Thanks for the comments.
Joel, I do somewhat remember meeting you at the Standford U. ASA Meeting.
As I dimly recall, you were one of two nuclear engineers from the National
Engineering Lab near (if 50 miles is near!) Idaho Falls. I do have two
brothers in the ASA, but they weren't there. ... Or have I misplaced you?
As an engineer, I normally am not inclined to embed myself deeply in the
Controversy (creation/evolution), but in editing the ASAN, I've slowly been
drawn in. What has been starting to go through my mind for the last few
months is how important it is for everyone to be specific in what they are
critiquing. I catch myself (while arguing with self, of course) being too
general in my critical analyses of various sides of this Controversy. It's
good mental exercise to try to nail down specifically what the problem is
with various expositions, such as Phil's.
Phil is a good example requiring precision because he is pushing multiple
fronts simultaneously. He has what I see as three distinct propositions
being advanced. The first, his major one, is broadly accepted in the ASA,
and even Eugenie Scott of the NCSE agrees with it: ideology (worldviews)
should not be advanced in the name of science and/or in science classrooms.
The second of Phil's major assertions is that the Darwinian mechanism is
insufficient to explain the current biological state-of-affairs. This is a
scientific question and can be argued at length on scientific grounds.
Phil's third major assertion, and the most controversial one within ASA, is
that Darwinism is "inseparably entangled" with materialism. Phil will not
go so far as to consider the connection one of logical necessity, but he
doesn't see how they could be disentangled culturally (at least). Here is a
point on which some creative thinking (showing how they could) is possible
by those opposing this proposition. If any takers do a nice (succinct,
tutorially-oriented) piece on this, I'll seriously consider it for ASAN
publication. E-mail it to me at dfeucht@toolcity.net.
Quite frankly, if anyone could provide me with some succint, specific
concerns, written as though they were actually being presented to IDTers
(because they will be in the ASAN), such inputs will give me a broader base
of raw material for editing.
Your ASAN Editor,
Dennis Feucht
dfeucht@toolcity.net