The esteemed Canadian Science Minister did get one thing right - he acknowledged that the substantive part of what he said in his second response to the "E" question was "not relevant" (as well as being incoherent, of course).
"We are evolving every year, every decade. That's a fact, whether it is to the intensity of the sun, whether it is to, as a chiropractor, walking on cement versus anything else, whether it is running shoes or high heels, of course we are evolving to our environment. But that's not relevant..." Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org ********************************************* [tips] Roll over, Darwin sblack Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:12:03 -0700 Yesterday, we had a shocker in the People's Republic of Canada. Our Science Minister, (yes, our _science_ minister), with the proud title of federal Minister of State for Science and Technology, was asked whether he "believed in evolution". He refused to say, replying "I'm not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don't think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate" (and you just have to admire the creative syntax of that statement). Admittedly, the question was poorly formulated, but the scientific community in Canada (ok, me and some more important people) was stunned that he would think that asking about evolution was a question about religion. It is not irrelevant that his day job before becoming a politician was chiropractor, a notoriously quackish and evidence-free discipline. What a man with a background like that and views to match is doing in the most important scientific post in the country is beyond me. It's an indication that the Bush administration is not gone but has only moved to Harperland up here in Canada. Today the honourable Gary Goodyear had second thoughts. He now says "of course" he believes in evolution. But his idea of evolution seems not quite what Darwin had in mind. He said: "We are evolving every year, every decade. That's a fact, whether it is to the intensity of the sun, whether it is to, as a chiropractor, walking on cement versus anything else, whether it is running shoes or high heels, of course we are evolving to our environment." That's about as ignorant a statement as claiming that like attracts like in magnets or that "positively charged magnets" exist, or that I can correct Allen Esterson on physics (even if, and I really was, joking). For the news items on our federal Minister of Silliness and Ignorance of Science, see: Minister won't confirm belief in evolution http://tinyurl.com/9mvnnu 'Of course' I believe in evolution, Goodyear says http://tinyurl.com/cukae4 Stephen ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: [email protected] 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
