Over
the years I have written columns about the growing doubts among
scientists and mathematicians over aspects of Darwinian evolution. The
fury aroused among the faithful has been intense and often personal, the
doubts being called “ridiculous” but with no explanation of why they
are ridiculous. These assertions are frequently, but not always, made by
people who couldn’t tell toluene from the Taj Mahal. The following, for
what if anything it is worth, is a response I wrote to an internet
acquaintance whom I will call Derek.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Derek,
Since
you have attacked me harshly and even insultingly for my doubts about
what might be called doctrinaire evolutionism’s official story, perhaps
you will permit me to defend myself.
I
note that your castigation of me has been devoid of substance, being
partly ad hominem (“Fred, you are just a retired reporter….”), partly
crowd-sourced appeal to authority (“Ninety-nine point nine percent of
biologists agree….”), and partly rank-pulling (“I hold the following
imposing degrees from Berkeley, an imposing university….”)–none of these
degrees, I note, related to evolution.
