Why Darwin Matters (33 page)

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Authors: Michael Shermer

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observational verifications, prediction and,
2
–4

Observation of Evolution argument,
75
–77

Of Pandas and People
(Kenyon and Davis),
100
,
101
,
102
–4

previous versions of,
102
–3

transitional fossils and,
9
–10

Old Earth creationists,
166

On Liberty
(Mill),
46

On the Origin of Species
(Darwin),
xv
,
29

initial response to,
xvi
–xvii,
3

quotes from,
1
,
66
,
126

original sin,
131

origins of life, unsolved questions on,
141
–42

Overton, Judge William R.,
95
–96

Pachyrhachis problematicus
(cretaceous snake),
17
–18

Padian, Kevin,
102

Paley, William,
4
,
6

pantheism,
123

Parker, Gary,
102

patterns, the brain’s seeking of,
38
–39,
160

Pax-6 genes,
78
,
79

Pearcey, Nancy,
31

Pennock, Robert,
67
,
102

peppered moths,
84
,
85

Pew Research Center,
xvii
–xviii,
128

phenotypes,
15

Piltdown Man,
83
,
85

polar bears,
9

politics,
132

polygamous species,
80

Popper, Karl,
121

Poupard, Cardinal Paul,
113

prayer, intercessory,
122

prediction, observational verification and,
2
–4

Principia Mathematia
(Newton),
52

Principles of Geology
(Lyell),
2

problem of incipient stages,
68
–69

Progressive creationists,
167

prokaryote cells,
73
,
143

gene transfer between,
145

Prothero, Donald,
51

Psalms 19:11,
4

punctuated equilibrium,
11

Ray, John,
4

reciprocal altruism,
130
,
132
,
133

Rees, Sir Martin,
55

Rehnquist, Judge William,
98

religion,
94

compatibility of theory of evolution and,
113
,
114
,
122
–25,
138

development of,
132
–33

evolution-creation debate, real agenda of,
87
–88,
104
,
106
–15

and science, relationship of,
see
science and religion, relationship between

spirituality,
157
–59

Republicans, acceptance of evolution by,
128
–29

ribs, thirteenth set of,
18

RNA,
142

rocks, dating of,
16

Roughgarden, Joan,
151
–52

Royal Institute of Technology,
14

Rumsfeld, Donald,
139
,
140
–41

Sagan, Carl,
57
,
154
,
157
–58

same-sex sexuality,
151

same-world model of relationship between religion and science,
120

Savolainen, Peter,
14

Scalia, Judge Antonin,
98

Schönborn, Cardinal Christof,
113

school curricula,
26
,
91
–93

court cases,
see
court cases

Schopf, William,
12
,
142

science,
89
–105

defined,
94

Edwards v. Aguillard
and criteria of,
96
–99

the real agenda of Intelligent Design,
87
–88,
104
,
106
–15

refutability of a claim,
121

relevance of,
154
–61

religion and,
see
science and religion, relationship between

spirituality and,
158
–59,
161

in textbooks and curricula, process for inclusion in,
91
–93

Science
,
14
,
75

science and religion, relationship between,
28
–29,
30
,
31
–32,
94
,
116
–25

compatibility of,
113
,
114
–15,
122
–25,
138

conflicting-worlds model,
119
–20

God as a null hypothesis,
121
–22

same-world model,
120

separate-worlds model,
120
–21,
122
–25,
127

scientific community, agreement on evolution of,
xvii
,
21
–22,
126
–27

scientific method,
94
,
96
–98,
111

self-correcting feature of,
85

Scopes, John Thomas,
25

Scopes trial,
23
–24

instigation of,
25

real legacy of,
25
–29

social Darwinism and,
26
–28

Scott, Eugenie,
166

Second Law of Thermodynamics argument,
81
–82

Secular Humanism,
93

Sedgwick, Adam,
xvii

self-organization,
64
–65,
160

separate-worlds model of relationship between religion and science,
120
–21,
122
–25,
127

serial monogamy,
134

sex-role reversal,
151

sexual fidelity,
133
–35

sexual selection,
79
–80,
151
–52

Shannon, Claude,
72

Shermer, Michael:

creationist beliefs, earlier,
xx
–xxi

Galápagos Islands, retracing Darwin’s steps at,
xiii
–xiv,
140

Shermer’s Last Law,
40
,
64

Singularity,
41

skeptical principles for investigating Intelligent Design,
48
–53,
61

Smith, Adam,
136
,
137

Smithsonian Institution,
113

snakes, vestigial organs and,
17
–18

social Darwinism,
26
–28

solar system, dating of the,
16

species:

definition of,
6
,
79

distribution of, explanation of,
47

immutability of,
xvi

precipitation of speciation,
79
–80

Spencer, Herbert,
49

spirituality,
157
–59

state boards of education, exclusion of evolution from curricula by,
26

Stenger, Victor,
57

Stewardship Foundation,
112
,
114

string theory,
57

Student’s Darwin, The
(Aveling),
118
–19

Sulloway, Frank,
34
,
36
,
38
,
139
–40

study of Darwin and his arrival at theory of evolution,
xiii
,
xiv
–xv

sun, dating of the,
16

supernatural explanations,
98
,
162

Supreme Court,
95

Edwards v. Aguillard
,
96
–99,
102
,
108

Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman
(Feynman),
155

syllogistic reasoning,
24

symbiogenesis,
92
–93,
145
–46

teaching of evolution:

“equal time” argument,
166

exclusion from the curricula,
26

fears of public school teachers,
33

see also
textbooks, biology

teaching of Intelligent Design:

Bush statements on,
xviii
–xix

court cases,
see
court cases

God of the Government argument,
90
–91

survey on,
xviii

Templeton Foundation,
114

tests of evolutionary theory:

comparative method,
15

convergence of evidence,
12
–15,
51
,
87

dating techniques,
15
–16

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