the creationists turn off even more than they probably already were.

One thing I was a little sad to hear, although it is almost certainly a necessary ‘evil’ in this context, was advocating the idea that Science and Religion are 'non-overlapping magisteria', or that they occupy different spheres of knowledge. I would never expect the opposite to be said within a biology class, because it is really off-topic, but rather I am sad that it needed to be said at all. That people disregard scientific evidence and theory in favour of magical creation in the first place is depressing enough, but that such an asinine statement must be made in order for them to even consider the possibility that science may be right is outright dismal.