Slater wrote:well, it's not scientific. It's a study of what happened in the past, speculation on why/how what happened happened,
No, it is perfectly scientific because the theory of evolution, as well as the theories current in geology and cosmology make specific predictions about what we should see if carry out a certain experiment. The prevailing theories have prevailed because they have successfully predicted new phenomena.
That is what science does and how it must ultimately work. Even if a particular even is not directly observable, its consequences are, and it is with these consequences that we have been able to demonstrate the power of scientific theories.
It is very unscientific in that chance lies at the core of evolution... something that scientists everywhere leave as little up to as possible.
Neither statement is really true. Evolution may require chance mutations, but selection itself is not random. Nor are the many chemical and physical interactions that produce complex systems.
Being personally very involved in science myself, I also know that while scientists might prefer to
control some variables, this doesn't mean they deny the importance of random behaviour or don't study it. Believe me, there are many phenomena that can
only be represented statistically as the outcome of random processes.
As Darwin said, it is the alternative to God. That in itself is a religious viewpoint.
I have read Darwin, and he advocates no such position. In fact, he never really said much of anything regarding his religious beliefs (even in his letters) other than to confess his troubles with Christianity. He was most likely some kind of agnostic or deist.
right when it looked like Creationists were getting the upper hand in this battle (thanks to Pope B. and his bishops)
Er..you do realize that official Catholic stance is one of neutrality on this matter? The church recognizes that evolution may be compatible with the Christian faith, and has done so for decades.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov