Should Evolution be taught in State Schools?

[Not a pipe]

Evolution is not based on atheism. Darwin did not cite non-existence of God as supporting evidence for his theory. Therefore, atheism is irrelevant to the debate.

Scientists have plenty of evidence for evolution which is not related to any theology, atheist or otherwise.

I agree with you.

I also encourage your thoughts on Atheisims status, is it a religion?

Is bald a hair color?

[Dyakovo]

Evolution is not based on atheism. Darwin did not cite non-existence of God as supporting evidence for his theory. Therefore, atheism is irrelevant to the debate.

Scientists have plenty of evidence for evolution which is not related to any theology, atheist or otherwise.

I agree with you.

I also encourage your thoughts on Atheisims status, is it a religion?

Is bald a hair color?

Sure it is...
And not collecting stamps is a hobby.

[Tekania]

I agree with you.

Is bald a hair color?

Sure it is...
And not collecting stamps is a hobby.

I have a hobby, and it's not collecting stamps.

[Dyakovo]

Sure it is...
And not collecting stamps is a hobby.

I have a hobby, and it's not collecting stamps.

Me too!

[Mavorpen]

I agree with you.

Is bald a hair color?

Sure it is...
And not collecting stamps is a hobby.

I remember watching a man flirting with a woman. The woman slapped him in the face and kicked him in the balls. I walked up to him and said, "It's okay dude. If Atheism is a religion, then being rejected, slapped, and kicked in the balls is a sex position."

[Nazi Flower Power]

(What is the chance of a big bang unintentionally creating a world able to support life? Very low.)

Not really. You misunderstand the scale of the universe and the length of time that it has had to develop into its current state. And there are probably other worlds beside Earth where there is life -- even if we haven't found them yet.

The probability of any single planet having life on it is low, but there are billions of solar systems in the universe. It's like the lottery. Each lottery ticket has only a very small chance of winning, but if you buy billions of tickets then the chances of getting a winning one are pretty good.

[Tekania]

Precisely. We're not asking to bang down the doors of churches and demand they teach evolution. They can teach creation all they want - just leave it out of the goddamned science class, because it's, well, not science.

Technically it is science, because it belongs in theology, and theology is the scientific study of religion. Still, if we teach evolutionism, I do not see why we cannot teach creationism is schools, besides there is strong evidence for creationism (What is the chance of a big bang unintentionally creating a world able to support life? Very low.) and I believe that God directed evolution in seven days.

Probabilities aren't used to determine whether something happened or not, they merely can predict the chance of something happening. If I were to take a ball into space and hurl it with enough velocity to escape earth's gravity pull in some random direction, it has a very low probability of hitting another sizeable object... however, sizeable objects do hit each other in space despite the fact that the probability itself is low. As such probability itself is not a proof. A scientific theory has to posit a falsifiable mechanism. Evolution does that, creation does not.

[Furious Grandmothers]

What is the chance of a big bang unintentionally creating a world able to support life? Very low.

Actually, for our particular world and the big bang associated with it, the probability is exactly 1. Not very low. 1. Completely inevitable given a deterministic universe. You should read up on the Anthropic Principle.

[Xsyne]

What is the chance of a big bang unintentionally creating a world able to support life? Very low.

Actually, for our particular world and the big bang associated with it, the probability is exactly 1. Not very low. 1. Completely inevitable given a deterministic universe. You should read up on the Anthropic Principle.

Which anthropic principle? There's two, one of which is unscientific, and the other of which is a tautology.

Also, the universe is not deterministic. It's probabilistic.

[Person012345]

Also, the universe is not deterministic. It's probabilistic.

[citation needed]

[Xsyne]

Also, the universe is not deterministic. It's probabilistic.

[citation needed]

Here. The dominant interpretation of quantum mechanics, as I recall. The second most dominant, as I recall, is many-worlds, which, while deterministic, is experienced in a probabilistic manner.

[Furious Grandmothers]

Actually, for our particular world and the big bang associated with it, the probability is exactly 1. Not very low. 1. Completely inevitable given a deterministic universe. You should read up on the Anthropic Principle.

Which anthropic principle? There's two, one of which is unscientific, and the other of which is a tautology.

Also, the universe is not deterministic. It's probabilistic.

Yes, citation needed. Also, point stands irrespective of whether deterministic or otherwise. Moreover, so what if it's tautology? Furthermore, I think that Carthage must be destroyed.

