Misunderstanding Exists in Science

Abstract

Dear Editor: Bob Crosslin's heartfelt letter (Opposing View Offered, March '99) demonstrates the breadth and depth of misunderstanding that exists in the minds of religious fundamentalists about science. His point that authors unfairly demonize creationists is well taken. In my many years of teaching about evolution and creationism I always recognized the sincere concern of fundamentalist students. For all my fairness I have been condemned to both a Christian and Hindu hell, placed in league with a devil, condemned as a blasphemer, and received countless articles, notes, and posters attempting to save my soul, so I find considerable irony in Crosslin's complaint about prejudice and intolerance. However, Crosslin illustrates the greatest misunderstanding of science of all. He thinks scientists are religiously devoted to evolution, but nothing could be further from the actual situation. Evolution is accepted as part of science because its concepts are useful. Creationism is a pseudoscience, not because of any particular evidence for or against it, but because it is useless. Evolutionary theory generates testable predictions about the biology of organisms, but the ideas embodied in creationism have failed to generate any such predictions, or where it does generate predictions, they have been found false. Scientists are a very pragmatic lot; science consists of those concepts that have proven useful in doing science, and no instructor is being unfair to ignore useless concepts when teaching science. The lesson for the readers of this journal is simple: you cannot teach science without doing science, and people who have not done science should not be teaching it.