The Olds Albertan has, in the last two publications, given voice to two different individuals talking about science, even though neither of these individuals is actually a scientist.
And it's easy to tell. The first failed to define “Darwinism” correctly. The second demonstrated a lack of understanding of the purposes of science.
I myself am not a scientist either, although I am a person who knows how to use Google. I went to the trouble of searching a couple of terms, because I fear for the kind of society we will all inhabit if we continue to be informed by the uninformed.
Science: the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
Darwinism: the theory of the evolution of species by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin.
I would urge those who wish to understand science and the theory of evolution to listen to actual biologists and other scientists.
I join the many voices in last week's publication stating that people have the right to believe as they will. But when beliefs are contradicted by evidence, it is not the evidence that is the problem.
When people change or misrepresent terms and definitions to bolster their personal beliefs, they fool themselves. When respected news publications give them a platform to do so, they fool us all.
Maria De Leeuw
Olds
