Pope Benedict Xvi Does Not Understand Evolution, Science

[Eccles]

Pope Benedict XVI Does Not Understand Evolution, Science

http://atheism.about.com/b/a/259008.htm

 

A man becomes pope for a variety of reasons, none of which have anything to do with their understanding of science generally or any one field of science in particular. It should thus not be surprising if a pope says things about science which reflect significant ignorance about the way science works. Given that ignorance, though, shouldn't popes recognize that perhaps they should simply refrain from commenting at all?

In recent statements about evolution, Pope Benedict XVI reveals just how little he understands about the way science works and why evolution is accepted:

 

In a new book, "Creation and Evolution," published Wednesday in German, the pope praised progress gained by science, but cautioned that evolution raises philosophical questions science alone cannot answer. ...He stopped short of endorsing intelligent design, but said scientific and philosophical reason must work together in a way that does not exclude faith. ...

 

Benedict added that the immense time span that evolution covers made it impossible to conduct experiments in a controlled environment to finally verify or disprove the theory. "We cannot haul 10,000 generations into the laboratory," he said.

 

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

The idea that scientific theories can only be verified or disproven through laboratory experiments is popular among creationists, as is the idea that events which occurred long ago in history cannot be examined or explained through the scientific process. Pope Benedict XVI gives voice to both of his misunderstandings and, as a consequence, also lends credibility to some fundamental creationist arguments. He many not have "endorsed Intelligent Design," but he endorsed the anti-science perspective and arguments of creationists all over the world.

 

We cannot haul a star into our laboratory, so does that mean we cannot verify or disprove our theories about how stars work? We cannot travel down to the center of the earth, so does that mean we cannot verify or disprove Plate Tectonics? We cannot observe what happens inside an atom, so does that mean we cannot verify or disprove Atomic Theory?

 

The answer to all of these question is an unequivocal "no." There are lots of ways for obtaining evidence that will verify or falsify a theory and lab experiments are just one. Lab experiments are good, of course, but even better than lab experiments is to have evidence from multiple, independent lines of investigation — and that's just what we have in the case of evolution. Every line of evidence studies points to the exact same conclusions.

 

It's also important to keep in mind that scientists don't use "prove" or "disprove" the way Pope Benedict XVI appears to be using them. Scientists don't try to prove or disprove something beyond any possible doubt, which is how the pope seems to be thinking. Instead, scientists try to prove or disprove something beyond any reasonable doubt — that's the only reasonable standard, and it's one which scientific theories like evolution have met many times over. Evolution has been proven to be correct beyond any reasonable doubt, which leaves only unreasonable reasons for doubting it.

 

 

 

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Pope Ratslinger is a brain dead bum.

[DarthOkkata]

Posts like this are one of the reasons I'm so glad I found this site. Stupidity seems almost subdued by force.

[Dave]

Pope Benedict XVI Does Not Understand Evolution, Science

Of course he has to preach against evolution. If he were to admit that evolution were true his god would be worthless. The RC church went into convulsions when the Earth was taken out of the center of the Universe. They are doing the same now that we are taking humans out of the center of the Universe and out of the center of a creator gods attention. He has to maintain all that or he is out of a pretty cushy job.

[Thurisaz]

Sidious I. is a hardliner. His predecessor, if memory serves, accepted science. What other choice does da glorious Sith lord have but to condemn what John Paul 2 condoned?

 

[The Sage Nabooru]

Seriously, I don't know why you guys have such a big problem with this, per se.

 

Obviously he's not Pat Robertson regarding this issue. He's just not entirely certain regarding the particular scientific front of this issue. It may not be what we believe, but it's normal. In fact I like the fact that he thinks that science and philosophy can work together. I don't think he's saying that scientific exploration should be stopped short of wherever it comes into odds with traditional fundamentalist theology but rather that perhaps we should drop the notion that it neccessarily should have to be at odds at all, which is a lot like what I believe.

[Thurisaz]

Granted that it could be worse. Thanks for the reminder Sage.

 

Of course it could be much better too.

[Grandpa Harley]

Evolution and the RC Church

 

Voldemort XXII may not understand Science, but he can operate an anti-aircraft gun. You have to respect that in a pontiff...