Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Creationism: Creationism is a view that attempts to reconcile the scientific theory of evolution with the belief in a creator god. Creationists typically believe that God created the universe and all life, but that he used evolution as a mechanism to do so. It is important to note that creationism is not a scientific theory. It is a religious belief that is not supported by scientific evidence. See also Evolution, Darwinism._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Stephen Jay Gould on Creationism - Dictionary of Arguments
II 12 Creationism/Gould: since the beginning of the 1980s, there has been a revival of the pseudo-science of "creationism" in the USA, which is actually allowed to claim a precisely measured amount of time in schools. II 251 ff Creationism/Gould: the fact that creationism has recently resurrected in the discussion would suggest to outsiders that something new has been discovered. But this is not the case. Definition Creationism/Gould: creationism is the doctrine according to which the world as a whole was created. After discovering the fossils, it was said that the fossils were created together with the world, which was thought to be only a few millennia old. Creationism has the guaranteed privilege of being allowed to take up a certain quota of school lessons in the USA. The recent rise of creationism is quite simply politics as a result of the revived activities of the evangelical group. Reagan supported this. In American vernacular, "theory" means something like "imperfect fact". Thus, the creationists can argue that evolution is "only" a theory among others. This leads to a seemingly democratic gesture of "allowing" different theories to coexist. II 252 Theory/Gould: evolution is indeed a theory but it is also a fact. Facts and theories are different things, they are not levels within a hierarchy of increasing security. >Theories, >Evolution. II 253 The definitive proofs of mathematics and logic gain their ultimate certainty precisely because they do not deal with the empirical world. The evolutionists make no claim to ultimate truth, though creationists generally do that. "Fact" can only mean in the scientific field that "something is confirmed to such an extent that it would be unnatural to withhold complete consent." For example, I suppose that apples could begin to float tomorrow, but this possibility does not justify that in physics lessons this possibility is given the same amount of time. II 254 The representatives of creationism claim that their theory is "scientific" in the sense of Popper, because he tries to destroy evolution. Gould: it is precisely for this reason that "scientific creationism" is a self-contradictory teaching, precisely because it cannot be refuted. II 255 Unbeatable systems are dogmas, not sciences. The creationists have recently streamlined their argumentation: they now say: thesis: that God has created only "basic types" and that he limited deviations within the framework of evolution among these types. Thus, dwarf poodles and Great Danes come from the dog type, but humans will never come from monkeys, just as a dog cannot turn into a cat. Verifiability/verification/Gould: through scientific research, we could not bring out anything about the creative process used by the Creator. - - - IV 81 Creationism/Gould: if Adam was endowed with a navel by God, it was because God endowed us with an orderly past: even if the earth is only a few thousand years old, the fossils give us the image of a much older earth, but only because God wants to give us this image.(1) IV 83 GouldVsGosse: problem: God lied in the creation of the fossils by simulating the impression of a much older earth. Philip Henry Gosse: thesis: all natural processes take place in an endless circle. God, as the Creator, had to break into this circle somewhere. Wherever this happened, his work had to bear the traces of previous stages of the circle. Chicken and egg are present at the same time for God's pleasure, and each with the previous traces of the other. IV 86 Gould: problem: the fossils were created only recently, including the abrasion of the teeth! The hippopotamus could not have closed its mouth without its teeth having been sharpened. IV 90 Creationism: today: creationists reject Gosse because of this. But today's theory is even more ridiculous: all fossils as remains of the flood. IV 91/92 Gosse: surprisingly, we cannot prove that Gosse was wrong, but we cannot prove that he was right either: theories that are not verifiable in principle are rejected in science. Gosse catapulted himself out of science: "There is no visible difference between prochronic and diachronic development".(2) IV 92 J. L. BorgesVsGosse: there is an "involuntary proof that a creation from nothing is absurd: Gosse indirectly proves that the universe is finite and eternal, as imagined by the Vedanta, Heraclitus, Spinoza and the atomists." (3) IV 281 Creationism/art/Gould: creationism believes that each species is endowed with a number of irreducible characteristics. Darwinism, on the other hand: has no fixed characteristics. 1. Philip Henry Gosse. Omphalos: an Attempt to Untie the Geological Knot. 1857. 2. Ibid. 3. J. L. Borges. "The Creation and P.H.Gosse". in: Other Inquisitions, 1937-1952. 1964 University of Texas Press._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Gould I Stephen Jay Gould The Panda’s Thumb. More Reflections in Natural History, New York 1980 German Edition: Der Daumen des Panda Frankfurt 2009 Gould II Stephen Jay Gould Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes. Further Reflections in Natural History, New York 1983 German Edition: Wie das Zebra zu seinen Streifen kommt Frankfurt 1991 Gould III Stephen Jay Gould Full House. The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin, New York 1996 German Edition: Illusion Fortschritt Frankfurt 2004 Gould IV Stephen Jay Gould The Flamingo’s Smile. Reflections in Natural History, New York 1985 German Edition: Das Lächeln des Flamingos Basel 1989 |
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> Counter arguments against Gould
> Counter arguments in relation to Creationism
Ed. Martin Schulz, access date 2024-04-27