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Why Darwin scares people - The text from professor Mano Singham's presentation to incoming Freshmen here at Case Western Reserve University.

Mano is one of my favorite bloggers, and has, in typical fashion, provided some great insights into Darwin and Evolution. Here at Case we're celebrating Darwin with year of events beginning this month, so I thought this was a nice introduction to the series.

blog.case.edu/singham/2008/08/25/...
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2 months, 4 weeks ago by Heidi C. - Pro!

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  • Chris P. Chris P. replied Aug 25th
    I would like to see this substantiated a little more:

    "Darwin's theory of natural selection and the tree of life is not only eminently plausible, but has been put on a rigorous mathematical footing and has abundant evidence in support of it."

    Especially since the odds, probabilistically, of evolution as the origin of species being true is so incredibly minuscule you wouldn't bank a worldview on it.

    http://www.ankerberg.c...
  • Heidi C. Heidi C. replied Aug 25th
    Mano did a series of articles http://www.case.edu/da... last year that explain many of the common objections to evolution. In particular you may be interested in this one that addresses the mutation rate. http://blog.case.edu/s... The odds are really much better than they seem.
  • Chris P. Chris P. replied Aug 25th
    His articles are informative. There is, however, not enough room in Pownce to outline the many philosphical problems I have with evolution.

    I've been trained as a philosopher and not a biologist. I go to my biology friends for such questions.

    </straw man>
  • Heidi C. Heidi C. replied Aug 25th
    Chris,
    I think you're right. Given our differing religious beliefs we'd not have nearly enough room on Pownce to cover it all. I think of it more as a science issue than a philosophical one, though my major was Philosophy. Ah well, back to the details of the day to day...
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    Mike N. Mike N. replied Aug 25th
    The only problem I have with evolution is that it's focus always seems to be so heavily entrenched in the prism of the past. But what of the prism of the future? It's more extraordinary to me~!

    As for Singham's good speech, these words curiously grabbed me:

    "...published twelve years later."
  • Mike N. Mike N. replied Aug 25th
    @Self: *its*
  • Heidi C. Heidi C. replied Aug 25th
    that is the interesting thing about evolution, with no specific goal, who knows where it will take us in the future.
  • Mike N. Mike N. replied Aug 25th
    Interstellar!

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