Dear Sir:
I agree with Donald Rubie's letter of 12 February especially his statement, "If you believe in evolution then it’s possible for you to believe that some people are higher evolved than others..." But in my 63 years I have only met one person who used evolution to support his belief of personal and racial superiority. He was a white Catholic priest I met in Lesotho in 1968 whose understanding of evolution was faulty.
People who believe in racial superiority do not understand or do not believe in modern biological evolution which reveals there are no detectable differences in the intellects of the earth's populations of varying beautiful colours.
I use the modifier, "modern," since today's best tools and researchers have extended Charles Darwin's seminal theory using discoveries in genetics, radio isotope dating, plate tectonics, protein structure, paleontology, physiology, and more.
I use, "biological," since the word "evolution" is used for anything that changes, e.g. computers, mountains, ideas, automobiles, etc.
Many, perhaps most, biologists who advance the "Theory" of evolution are in awe of the wondrous reality of life, of the common bonds we all share, and of the majesty of the God who makes it all possible. Evolution itself has nothing to say about the existence or non-existence of a purpose or meaning of life. Evolution likewise has nothing to say about the creation of life. Biologists like the rest of us, find purpose and meaning in religion. In religion, we seek the answers to "why."
[By the way, "Theory" in science is "a testable model of the manner of interaction of a set of natural phenomena capable of predicting future occurrences or observations of the same kind, and capable of being tested through experiment or otherwise falsified through empirical observation." On the other hand, we all use the word "theory" to mean a supposition or hunch when we are not talking about science.]
David Almandsmith
National Center for Science Education |
