快猫短视频

The Triumph of Evolution-and the Failure of Creationism by Niles Eldredge, W.
H. Freeman, $24.95, ISBN 0716736381

KANSAS 1999, Arkansas 1982, Tennessee 1925鈥攁re all important dates in
the American 鈥渕onkey wars鈥�. Faced with this assault on science, Niles Eldredge,
a leading American palaeontologist and co-creator with Stephen J. Gould of the
theory of punctuated equilibrium, has taken up the cudgels on Darwin鈥檚 behalf.
In The Triumph of Evolution he argues that evolution offers testable
explanations of the way the world is, while creationism doesn鈥檛. He writes
passionately, fearing that legislation in the US forcing the teaching of
creationism will doom science. I agree.

Eldredge is at his best when he argues for evolution, rather than against
creationism. His style is authoritative, lucid鈥攁nd refreshingly often in
the first person. Take the Cambrian explosion. Creationists say that science
cannot explain how a vast number of species suddenly appeared on Earth about 570
million years ago. Nothing, they say, but divine intervention can account for
this explosion of life on Earth. Eldredge takes us to the evidence. 鈥淚 walked up
a dry creek bed . . . on the California-Nevada border,鈥� he says, painting a word
picture as he follow the succession of species. At first, he finds only trace
fossils, but as he gradually works his way up the creek he comes to fossil
skeletal remains. Wonderful life, he agrees. But he points out that on his
journey of a few hours he saw the remains of 10 million years of evolution.
There was no explosion, no sudden burst of creation. His account of the history
of life is brief and clear.

On the theory of creationism itself, he exposes the follies of 鈥測oung Earth鈥�
creationism, which declares Earth to be only a few thousand years old. Its
proponents rely on misquotations to back up this theory. Eldredge鈥檚 comments are
restrained, but firm. 鈥淚t is the creationists 鈥� who distort the truth, freely
slinging mud at all who cross their myopic view,鈥� he says. The gross distortion
by the young Earth creationists always angers me too.

More risible still is 鈥渇lood geology鈥�, which takes literally the Biblical
story of Noah鈥檚 Ark. According to these people, the rising floodwaters forced
鈥渉igher鈥� animals to flee to high ground: hence their fossil remains are found in
newer strata.

Unfortunately, Eldredge doesn鈥檛 distinguish between different types of
creationist. The dominant young Earthers produce absolute nonsense, but
鈥渙ld-Earth鈥� and 鈥渋ntelligent design鈥� creationists, who accept geology and
cosmology, are more science-friendly. Eldredge refutes intelligent designers
such as Phillip Johnson for his simplistic rhetoric and Michael Behe for
questionable biochemistry, but he is wrong to lump them in with the young
Earthers.

What motivates the creationists? Eldredge identifies religious and moral
aims, quoting examples from the 1970s. He could add a few more recent ones. In
May intelligent design creationists addressed members of Congress in Washington.
To show how morally outrageous Darwinian evolution was, they invoked the words
of a song by the Bloodhound Gang: 鈥淵ou and me baby ain鈥檛 nothin鈥� but mammals, so
let鈥檚 do it like they do on the Discovery Channel鈥�. Eldredge himself declines to
draw ethical lessons from evolution, whether ruthlessness or 鈥淐hristian-like
harmony鈥�, calling instead for 鈥淎 plague on both your houses鈥�. In this I think he
goes too far.

Eldredge is concerned above all, about the dire effects of creationism on
science teaching from kindergarten to university. It makes no difference whether
this comes about through legislation forcing creationism onto a school syllabus
or interventions by college students who have been drilled by their churches to
reject evolution. This not solely an American issue either. Young Earth teachers
litter schools and universities in Britain too, and represent an increasing
proportion of clergy.

Don鈥檛 be put off when you first set eyes on this book. The dust jacket makes
it look like supermarket economy packaging.