Why is the term "evolutionist" offensive?

Question

Out of simple curiosity. I don't understand. The "ist" tag is added to people who study all sorts of things ... biologIST; entymologIST; cardiologIST; botanIST; chemIST; physisIST; astronomIST.. and so on..

Should these people also take offense? No disrepect intended. I would just like to understand.

Thank you for your responses so far. I HAVE seen some who seem to take offense at the term... even in saying "there's no such thing". I would think, taking Nick's comment under consideration that if it is REAL, one should then be ok with being referred to as one who believes in or has studied Evolution.

Emmy, That is exactly what I'm trying to say. Thank you :)

Jack: "These people" would be the ones that seem to take offense at the term.

Lazar: Funny,. But hey, look, I got more responses on this question than I have on my last 4 or 5 combined. So :P

I get to keep the crown. Unless I sell it on Ebay.

Answer 1

It's considered to be a slur among creationists and believers in intelligent design, because evolution is a heresy.
It's almost exactly the same as the term "liberal" in use in America. Liberal thinking is considered to be a Bad Thing in the mainstream thought in the States, so "lib" is an insult.

I don't really know what else to say.

Answer 2

Its not offensive when used in a scientific connotation. Its only offensive when its used as a religious term. Well, maybe not offensive ... but inappopriate.

The difference is that everyone who believes in cardiology isn't a cardiologist; a person becomes a cardiologist by years of education and study in that particular area.

The suffix "ist" in the religious community -- theIST, BuddhIST, etc -- only suggest that the person who carries this title believes in God, or believes in the teachings of Buddha, or whatever word the "ist" is added to.

If the term evolutionists was used to direct a question towards a person who studies and is an expert in evolution, it would be a different story. But many people use it to refer to those who acknowledge the theory of evolution, which isn't the proper use and suggests that evolution is a belief structure or a religion.

Answer 3

i don't find the term offensive - illiterate maybe.

a cardiologist, an entomologist, or a diarist are all people who have dedicated their lives to a particular specialism (either professionally or as a hobby): they have made a choice that a particular area of human activity is of unusual importance to them.

but an 'evolutionist' isn't someone who has made a special commitment to the theory of evolution by natural selection, it is only somebody who understands that theory.

when somebody can multiply simple numbers together we don't call such a person a 'mathist': we expect ordinarily intelligent people to be able to do this.

when somebody can read a simple article in a daily newspaper, we don't call them a 'literatist'; (though we may call folk who can't 'illiterate').

evolutionary theory is not a difficult idea to get one's head around, and there is absolutely no other explanation for how the world came to be.

so it is silly to call people who understand natural selection 'evolutionists'; any ordinarily intelligent human being would be able to do that.

we might need a name for people who don't get the idea. (but would they be intelligent enough to understand the term if we had one)?

Answer 4

It isn't offensive, just ridiculous. Do we call people who are knowledgeable about photosynthesis "photosynthesisists?" The term is used in an attempt to identify evolution as a philosophy, or in the most extreme and absurd cases even a religion, rather than what it actually is, just one of many interconnected branches of biological science. Someone who is expert in the process of biological evolution is a biologIST.

Answer 5

Oh, thanks a lot. I had never even thought about it before you asked... now I AM offended by the term.

Here's my newfound take on it. There's no such thing as an evolutionist, there are evolutionary biologists... and other scientists who study evolution.

So, to call me evolutionist labels me a "believer" in evolution. It brings me down to the level of theists... and that offends me now.

Way to spread hate...

Answer 6

Everyone thinks that those who believe in evolution believe in what Darwin and scientist think today, which is, that there is no God and that everything, especially humans, are an accident and a fluke of nature. However, no body takes the time to look for other explanations about evolution and creation and just like to hold to their hatred and prejudices, close their minds and stay asleep in their beliefs.

Answer 7

I don't think that the term "evolutionist" is offensive to everyone; an evolutionist is someone who believes in the theory of evolution and not the religious theories of creation. The other terms you list aren't offensive at all, they're names for people of different professions.

Answer 8

I have completely no idea why human beings get indignant.Snobbish attitudes,i wager.they could imagine guy U is a bastardised,Americanised version. EDIT : I have basically been enlightened by ability of the above solutions.I had not in any respect usual about the heritage in the back of the abbreviation.What bastards might want to mock the lifeless?

Answer 9

It comes from a hardline Christian fear of the idea that humans crawled out of the mud as 4 legged creatures, climbed into the trees as apes, then decided to walk the earth upright. That idea turns their religion into fantasy.

I don't personally believe my ancestors were apes. What most religious types forget to notice is that humans have evolved. We evolve every generation. Evolution in it's simplest definition means genetically influenced adaptive change. If we didn't evolve with every generation, we would look like our ancestors.

Answer 10

I don't see why it should be offensive. I don't see why a person can't believe in both God and evolution. I mean, if a person truly believes in God, it only stands to reason that they would believe he is able to design His creations in such a way that they will evolve.