Dawkins on the Science of Evolution
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 01 November 2009 00:58
- Written by John Draper
- Hits: 2186
Most of the world find it quaint that there are people who actually believe that god created the world about 4000BC, that Noah really did have an ark and that they really believe all those other neat stories in Genesis. Wonderful tales to tell your children at bible school – along with the stork and Santa Claus. But there are people who do have these beliefs with a majority of them in the U.S. – and it makes one wonder about the quality of education in the U.S., particularly science education. But now scientist/author Richard Dawkins has written a book “The Greatest Show on Earth” which explains Evolution in terms understandable to a general audience.
Since there are not many people in Canada with this weird belief, there are not many articles about Creationism on this site. However, Dawkins visited Canada on his promotional tour and was interviewed by David Gregg on TV Ontario (TVO). Gregg’s questions showed that he has actually read the book and he was able to ask questions which brought out some of the science of evolution as well as some of the reasons why Evolution is a fact.
For example, Dawkins actually discusses details such as how “god’s design” is not an example of “good design” but is more something that evolved. He explains why creationists’ explanation of the layout of fossils is absurd and why the distribution of life across the planet supports Evolution very well but does not fit with Creation by a god.
Wonderful to watch – certainly for anyone who is interested in the science of evolution. It clearly shows that Dawkins knows his subject.
TVO is the TV station which is Canada’s nearest equivalent to PBS – it is partly subsidized by the Ontario Government and relies partly on subscriptions.