Latest Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution

Good analogy--human activity is likely far less significant than our conceits suggest to us.

Well pom--it says --"what he identifies as a rising anti-science sentiment in the country." and then he says --"don't lose faith in democracy".

Because you can only argue by setting up a straw man, you ignored his statement that the people will pick science.

It seems that most morning ride radio around here has become a GOP shill for any asshole theory that GNC may flot out there. This includes evolution, AIDs?HIV, global warming etc.

Im a decided lefty and dont buy anthropogenic global warming because it has some serious problems in evidence. That would make me a righty and Im not. HIV/AIDS not being associated is purely a GOP /libertarian thing, and these guys just deny evidence that has come on board since the early 2000's. AS far as evolution, like spendi and ANUS, theres this whacko contingent that tries to make it a case for some kind of breakdown in society. This too is a GOP thing where its been championed by these yahoos like Ricky Santorum and the past president, as well as Several of the 2012 GOP candidates. Politics should just release science and get back to jobs, taxes, the economy, and waste.

You're no lefty

He who from the top of AEtna casts his eyes leisurely around, is affected chiefly by the extent and diversity of the scene. Only by a rapid whirling on his heel could he hope to comprehend the panorama in the sublimity of its oneness. But as, on the summit of AEtna, no man has thought of whirling on his heel, so no man has ever taken into his brain the full uniqueness of the prospect; and so, again, whatever considerations lie involved in this uniqueness, have as yet no practical existence for mankind.

But even of treatises on the really limited, although always assumed as the un limited, Universe of stars, I know none in which a survey, even of this limited Universe, is so taken as to warrant deductions from its individuality. The nearest approach to such a work is made in the "Cosmos" of Alexander Von Humboldt. He presents the subject, however, not in its individuality but in its generality. His theme, in its last result, is the law of each portion of the merely physical Universe, as this law is related to the laws of every other portion of this merely physical Universe. His design is simply synoeretical. In a word, he discusses the universality of material relation, and discloses to the eye of Philosophy whatever inferences have hitherto lain hidden behind this universality. But however admirable be the succinctness with which he has treated each particular point of his topic, the mere multiplicity of these points occasions, necessarily, an amount of detail, and thus an involution of idea, which preclude all individuality of impression.

It seems to me that, in aiming at this latter effect, and, through it, at the consequences -- the conclusions -- the suggestions -- the speculations -- or, if nothing better offer itself, the mere guesses which may result from it -- we require something like a mental gyration on the heel. We need so rapid a revolution of all things about the central point of sight that, while the minutiae vanish altogether, even the more conspicuous objects become blended into one. Among the vanishing minutiae, in a survey of this kind, would be all exclusively terrestrial matters. The Earth would be considered in its planetary relations alone. A man, in this view, becomes mankind; mankind a member of the cosmical family of Intelligences.

I think AIDS is caused by weakened immune systems brought on by loss of self-esteem. The Ability to Incubate Deadly ****. It might be argued that the human race is capable of dealing with weak viruses but low self-esteem sets the evolved capacity aside. Do we know whether the euphoria associated with narcotics is not an antidote to HIV which, as I understand it, is all around us. Flu kills poor people more than it does well off people.