Dawkins Chapter: Only A Theory

For as long as mankind has had the curiosity to gaze at the stars, we have been constantly questioning our origin and place in the universe. From simple, yet elegant solutions (like our world being on the back of a large tortoise) to the more complex pantheons of gods and heavens, humanity’s dedication to classifying and comprehending our universe has enabled us to weave rich and complex mythologies and beliefs. However, in America today there are two prominent paradigms that are shaping how we see the world—Christian creationism and scientific evolution. These two schools of thought, like many other conflicting models of the universe and its creation, have fueled passions and incited spirited rivalries among its most ardent followers and fanatics, but, again like many other opposing beliefs, at the same time it is easy to see how they can be reconciled both within and without oneself. However, many scientists and theologians believe that one of the two is blasphemous and the other is gospel (or textbook) truth. For example, in Scott D Sampson’s essay Evoliteracy, (2006) Sampson denounces Christianity and pushes for everyone to learn the theory of Evolution instead of creationism. While he is correct in wanting a more educated populace, Christianity is not an inherently wrong construct. Similarly, many of those pushing for intelligent design have similarly decried the evolutionary theory as

“A delusion is something that people believe in, despite a total lack of evidence.” Richard Dawkins. Intelligent Design and Evolution have long been at odds, from laymen arguments to some of the prestigious minds in the world, all have been debating over this scientific rift. However, the question that has fraught even the most intellectual person; is Intelligent Design a religion or is it science? This issue has held the public school system back since the rising call for Intelligent Design to be in science textbooks. In the scientific field, there is a myriad of convincing evidence for Evolution and because of this many people believe that Intelligent Design is simply a religion. Since Intelligent Design is merely a religion and not a scientifically supported subject, adding it to

Car jackings, house fires, break-ins, weather and climate changes, and mass shootings. One viewing of the nightly news and it is no wonder that religion, faith, and belief in God has come into question. Right in Milwaukee(as in the world), a city with wide divides politically, racially, and economically, religion specifically Christianity has been called into question. How can a just God let people become victims of violence and natural disasters? The answer from Christianity is that faith (trust) in God and his revealed plan brought to end through Jesus Christ. A outspoken biologist, atheist, lecturer, and writer, Dr. Richard Dawkins believes that faith is nothing more than superstition and feeling, with little support to reinforce the belief

Richard Dawkins ' theory about “mind viruses” is not only wrong, it creates a dangerous divide between religiously inclined people and non-religious people, that could only serve to worsen the current tensions that are plaguing the global society today. Dawkins theory threatens to cause a schism in the relationship between religious and non-religious people, which is already in shambles in our times.

Faith can present an opportunity to disregard continuing to grow in knowledge about the intellectual side of a religion, which has a negative effect if believers in faith actively participate in this. Plenty of information can be discussed about Christianity, but if faith and believing in God is the only argument a religion can make, that religion will not have any way to defend itself intellectually and factually. Dawkins states that "People lean on their faith as a crutch", which can be a correct statement in certain religious situations. The idea of faith should not be overused in conversations with stubborn atheists for instance, like Richard Dawkins, who will deny faith and ask what proof there is for the God and religious beliefs that faith is applied to. In replacement of faith and religion, Dawkins believes in "an initial stroke of luck" that created the universe, as stated in the book "True

The opposition to this theory comes in part from those whose religious beliefs are contradicted by it, those who claim that evolution is “just a theory,” and claim it is not a sound science because of the label. To understand that evolution is true and reliable, the definition of the word theory in a scientific context must first be understood. In Richard Dawkins’ “The Greatest Show on Earth,” this is explained, ”The Oxford English Dictionary gives two meanings… Theory, Sense 1:... a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts… Theory, Sense 2: A hypothesis proposed as an explanation: hence, a mere hypothesis,speculation, conjecture…” It is proposed in this book that scientists and creationists are using these definitions in different contexts. Creationists use the second sense of the word theory, meaning a speculation of no value, and scientists use it in sense one, that of a proven hypothesis. In science the word theory is surpassed only by the word law in the sense of conveying certainty. In science, a theory is a hypothesis that has never been disproven, such as the theory of gravity. Evolution has been proven many times over through both observation and experiment, which is the reason it is taught in public schools. Though it has uncountable examples, only a fraction will be mentioned. Transitional fossils are one of the major concerns on the part of creationists. They use gaps in the fossils record to argue its unreliability. Transitional fossils are the species that lie in between the transition from one species to its ancestor or descendant. When these fossils are missing, it can seem far-fetched for a whale to develop from a land dwelling dog like animal, but when the fossils in between these two species are discovered, the transition becomes clearer. Though

