Counting Results

THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION, according to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, is a guess, and not a very good one at that. An alarming comment from someone with a presumably good education, and presumably including at least one biology class. It could be argued that anyone whose knowledge of science is so lacking is not qualified to sit on the Supreme Court, certainly not qualified to participate in the adjudication of any law suit pertaining to science, including women's reproductive rights. Scalia's source of scientific information, one might guess, was the Bible, a document of dubious scientific value, since scripture seems unaware of photosynthesis, the nature of electromagnetism, or that the stars are anything more than glass trinkets hanging from a material dome. Evolution, quite simply, is proven scientific fact. For over a hundred and fifty years science has been trying to disprove it, as it does all its theories, without success. Science has long since surrendered to the reality of evolution; challenging evolution was already ludicrous by 1925, when Clarence Darrow made a mockery of "christian science" in front of the entire world, but was denied acceptance and instead given disdain and hatred. We live in an age characterized by the widespread rejection of science. Many of us fear science, not without good reason. Its intimidating, the way we are surrounded by machines whose operation we do not understand. Science education in America is not presently producing acceptable results. Unlike religion, the benefits of science are tangible, verifiable, the results are before our very eyes. Whatever benefits religion has bestowed upon the world could have been bestowed more effectively without the dogma, the ignorance, and the divisiveness.which religion is true, partly or entirely? There are hundreds from which to select, and since they often contradict each other, all of them cannot be true. There is, however, a single, comprehensive, beautifully persuasive body of factual scientific knowledge, explaining for us the true nature of the world, upon which everyone can agree, because everyone can reproduce, for themselves, the results. And, after all, it is results that count.