“Maybe A New Name”

Quick, go have a look at Tom Toles’ editorial cartoon.

Two primates consider a drawing upon which three identical quadrupeds are drawn. From left to right, they bear the names, “Creationism”, “Creation Science”, and “Intelligent Design”. One of the figures is making the comment, “We’re not making a lot of progress.” In the corner is a closing mini-panel, a frequent feature of Toles’ artwork, where the other figure suggests, “Maybe a new name…”

And that is precisely what the antievolution movement has offered, time and again, when rebuffed by the courts. There is no consideration that perhaps the content is at issue, you know, that collection of classic antievolution arguments. Rather, new strategies simply take up how best to sell what we all know to be pressed sawdust as if it were cornflakes, and the answer has always been, “Change the name. They’ll never guess it’s the same thing we were selling last week.”

Wesley R. Elsberry

Falconer. Interdisciplinary researcher: biology and computer science. Data scientist in real estate and econometrics. Blogger. Speaker. Photographer. Husband. Christian. Activist.

2 thoughts on ““Maybe A New Name”

  • 2006/01/03 at 12:53 pm
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    Already have one…Sudden Appearance Theory. Or they might go with Abrupt Appearance Theory. Behe has been test-marketing the name at the trial.

    Same old arguments in a brand new bottle!

  • 2006/01/11 at 4:33 am
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    Sometimes I seriously wonder why your rank and file YECs do not realize that this is a money making shell game. Real scientists publish their works in formats that you can recieve them and read them for free. Only creationists and IDers seem to want to charge a “donation fee” for their work. It is a business, not science.

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