Today I participated in a fun interview on radio station WUFT, which is in Gainesville. The program was Conner Calling and it was a full hour, by far the longest interview I’ve done so far. It also featured about 10 people calling in to ask questions and state opinions. That’s also another record for me. I’ve only faced two or three in previous interviews.
The show started with a nice overview of Going Ape and a discussion of some historical highlights from it, especially William Jennings Bryan’s influence in 1920s Florida. Unfortunately, there was a technical glitch a few minutes in. I could hear the host just fine but they couldn’t hear me. The producer tried calling me back a few times and every time I answered there was no connection. We eventually hooked back up and made it through the rest of the program without any issues. After a few more minutes of general conversation the listeners’ calls started pouring in.
I appreciated the thoughtful comments from folks about some religions having no problem with accepting evolution in general and about the acceptability of comparative religion classes in schools and about the presence of overtly creationist voucher-accepting private schools in Florida. I kept quiet after some comments because I sensed the host was trying to get as many callers on air as time allowed and I didn’t want to get in the way of that. But I did try to briefly express my agreement with many of these points later.
After a comment I made about creationism not being science and creationists not doing science, a gentlemen offered up the suggestion that creationists are doing science but are blocked from journal publication due to bias against them. I disagreed. If a scientist has viable results and that scientist keeps working at it, the science will eventually break through. After decades of creationist flim-flam, nothing scientific has emerged.
Another caller tried to nail me with the old fashioned creationist zinger of the 2nd law of thermodynamics making evolution impossible. I stumbled a bit in my reply. I wasn’t knowledgeable in that subject well enough to be able to boil it down to a few seconds on the radio. I’m familiar with the argument only in a general sense and I tried to express what I did know as best as I could. For anyone who’s interested, a much more thorough, if somewhat complicated, explanation is here. A Google search will also turn up plenty of material.
At one point I explained that I have some actual credentials: a relevant degree and state teacher certification. Later, I tried to head off some of the creationist challenges that were coming in by saying that I’m not an academic or a scientist but rather I’ve written a book about the history of the controversy. I hope the two statements didn’t come off as contradictory. The point I was aiming for was that I know what I’m talking about as it relates to Going Ape. My purpose is to educate the public about this important and fascinating history and how it flows seamlessly into the present. I didn’t want to derail that by debating with creationists.
I’ll let you know when the show is archived online. I’m eager to hear your feedback on how it went. One thing I wish I had said at the of the interview was that all of the passionate callers today illustrate just how much interest there is in the subject, which is a great reason to buy Going Ape! I also neglected to plug Florida Citizens for Science. I wanted to but just couldn’t find the right opportunity. Oh well. Maybe next time.
(Cartoon credit to Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.)
Brandon,
Simple answer to “the 2nd law of thermodynamics making evolution impossible”
SLOTD only leads to entropy within a closed system. The earth is not within a closed sytem, it has a independent energy source, its called the sun.
Ivorygirl, yup, that’s what I said, but I fumbled around a bit as I did so. I was keeping in mind the general listening audience who probably had no idea what the 2nd law even is and that caused me to hesitate as I tried to come up with a way to briefly describe it as well as my rebuttal. Thus the fumbling.
If you have the right time and structure, it could be great fun to get the objector to try to explain their version(s) of what the 2LoT says and why it doesn’t also prevent, say, a simple egg from turning into a complex bird (or insect, reptile, etc). Alas, call-in shows generally don’t offer such opportunities.
As for the “censorship!!!1!” argument, I like to point out that the Discovery Institute spends around $1M per year on “public outreach” and management (not on actual research), and they or any other creationist outfit with a web page could publish establishment-rejected papers on their website for all the world to admire. So far no breakthrough material – even by their own fuzzy standards – has emerged from such venues.
Ivorygirl- Your suggestion seems to imply that the earth being an open system would experience no entropy. Which in reality is not the case.
Doesn’t the second law refer to a wide variety of processes, reversible and irreversible. With all natural processes irreversible. Hot to cold, order to disorder.
Chris spewwd,
“Your suggestion seems to imply that the earth being an open system would experience no entropy. Which in reality is not the case
That’s not what I said or implied “Lying for Jesus” again Chris?
The only thing that leads to entropy is your brain. For Jebus sake go look up the answer for yourself!! ! I know you IDiots have picked up this and attempted to apply the second law of thermodynamics as a refutation of evolution but it doesn’t. Evolution does not imply that life is becoming increasingly complex; it only says that natural selection allows genes to be passed on and different characteristics hence preserved. Of course you wouldn’t get that would you?
As PZ Myers put it: “The second law of thermodynamics argument is one of the hoariest, silliest claims in the creationist collection. It’s self-refuting. Point to the creationist: ask whether he was a baby once. Has he grown? Has he become larger and more complex? Isn’t he standing there in violation of the second law himself? Demand that he immediately regress to a slimy puddle of mingled menses and semen.”
Tell you what Chris, lets apply the SLOTD to your god, so I guess he must have to die. Your sky daddy will end up on the scrap heap of mythology just like the thousands of other gods that you and no one else even remember.
Ivorygirl,
I said your suggestion seems to imply. I know all your crap is canned and nothing comes from your own brain. Thats why the word ‘seems’ is added, I know you have no capacity to think outside of your little box. So chill.
“Evolution does not imply that life is becoming increasingly complex; it only says that natural selection allows genes to be passed on and different characteristics hence preserved.” Now that’s enlightening. So the supposed first unknown single celled organism had all of the genetic combinations to allow natural selection to weed out those less favored forming every form of life. OOOOOk
PZ’s comments are usually simplistically stupid, this one is no exception.
You might look up Genetic Entropy, and pass that on to PZ. I think you’ll find the sun is irrelevant.
Genetic.
Entropy.
Uh-huh… Sure.
PZ Myers will lose no sleep over that, or no more than Carl Sagan will.
Prepare to have your final sentence thrown back at you for years.
Pierce,
Yup, Chris peed on his feet again, regurgitating crap from Creationist web sites. Funny thing is, he has the gaul to accuse me of not being able to think for myself. Makes me wonder how I managed to complete my masters thesis and how I will manage to finish my doctorate dissertation. Perhaps I should consult Chris?
Wow. with all that education you should be able to pick up a hundred thousand from this guy.
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