[Person012345]

[citation needed]

Here. The dominant interpretation of quantum mechanics, as I recall. The second most dominant, as I recall, is many-worlds, which, while deterministic, is experienced in a probabilistic manner.

"dominant interpretation" of a highly theoretical field does not give you licence to say "it is X not Y".

[Xsyne]

Which anthropic principle? There's two, one of which is unscientific, and the other of which is a tautology.

Also, the universe is not deterministic. It's probabilistic.

Yes, citation needed. Also, point stands irrespective of whether deterministic or otherwise. Moreover, so what if it's tautology? Furthermore, I think that Carthage must be destroyed.

The weak anthropic principle has nothing to do with probability. All it states is that we are able to observe the universe because the conditions in the universe allow us to exist. The weak anthropic principle holds regardless of what the odds of us coming to be are.

[Garuda]

re·li·gion/riˈlijən/
Noun:

The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods.
Details of belief as taught or discussed.

so, uh, how is evolution a religious belief?

Evolution is the belief that the genetic code is the superhuman power or something like that, either way, atheisim is a religion of the superhuman power of evolution.

if atheism, which is not believing in any religions a religion then everyone called Atheist's are not atheist's

[Big Jim P]

Sure it is...
And not collecting stamps is a hobby.

I remember watching a man flirting with a woman. The woman slapped him in the face and kicked him in the balls. I walked up to him and said, "It's okay dude. If Atheism is a religion, then being rejected, slapped, and kicked in the balls is a sex position."

For some people it IS.

[Milks Empire]

I remember watching a man flirting with a woman. The woman slapped him in the face and kicked him in the balls. I walked up to him and said, "It's okay dude. If Atheism is a religion, then being rejected, slapped, and kicked in the balls is a sex position."

For some people it IS.

AQed!

[Xsyne]

Here. The dominant interpretation of quantum mechanics, as I recall. The second most dominant, as I recall, is many-worlds, which, while deterministic, is experienced in a probabilistic manner.

"dominant interpretation" of a highly theoretical field does not give you licence to say "it is X not Y".

It rather does, unless you'd like to argue that no one has license to make any sort of statements about the nature of reality.

[Person012345]

Evolution is the belief that the genetic code is the superhuman power or something like that, either way, atheisim is a religion of the superhuman power of evolution.

if atheism, which is not believing in any religions a religion then everyone called Atheist's are not atheist's

That's not what atheism means. A- (non) theism (belief in a god or gods). There are atheistic religions (I believe Buddhism is one).

[Big Jim P]

For some people it IS.

AQed!

*bows*

[Big Jim P]

if atheism, which is not believing in any religions a religion then everyone called Atheist's are not atheist's

That's not what atheism means. A- (non) theism (belief in a god or gods). There are atheistic religions (I believe Buddhism is one).

Satanism as well.

[Furious Grandmothers]

Yes, citation needed. Also, point stands irrespective of whether deterministic or otherwise. Moreover, so what if it's tautology? Furthermore, I think that Carthage must be destroyed.

The weak anthropic principle has nothing to do with probability. All it states is that we are able to observe the universe because the conditions in the universe allow us to exist. The weak anthropic principle holds regardless of what the odds of us coming to be are.

And therefore, the conditional probability of the particular big bang associated with our universe leading to conditions that support life, given our existence in this universe, is 1.

[Katganistan]

I also can't help being educated, intelligent, and well-read.

And modest.

Well, when the alternative is being narrow-minded, provincial, and sticking one's fingers in one's ears and screaming "NAH NAH NAH BIBLE CAN'T HEAR YOU" and there's an actual danger that the ignorant are taking over, yeah, I do like to point it out.

[Person012345]

"dominant interpretation" of a highly theoretical field does not give you licence to say "it is X not Y".

It rather does, unless you'd like to argue that no one has license to make any sort of statements about the nature of reality.

No, it doesn't. And I don't need to argue the latter to argue the former. The best interpretation of a field that itself is not comparatively well understood is quite different from an easily observed and understood phenomena.

[Katganistan]

I also can't help being educated, intelligent, and well-read.

Well... Actually...
You could perform a lobotomy on yourself...

Anything I could say at this moment would result in having to go sit in the Bad Kat corner. So let's simply smile knowingly, clink our beer bottles together, and have a cold one.