Re: Dean Kenyon

Steven Schimmrich (s-schim@students.uiuc.edu)
Tue, 6 Feb 1996 22:14:26 -0600 (CST)

A comment on Jim Foley's posting about the letter from Hafernik to Lippard
regarding Dean Kenyon:

> 2. Based on my disscussions with Dr. Kenyon and with the students who
> complained, I believe his presentation of evolutionary theory and the
> intelligent design paradigm is essentially the same as in his book.
> An exception is that in his lectures, unlike his book, Dr. Kenyon
> discusses examples of short age chronometers for the earth (moon dust,
> changes in the earth's magnetic field, secular changes in the speed of
> light) He is also more explicit in his lectures (based on his lecture
> notes) in linking intelligent design to creationism.

The "short age chronometers" comment, in my opinion, reflects poorly on
Kenyon's credibility as a teacher. The YEC moon dust, magnetic field, and
changes in c arguments are totally bogus and if Kenyon presented these as
valid arguments to undergraduates in his course, he shouldn't be teaching
science. As a geologist, I view these arguments the same way I'd view
teaching astrology in astronomy class.

--      Steven H. Schimmrich       Callsign KB9LCG       s-schim@uiuc.edu      Department of Geology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign         245 Natural History Building, Urbana, IL 61801  (217) 244-1246      http://www.uiuc.edu/ph/www/s-schim           Deus noster refugium