When it comes to origins of the universe, Dawkins scoffs that Christians believe God created the world. But, before we can proceed, it must be recognized that Dawkins himself has faith––his faith rests in human beings. He says:

Mark, I appreciate how you bring out the attempts of Dawkins to refute the existence of God, and the overall belief in science by utilizing the laws of probability, and a computer model of artificial selection to assert major arguments for the improbability of a supreme being. Both the laws of probability and the computer model are man-made examples that man created, therefore can manipulate into any outcome they desire. While the law of probability may be a rule within the scientific realm, why should I choose to believe this concept, since I cannot see it, prove it myself, and furthermore, how do I know that the person who created this law really existed?

Thylacinus had stripes like a tiger, body like a dog, and a pouch like a kangaroo. They were marsupials but behaved more like wolves than marsupials (which makes them an excellent example of convergent evolution). They became extinct in Australia and New Guinea because of their incompetence against the dingoes, an invasive species brought by the aboriginal men. Nevertheless, some were left in Tasmania as the dingoes did not reach there, but died out soon after Europeans arrived there.

I distinctly remember sitting in my 9th grade Biology class as Mr. Shorba projected the classic picture of an ape progressively evolving into a human, and explained to the class Darwin’s theory of evolution. However, being raised in a conservative Christian home, I did not listen to one word of the evolution lecture, as I had already made up my mind as to what I believed in. Although I still believe in creationism, my take on learning about evolution has drastically shifted as I have realized the importance of understanding this popular theory. In Jonathan Well’s book, Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth, he dissects well-known evolutionists arguments with explanations as to how they are falsifiable.

‘The Selfish Gene’ is a very well written nonfictional book. Richard Dawkins has a wonderful way of explaining his opinion on natural selection and evolution. The book is geared towards anyone with a basic understanding of evolution and biology and wants to learn more. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is a book about how different species act and how their behaviour can affect future generations. Animals that act unselfishly; the term ‘altruistically’ is used in the book, cannot pass on their behaviours.

Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss are portrayed as crusaders of science, fighting any type of religion that stands in their way in the movie "The Unbelievers." By promoting a scientific worldview, they believe they are promoting the one thing that makes us inherently human– curiosity. They believe that "there's no one whose views aren't subject to question", saying that religion is no exception to this idea of challenging beliefs. Dawkins and Krauss also emphasized that people should be able to discuss religion, looking at it much more critically than allowed in the past. I think that these ideas of questioning and curiously examining religion are two things we did throughout our class, whether it was discussing our thoughts in class, comparing different interpretations of biblical text, or reading articles that showed more alternative views to the typical Christian fable.

“Faith can be very dangerous, and deliberately to implant it into the vulnerable mind of an innocent child is a grievous wrong.” While famous atheist author Richard Dawkins may offend some with this view on teaching religion to children, he does have a tremendous point. Imprinting religion on the minds of children can have negative effects, and parents do this is by presenting their kids with religious toys. For example, when I was young I had a doll who would pray the Our Father when I folded her hands. While it was definitely an innocent attempt by my mother to mold me into a robust little Christian, I consider it ignorant because it encouraged me, a naive child, to become indoctrinated unknowingly into something I not only couldn’t grasp, but that I wouldn’t agree with later on. Religious toys like the ones I had, comparable to today’s Precious Moments praying hands doll or the Noah’s ark play set available at BibleToys.com, seem like something parents should want their children playing with because they appear more wholesome, but those toys are actually promoting the parents’ personal agenda and hindering a small child’s ability to form his or her own opinions.

We live in a time consumed by social media. 74% of adults with access to the internet have a social media account as of 2014, and what better medium to propagate memes than social media, where you can connect with thousands of people instantaneously? (Social Networking Fact Sheet) When one hears the word “meme,” they might think about childish jokes spread rapidly throughout the internet, but in reality, memes have no constraints to jokes. A meme is a cultural phenomenon in which an idea is spread rapidly and often altered to fit different demographics. (Dawkins 192)

In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, introducing the theory of evolution. One hundred and fifty-six years later, scientists still accept this senseless philosophy. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay states, “Our school systems teach the children that they are nothing but glorified apes who are evolutionized out of some primordial soup” (Snyder). Schools worldwide have presented exactly this to the young, impressionable minds of your future doctors, engineers, scientists, and presidents. They assure us that if we give a small amount of mud enough time it can, by itself, bring about the art of da Vinci, the plays of Shakespeare, the music of Mozart, and the brilliant mind of Einstein.