Ramblings from the Desert

The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. ~Benjamin Franklin

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Location: New Mexico

Author of the urban fantasy novel, The Music of Chaos, and the paranormal romance, The Canvas Thief.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Man the Super Being

Pharyngula looks at the rationale (poor choice of word, I know) that drives the anti-evolution, anti-science (un-Intelligent Design) movement.

Our problem is that the leaders of certain prominent American subgroups have chosen anti-evolutionism as one of the sigils of their tribe—it's an easier marker than slicing off a foreskin or ritual scarification, I guess. It makes it hard to convince people to recognize good science when their respected authority figures are shrilly declaring that accepting good science means they are no longer Christian.


Huh. Ultimately, I think it's even simpler than that. The notion that man evolved from an ape-like creature ("Monkey," as the wingnuts stupidly and shrilly cry) offends them. Opposable thumbs and the capacity for acts of intellect beyond any other creature on Earth isn't enough for these people. They need more. They need to be a superhero, endowed by the great sky wizard with otherwoldly powers.

Anti-evolutionists haven't attacked Quantum Physics because it doesn't challenge the "Man The Super Being" concept. And because their leaders haven't yet pointed their sheople in that direction. ("Yet" is the operative word in this case.)

 

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