All the Beliefs

Science and Superstition

• We should look at the non-scientific beliefs about how we became human
  
  Some Christians claim that Evolution has gaps and so we should consider other ideas. But if we are going to do that in a science class, we need to examine those ideas from a scientific point of view. It is not science to say "Oh look a lot of people believe this, so it must be true."
  
  Before Galileo, lots of people "knew" that the Earth was the centre of the Universe.
  Before Franklin lots of people "knew" that when lightning hit a church and electrocuted the bellringers, it was God's will.
  Before Hutton, lots of people "knew" that the Earth was 6000 years old.
  Before Pasteur, lots of people "knew" that diseases were God's punishments.
  
  But today we know that all those beliefs were wrong. They were superstitions.
  
  And we found out that they were superstitions by using the scientific method - looking at the evidence.
  
  In the same way, we need to ask "What scientific evidence is there to support these alternative ideas about how humans got here."

How Did We Get Here?

• There are lots of suggestions:
  
  Intelligent Design - version (a) A supernatural being created the first life, which then evolved, eventually arriving at man.
  Intelligent Design - version (b) A supernatural being created the first life, and then created a succession of life forms, eventually arriving at man.
  Intelligent Design - version (c) A supernatural being created the first life, and then created a succession of life forms, but made man as a unique creation.
  Christian Creationism - (a)(b)(c) Same as above, but insert "God" for "A supernatural being"
  Scientology - a bunch of space aliens came to Earth, changed into dinosaurs, then lived inside volcanoes for 80,000 years.
  Greeks - Goddess Gaea creates world and a whole lot of other gods. After lots of battles Zeus wins. Humans pop up somehow although no explanation of where they came from.
  Chinese - a giant egg split in two and a giant emerged whose limbs became the world.
  Egyptians - god Re masturbates (which gets round the problem of there being no goddess) and produces a divine son and daughter, who then breed a race of gods, while Re's tears become mankind.
  Mesopotamia - God of fresh water and God of salt water produce a variety of gods and sea monsters who fight and one of them wins. He builds a home in heaven for his fellow gods, but realizes needs some servants so makes mankind from the blood of one of the losers.
  Vikings - humans appear from the armpit of a god named Ymir who is later beaten in battle by another god, Odin.
  Native creation stories. There is a huge list of these - just google "creation stories" to see the endless variety. Every culture had their own story, and every tribe had their own version of that story.

The Evidence

• So what does science have to say about any of these alternative ideas?
  
  These are the tests for a hypothesis to become a Scientific Theory
  Is it supported by evidence?
  Does it explain the observable facts?
  Does it make predictions about future discoveries?
  Does it help us understand the world?
  
  (1) Is there any observable evidence to support any of the alternative stories?
  
  
  Evolution is supported by literally millions of studies. The biggest library in the world could not shelve all the publications that have successfully tested Evolution. Can you find a scientific publication of Intelligent Design or Creationism operating?
  
  (2) Does the alternative story explain the observable facts?
  
  
  Evolution explains the way fossils are distributed, it explains why our skeletons and organs are so similar to other mammals, it explains why our DNA is so similar to monkeys, it explains why childbirth is such a problem for women, it explains why so many people get fat, it explains why we have bad backs. Can you say the same about any of the alternative ideas?
  
  (3) Does the alternative story make predictions about future discoveries?
  
  
  One of the most practical predictions that Evolution makes is the way in which pests evolve resistance to drug and poisons we use to control them. What does Intelligent Design predict? Does Creationism predict where the angry fist of God is going to take vengeance on sinners? Is that even close to science?
  
  (4) Does the alternative story help us understand the world?
  
  
  What all the superstitious stories have in common is that they offer a satisfying explanation of the world, but they don't contribute anything that helps us understand the world. Ask a religious person to explain why God/Intelligent Designer would have done something like give us all bad backs, and they'll tell you "God works in mysterious ways." Evolution lets you understand that it's not due to the whim of a God/Intelligent Designer, it's because we're using the same spine that evolved to swing through the trees (and there isn't enough evolutionary pressure to modify it).

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