Friday, June 26, 2009

Creation

The words of JBS Haldane have inspired me today:
My practice as a scientist is atheistic. That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel or devil is going to interfere with its course; and this assumption has been justified by such success as I have achieved in my professional career. I should therefore be intellectually dishonest if I were not also atheistic in the affairs of the world.

Some claim that science has no implications for religion or for the nature of god. I disagree; and I'm in good company. Not only is science not a democracy, but it consistently rules against the ignorant and the stupid. While the god 'hypothesis' is not a scientific hypothesis at all because it can't be completely disproved, science has aptly moved the notion of god into the same drawer as belief in santa claus ... belief in the ridiculous.

This year we celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life'. This paragon of reason gave full foundation to the wrecking ball that would begin to deliver shattering blows do the dogmas of religion all over the world. It became no longer necessary to implicate a god to explain the existence of life. This marked a new enlightenment.

In commemoration of these events, a movie depicting the life of Darwin and his discoveries will be coming out soon and I'm very excited about it. It's called 'Creation'. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favorite movies for a while. Be sure to stay on the look out to find when and where the movie will be coming out near you.

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