And now for something completely different...
Crossposted at SmokeyMonkey.org.
Olivia Judson, author of Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice for All Creation, published an op-ed piece recently in the NY Times, entitled 'Why I'm Happy I Evolved'. I think she puts forth an excellent argument to oppose any that would suggest that evolution is a barren, over-simplified theory that provides no solace or purpose. Obviously there is no purpose to a scientific theory, but many people just don't understand that and seek answers about life from science in the same way they do from religion.
When I was in school, ... [b]iology was a subject that seemed as exciting as a clump of cotton wool. It was a dreary exercise in the memorization and regurgitation of apparently unconnected facts. Only later did I learn about evolution and how it transforms biology from that mass of cotton wool into a magnificent tapestry, a tapestry we can contemplate and begin to understand.
It is the transformative power of a theory that makes it meaningful to the scientific community. The great work of Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, bears out this argument in length. The main point is that science operates under the assumption that its paradigm is correct. It is an assumed framework for the purpose of discussion, of hypothesizing about discoveries. Without the theoretical framework, scientists would achieve virtually nothing, as they would be unable to talk to one another in an understood, agreed upon, accepted language.
Ms. Judson turns the argument around on the 'ignorant design' fools:
For me, the knowledge that we evolved is a source of solace and hope. I find it a relief that plagues and cancers and wasp larvae that eat caterpillars alive are the result of the impartial - and comprehensible - forces of evolution rather than the caprices of a deity.
Impartial, comprehensible, lacking caprice - this is the very definition of a scientific theory. To turn it even farther, please explain to me what the 'intelligence' that designed caterpillar eating wasp larvae had in mind for them? Is that really a critical part of god's plan for creation? Whatever.
And the conclusion:
Which is not to say that we are all we might wish to be. But in putting ourselves into our place in nature, in comparing ourselves with other species, we have a real hope of reaching a better understanding, and appreciation, of ourselves.