After introduction I got cut off for a long time and I get back in to hear the tail end (heh) of a discussion about the reducible complexity of flagellum and how the icon of ID has been squashed.
Then Miller went on to transitionals. About how "Pandas" lies by omission by leaving out several known transitionals in their discussion of fish-amphibian evolution. He then talks about Tiktaalik, the prediction of where it would be found and what it would look like as well as the Gogonasus find. Quick video from Neil Shubin and a book plug for
"Your inner fish".
quote:
We've got the fossils, we win.
Comparative Genomic evidence crops up before the connection drops for a while. I pick it up with discussion about the chromosome fusion event in the Human genome which evolution insists must have happened due to the fact that Chimps have 48 and we have 46. And we can see where the fusion took place (Miller describes telomeres etc)
quote:
These are facts, ladies and gentleman. We've got the genes too!
This was followed by a discussion on the history of "Pandas" which most here would be familiar with. The old cdesign proponentists tale. Followed by a humorous look at Judge Jones' ruling before my connection dropped.
I pick it up at a discussion of the state board of education in Texas. With a plug to
these guys.
Was Dover God vs Science? NO, Plaintiffs with practising Christians.
He puts up a slide with a Philip E Johnson quote about how ID is about making the debate about faith rather than evolution; Discussions about evolution do tend to lead shockingly quickly to religion. He shows a quick clip from the Colbert report
starring himself.
Dogma, not faith is a barrier to scientific enquiry -- 'Theistic Evolution'.
Questions and Answers
1. Cambrian Explosion?
Miller - 30 million years is a looooooong time. There are pre-cambrian fossils. Check out
Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom
Brad Mcfall's question is displayed on the slideshow:{Paraphrase}: Do the two debators realize that artificial selection is a form of "Design". Are there morphological limits of this kind of selection??
then my connection cut out whilst he was discussing Cambrian fossils
It picks up a few minutes later with a discussion of
"Critical Analysis".
Internet Question: What do you think of Expelled?
Miller - I understand it is a hard film to get into. Quick exposition on PZ Myers. ID needs to produce a reason why it has failed to gain ground in scientific community so Expelled tries the tried and trusted method of 'Big Science won't let us in'.
Q: Something about Ontogeny recapitulates Phylogeny by some guy called Rand Mann? (just kidding)
Miller - a quick discussion of evo-devo and Haeckel. Talks about the
Mammallian egg sac which makes sense in the light of our evolutionary history but doesn't make sense from a design perspective.
Q- something about the anti-evolution debate not being packaged as science but as being presented as a culture war *connection drop*
Racism, Nazism, Christianity, evolution. If we look at history however we find that Nazism wasn't packaged in terms of biological science but that the people, and the actual people involved were sold on the idea of purifying Christian Europe from the scourge of the Jews and this was going on for a
Long Time before Darwin. (link actually covers the same details that Miller makes, presumably Miller read it.)
Q *inaudible*
Miller - Yes, people look at evolution not as a science but as a dehumanizing ideology. Ben Stein refuses to discuss evolution and insists on calling it Darwinism highlights this point precisely.
Internet Q: tell us about your new book!
Miller: "
Only a Theory (Dawkins was a
bit put out by the title no doubt).
America's disrespect of authority does result in problems for some sections with regards to science. We can't just fly in, flash our credentials and tell people they're wrong. However, this anti-authority perspective has proven a boon to science too. That's the kind of thing the book is about.
Q - blah blah
Miller - Some discussion on the politics of textbook purchasing and politics, and the so called "Adoption States".
Q - blah?
Miller - more textbook politics related to previous point. Textbooks are kept more expensive because of this/Royalty issues etc etc.
Q - Colbert Report
Miller *funny anecdote* - it is not scripted.
Q - *inaudible*
Miller - I do not endorse
NOMA. Religious faith doesn't retard science look at Lemaitre and Mendel. Certain kinds of belief can be problematic. Science transcends ideology (amusing anecdote about talking to communist scientists) and I think it can transcend religion too.
I don't think your question got answered Brad - the Internet questions went mostly ignored, partially because Miller kept taking the initiative during question time and pointing to people to ask questions rather than letting the moderator decide what to do.
Obviously the notes were rough, but Miller is an entertaining speaker and even though there was little new information presented in reality - it was done in a very accessible fashion which I'm sure (after the initial connection issues we all had) was good for whichever teachers were watching who might not be as jaded on this topic as we all are.
abe: gah - it's 4am!
Edited by Modulous, : No reason given.
Edited by Modulous, : No reason given.
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