Why is it that when you question the facts about evolution, people automatically assume you are a creationist?

Question

That's like a religious person questioning the existence of God and all the other religious people scorning him for being an Atheist!

Monica - So when Sir Fred Hoyle, astronomer and mathematician, and an agnostic says "The general scientific community has been bamboozled into believing that evolution has been proved. Nothing could be further from the truth," does that make him a "crackpot" as well?

swbarnes2 - actually, I have a very extensive scientific library. I'm a certified nerd. I read A LOT. And to say "the only reason..." is to make an assumption about my intent. Your assumption was wrong.

Fred - Who decides what is "pseudo-scientific claptrap?" If I quote a preeminent botanist or zoologist or paleontologist who questions the basis of a certain theory, can that be "claptrap" as you call it? Just because a scientist might have a minority opinion in his field does not automatically mean he is wrong. Logic dictates that to be true.

Answer 1

Those who argue the mechanisms of evolution *are* taken seriously when they know what they're talking about.

It's when people go out of their way to question the basics of evolution, which are well-established facts by now, that we can mark them as uninformed crackpots.

Gaaaah, do you have to counter with a ridiculous quote taken out of context? Hoyle argued against random chance but *didn't believe in it*. His famous "Boeing 747" statement was a naive attack on biogenesis, which was not a very developed field back in the early 1980s.

Hoyle believed in evolution, but his beef (as in your quote) was with biogenesis, which is why he is famous for backing panspermia.

Answer 2

That's a good question. It reveals a contradiction I hadn't noticed before. The only reason anybody would assume you were a creationist for questioning evolution is because they think creation and evolution are the only options. You could form a disjunctive syllogism to illustrate the point:

1. Either creation or evolution.
2. Not evolution.
3. Therefore, creation.

But the contradiction comes in the fact that one of the major criticisms of ID and creation is that instead of arguing for their position, they argue against evolution. That is, by poking holes in evolutionary theory, they think they have proved creation or intelligent design. Evolutionists think this is faulty thinking.

But it can only be faulty thinking if there is some third alternative. If those are the only two alternatives, then any argument against evolution IS an argument for creation/ID, as the disjunctive syllogism above demonstrates.

Do you see the contradiction? On the one hand, they think creation and evolution are the only options, and that's why they lable you a creationist if you question evolution. But on the other hand, they think creation and evolution are NOT the only options, and that's why they think an argument against evolution is NOT an argument for creation.

Answer 3

Get a grip, kid. There are differences in how they question. Scientists question evolution. Christians quote pseudo-scientific claptrap as proof that it is worthless. On this forum, such assumption is reasonable. If you don't understand why, then you are not very bright.

Answer 4

If a religios person questioned the existence of God, many religious people probably would take issue with that. But you should question evolution because it is a science and science is open for questions. Religion, on the other hand, is a pre-defined set of rituals and beliefs that is not open for questioning. If you question our faith, then you have no faith. You can question science all you want, that's what it's there for, so we can ask questions and learn.

Answer 5

I suppose it is an unfair assumption, since so many people in the U.S. have been poorly educated in biology because creationists make a fuss. They are not only spreading misinformation among those who share their beliefs, they are creating confusion well beyond and are causing teachers to skimp on evolution, leading to many who are not starting with creationist biases also being poorly educated about evolution.

Answer 6

I agree with Monica

plus, there's a difference between asking questions, then when answered or sometimes prior to, or countering an answer reject the idea altogether without even showing any basic understanding of what they're arguing against

that's what annoys me, and nine times out of ten, those in that category, usually are creationists, especially when you can click on a few links that take you to their previous answers or questions......

Answer 7

In order to discredit you, they need to marginalize you into the pigeon hole they have created (see Fred's post below mine). The Global Warming crowd does this to scientists who debunk their "evidence", only they call them shills of the oil companies. It's intellectually dishonest and just proves they have an agenda and could care less regarding your rebuttal or evidence to the contrary.

When it comes to the origins of life there are only two possibilities: Creation or spontaneous generation. There is no third way. Spontaneous generation was disproved hundreds of years ago, but that leads us to only one other conclusion, that of supernatural creation. We cannot accept that on philosophical grounds; therefore, we choose to believe the impossible. That life arose from spontaneous chance. - George Wald, "The Origin of Life", Scientific American May 1954

Answer 8

because people don't like change, anything that goes against them is immediatly labeled as a threat and they have a reaction to fight it and by saying "creationist" and "athiest" they have an easy way out from actually thinking or questioning their own belief

Answer 9

Because evolution is no longer science, it's a religion, and questioning a religion causes the religious types to get angry.

Answer 10

i think we tend to think in polar opposite, extremes. if its not black, its white. if its not good, its bad. its hard for people to leave things gray, open-ended.