Sometimes you hear about all the scientists who supposedly don’t agree with what the theory of evolution suggests, and you think “hmm… If there are plenty of really smart people who doubt evolution, maybe I should too?” Sure, why not? I mean, we trust these people with everything else, so when they doubt something, they probably have really good reason to.
Enter “A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism“, a petition signed by over 700 scientists who disagree with the popular position that the theory of evolution by natural selection is the best, or even the only possible, theory. Wow, that sounds serious. Over a period of several years, scientists from all over the world have expressed their opinion on evolution, “a theory in crisis” ((“Evolution: A Theory In Crisis” by Michael Denton)). Now, what are the rest of us going to think, those of us who trust that scientists do support evolution?
Well, there’s always “A Scientific Support for Darwinism“, a counter-petition signed by 7733 scientists in only four days, as opposed to the 700 dissenters over a period of several years. Or, if you like a challenge, “Project Steve“. Project Steve lists only those who support evolution and are named Steve, Stephanie or any foreign variation of the name. Even with those limits, they have 1080 signatories as of March 26th, 2009.
Not content with that, there’s also the fact that both the supporter petition and the Steve project contain a higher ratio of biologists than the creationist counter-part. Of course, everyone is allowed their opinion. However, if you want to present your opinion as fact, you better be sure you know what you’re talking about.
So the next time someone tells you that there’s great controversy regarding the theory of evolution, or that there are many scientists who don’t agree with Darwin’s original theory, be skeptical. Be skeptical of those who try to refute science with religion. Be skeptical of those who don’t draw conclusions from evidence, but seek evidence in support of the conclusions. Be skeptical of those who claim to be skeptical, but really aren’t.
To end things, I don’t suggest that we accept the theory of evolution simply because a majority say so, but the numbers are there to interpret anyway: 700 dissenters, of which many aren’t even active in fields relevant to evolution, versus 955,300 biologists in the United States alone ((A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism: Expertise relevance)), who presumably all support the theory of evolution.